Where Is The Lament for Icarus? See It at Tate Britain

Q: Where can I see The Lament for Icarus?

This painting is at Tate Britain in London, which holds the national collection of British art. Draper's dramatic Academic painting remains one of the museum's most popular works.

Q: What myth does this depict?

Icarus flew too close to the sun using wings made with wax and feathers. The wax melted and he fell into the sea and drowned. Draper shows the aftermath, with nymphs discovering his body.

Q: What was Draper's specialty?

Draper excelled at mythological scenes featuring water and the sea. His sensuous nymphs and dramatic compositions made him one of the most successful Academic painters of his era.

British painter Herbert James Draper painted this poignant scene in 1898, showing sea nymphs mourning the fallen Icarus. The youth lies dead on rocky shore, his melted wax wings crumpled beside him. The nymphs examine his body with tender curiosity, their glistening forms contrasting with his pale, lifeless flesh.

This monumental canvas (182.9 × 155.6 cm) demonstrates Draper's mastery of Academic Art mythology. The subject of Icarus's hubris and fall remained popular with Victorian audiences. Now at Tate Britain in London.

This painting is at Tate Britain in London, which holds the national collection of British art. Draper's dramatic Academic painting remains one of the museum's most popular works.

Icarus flew too close to the sun using wings made with wax and feathers. The wax melted and he fell into the sea and drowned. Draper shows the aftermath, with nymphs discovering his body.

Draper excelled at mythological scenes featuring water and the sea. His sensuous nymphs and dramatic compositions made him one of the most successful Academic painters of his era.

The Lament for Icarus

Details

Where to See It

The Artist

More by Herbert James Draper

Ulysses and the Sirens

Also at Tate Britain

Carlisle Wall (The Lovers)

Reclining Figure

Saint Eulalia

Mares and Foals in a River Landscape

Related Academic Art Works

Nymphs and Satyr

The Birth of Venus

The Roses of Heliogabalus

The Horse Fair

Flaming June

The Birth of Venus

A Favorite Custom

The Slave Market

About The Lament for Icarus

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