ARTHURIAN ART
Herbert James Draper (1864-1920)
Herbert James Draper was born in
London and studied science before turning to the arts, studying at St John's
Wood School and in 1884 at the RA Schools. Draper exhibited at the Royal Academy
from 1887 and continued to show pictures there for the rest of his life. He
specialized in nymphs, beautiful and nude, but was also a portrait painter. In
1889, he won a Royal Academy scholarship, and traveled abroad on the Continent.
He had actually decided to live in Italy, but wrote to Lord Leighton to ask his
advice. Leighton advised him that 'there was no light for painting like the
light of an English summer', and this was enough to persuade Draper to abandon
his life on the Continent.
Draper married Ida Williams, and they had one daughter. From 1896, his family
lived in Abbey Road, St John's Wood, London, neighbors of John Waterhouse.
He was one of the later followers of the Pre-Raphaelites and the
Classicists. His paintings are often compared to those of John William
Waterhouse, featuring beautiful innocent-looking girls with long dark hair. His
work also shows the influence of Lord Leighton and Sir Edward Burne-Jones. His
works are often light-hearted. However, he took great pains over the background
for his pictures.
