Philip Hermogenes Calderon

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Portrait

Philip Hermogenes Calderon RA (3 May 1833 – 30 April 1898) was an English painter of French birth (mother) and Spanish (father) ancestry who initially worked in the Pre-Raphaelite style before moving towards historical genre. He was Keeper of the Royal Academy in London.

Life

Calderon was born in Poitiers, France. His father, Reverend Juan Calderón (* April 19, 1791 in Villafranca de los Caballeros; † January 28, 1854 in London) was a professor of Spanish literature and a former Roman Catholic priest who had converted to Anglicanism. Calderon planned to study engineering, but he became so interested in drawing technical figures and diagrams that he changed his mind and devoted his time to art. In 1850, he trained at Leigh's art school, London, then went to Paris to study under Picot in 1851. His first successful painting was called By the waters of Babylon (1852), which was followed by a much more popular one called Broken Vows (1856). From the beginning he was inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, and some of his work showed the detail, deep colors, and realistic forms that characterize the style.

Broken Vows, 1856 (Tate Britain)

Calderon became a leading member of the St John's Wood Clique, a group of artists interested in modern genre and historical subjects who were inspired, both artistically and socially by the Pre-Raphaelites. Historical, biblical, and literary themes were common in Calderon's later work. Many of his pieces show female forms wearing rich, silky clothing in gently colored landscapes. His Morning (1884) features a copper-haired maiden watching a sunrise.

His Juliet (1888)[1] shows Shakespeare's Juliet seated on her balcony gazing at the stars. His later paintings adopt more classical style, comparable to Edward Poynter, which resulted from his close relationship with Frederic Leighton, then-President of the Royal Academy. Calderon became Keeper of the Royal Academy in 1887, and from then on worked to support the teaching of anatomy based on nude models at the Royal Academy Schools. His 1891 painting St Elizabeth of Hungary's great act of renunciation was secured by the Chantrey bequest for the national collection, and is now located in Tate Britain, but caused considerable controversy because of its perceived anti-Catholic message. It depicted the saint bending nude over an altar watched by monks. He died in London.

Works

  • By the waters of Babylon (1852; Tate, London)
  • Broken vows (1856; Tate, London)
  • French peasants finding their stolen child (1859; Private collection)
  • The massacre of St. Bartholomew (1863; Private collection)
  • Morning (1884)
  • Juliet (1888)
  • St. Elizabeth of Hungary's great act of renunciation (1891; Tate, London)

Gallery

  • Lord, Thy Will Be Done (1855)

  • Ave Maria (1858)

  • French Peasants Finding Their Stolen Child (1859)

  • Letter From Daddy (1873)

  • Juliet (1888)

  • St. Elizabeth of Hungary's Great Act of Renunciation (1891)

Further reading

External links and references

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Philip Hermogenes Calderon.
  1. ↑ "The Artists". Shakespeare Illustrated. Emory University. 2003. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
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