Behind the scandal and controversies caused throughout the 19th century by the movements of Delacroix, Courbet and Monet with their friends, a story unfolded that did not defy the norms of the time, but was as incredible as those of those already widely known giants of the century.

Although we said that it did not defy the norms, in no way do we mean that it was conformist in any aspect. The artists who painted within this trend demanded excellence from themselves when painting and this must have been equivalent to the perfection and virtue that they attributed to ancient Greece, specifically to Athens.

This approach in Athens was obviously not by chance, but neither was it because the English magically aroused a great passion for walking in the ruins of the acropolis. Actually, the story does start a bit that way, but with an archaeological expedition carried out in the year 1800 by the Earl of Elgin, who spent time and resources to recover remains and fragments of both sculptures and the very building that was the temple of Athena, the famous Parthenon.

The results of that expedition became an exhibition at the Earl's house and soon became incredibly valuable to artists in London, who continually visited the "Elgin Marbles" as if drawn by the magnetic spirit of a muse who tirelessly drew them. inspired.

One of the protagonists of this story -perhaps the most important- was Frederic Leighton. Born English but raised in various European countries, he received an education as classic as it was universal and virtuous in different subjects, this resulted in a being – that William Gaunt did not fail to describe as – Olympian. Contrary to what it might seem, Leighton was not one of those passionate lovers of the Elgin marbles, he even came into the world 30 years after their boom in England and learned about them 20 years later, while in Rome. Many things were expected from Leighton, among them perfection and success, things that he obtained with enormous naturalness and grace, which is why it is not an exaggeration for Gaunt to call him an Olympian.

He was a prince among men, of great virtue and greatness of spirit, perfect from physique to character and talent, all his education flowed evenly from his aura of excellence without reaching areas of arrogance or self-centeredness and as such Nobly self-centered and married to his art, he eventually attracted the attention and interest of a large number of people.

Leighton was certainly a friend to many people, but in reality he was not a friend to anyone, however, he never hesitated to offer kindness and generosity around him, a relevant example of these selfless acts was the attention he had with Edward J. Poynter, 6 years younger than Leighton. Shortly after meeting Poynter, he was inspired by Leighton's work and dedication to their art, despite the fact that they were 17 and 23 years old. In those days, Leighton allowed him full access to his studio and materials in order to support him in his intention to be an artist. Over the years, it would be Poynter who would first define his classically inclined style and would succeed Leighton as president of the Royal Academy - not counting the interval of months in which J. E. Millais held the position - in the year of 1986.

Between 1870 and 1880, a group with academic characteristics and themes very close to each other, genre or mythological scenes that emulated possible visions of classical antiquity, Leighton at the head of this group, Poynter was also part along with another great friend of Leighton, George F. Watts, less classic than the rest and more expressive, Watts made works with darker colors than the rest and less perfection in the contours, but that did not detract from the precision of his drawing or take away from the detail. However, he did not limit himself to classical scenes, he also made highly expressive allegories and heavily painted biblical characters.

Although not English, it is important to mention Lawrence Alma-Tadema, originally Dutch, he created fame and fortune in his home country thanks to brilliant dealings with an excellent art dealer who set the stage quite well for Tadema throughout Europe. , this meant that when he moved definitively to England, a single painting was enough for him as a triumphal entrance and without further ado, he was already positioned among London artists and academics. If Leighton was the infallible and restless Olympian who traveled endless times throughout the continent and the Middle East, Alma-Tadema was the precise archaeologist who studied details to perfection and captured them masterfully in his works. According to Gaunt (1952), Alma-Tadema had a collection of items recovered from the ruins of Pompeii, which he not only used to add fidelity to his paintings, but also helped him imagine the environment in which he painted his scenes.

In this brief presentation of some of the prominent figures within this trend, it is not enough to really share what the spirit of Neopompeyism was and its history, since, like any artistic manifestation, it had its peak and its decline. We will present a second installment of this topic in which we will talk about the above and a little about why this side of nineteenth-century academic art is practically not talked about in art history.

Source: Victorian Olympus (1952) by William Gaunt.