The Winged Victory of Samothrace literally took my breath away. It was created to celebrate a naval sea battle in around 288 BC. The marble sculpture of the Greek Goddess Nike stands over 8 feet tall. She still packs the most extraordinary visual punch, despite her head and arms lost to time. The passion and the skill of the sculptor is simply awe-inspiring. The drapery of her costume with its sensual folds, her thrusting breasts and strong thighs, are rendered with sensitivity. The sculpture manages to convey a sense of movement and stillness simultaneously. She is defiantly standing proud against the elements, her wings torn back, storm ripping past her.
Paul Delaroche’s La Jeune Martyre moved me very much. Delaroche finished the oil painting in 1855, a year before his death. It is typical of the Romantic style of the period. It depicts a young dead Christian woman, hands bound, floating down the River Tiber. There are some similarities with Millais’ Ophelia and both paintings inspire an idea I am developing. The finished work is my River Bed 2017.