All his work attempts archaeological accuracy, based on site drawings and his photographic archive (now archived at the University of Birmingham Library). The British publication Punch called him a 'marbellous artist' because of his skill at painting marble. From the 1860s, Alma-Tadema’s painting was very popular in England his neoclassical works were admired among Victorian collectors and also appealed more broadly to the English masses. Whistler once described Alma-Tadema’s unconventional historicist costume upon meeting him at a party, at which he wore a laurel wreath, toga, and iron-rimmed spectacles. In the same year his painting of Fredegonde and Bishop Pretextat, originally bought for the tombola at the Salon in Brussels, became a sensation famous in the Belgian capital that he decided in 1865 to leave Antwerp and settle in Brussels.Īfter his wife’s death, Alma-Tadema moved to London in 1870 he married his English pupil Lady Laura Epps in 1871 and became a British citizen in 1873.Īlma-Tadema was well-liked by his artistic peers and the English public for his fidelity to classical antiquity and eccentric character. In 1864 he exhibited Pastimes in Ancient Egypt: 3000 Years Ago and won a gold medal for this work. This visit marked a significant change in his style, and from then on he turned to the ancient world for imagery and inspiration. In 1863 Alma-Tadema travelled to Italy where he became fascinated by the ruins of Pompeii. In 1862, his painting of Venantius Fortunatus earned him his first gold medal in Amsterdam and contributed to his growing reputation. In any case, by 1859 he had started working under the tutelage of Baron Leys in Antwerp. On his advice, Alma-Tadema dedicate himself to history painting, to which he owed his first success the King of Belgium won the artist’s 1861 painting Education of Clotilde's Children and later hung it in the palace in Brussels. Around this period he became acquainted with the archaeology professor and practicing artist Louis de Taye. However, he was expelled from the course as a result of a three-week absence, during which time he was working arduously on a commission for a picture. He trained at the academy there under the guidance of Wappers, then Reyzer. Sadly, his precarious health discouraged his parents from permitting his lessons, so it was not until he was 16 that he managed to go to Antwerp.

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was a Dutch-born painter who showed a liking and aptitude for drawing at an early age.

Lawrence alma tadema