1874
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Dominant colour
Elaine is a 1874 oil by Toby E. Rosenthal, a American Impressionism work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
You see a woman on a boat, surrounded by flowers and trees. She's holding a lily and a letter. This painting is based on a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and it shows a sad moment from the story. The artist used a lot of detail to show the woman's grief. Check out the technique of glazing to learn more about how this painting was made.
Toby Edward Rosenthal found inspiration for this composition in Idylls of the King , a 19th-century version of the Arthurian legends written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In the poem, Elaine dies of a broken heart after being spurned by Sir Lancelot; Rosenthal’s painting depicts Elaine’s postmortem voyage from Astolat to Camelot: “In her right hand the lily, in her left / The letter—all her bright hair streaming down.” Rosenthal’s artistic choices reflect the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites, a group of English artists who favored highly naturalistic details, richly colored surfaces, and subjects…
The artist, Munich, Germany, 1874; sold to Mrs. Robert C. Johnson, San Francisco, Fall 1874; sold to Mr. Boardman, New York, c. 1885; sold to Mr. Joseph Rosenberg, Heidelberg, Germany, May 1887; sold to Mrs. Maurice Rosenfeld, Chicago, c. 1891; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1917.
Berlin, Germany, Konigliche Academie der Kunst, Verzeichnisse der Werke lebender kunstler ausgestellt in den Salen des Konig, Sept. 6–Nov. 1, 1874, no. 669. Boston, Elilot, Blakeslee & Noyes Gallery, Jan–Feb. 1875. San Francisco, Snow and May Gallery, Mar. 30–Apr. 10, 1875. Philadelphia, Centennial Exhibition of 1876, 1876, no. 177. San Francisco, Snow & Company, Mar. 1885. Urbana, College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois, Paintings from the Nickerson Collection, Extended Loan , Dec. 20, 1920 – Nov. 22, 1949. Evanston, Illinois, Scott Hall, Northwestern University, Apr. 2–9,…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Tobias Edward Rosenthal, known as Toby (15 March 1848 in Strasburg in Westpreußen, Prussia – 23 December 1917 in Munich) was a German-American genre and portrait painter. He generally claimed to have been born in New Haven, Connecticut.
See the richer artist page
