Blossoms
Albert Moore was a leading figure of the Aesthetic Movement and a great favourite of Merton. The Russell-Cotes owned several of his works, although the only original in the collection now is Midsummer (1887) in Gallery II.
‘My profound admiration for my late dear friend’s pictures’ Merton Russell-Cotes wrote, ‘was only exceeded by that for himself’. Indeed, he devotes twelve pages of his autobiography to his ‘great friend’.
This painting is a copy of Blossoms (1881), now in the Tate Gallery, and was commissioned by Merton so it could be hung in East Cliff Hall.
Moore visited Rome and his interest in classical sculpture blossomed. On his return, he studied the Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum which inspired many of the faces, poses and draperies of his work. In 1865 he met James Whistler and they became friends. Whistler encouraged Moore with his aesthetic principles of ‘art for art’s sake’ and introduced him to Japanese art. The influence of Greek sculpture and Japanese art can be seen here. The pose and drapery are suggestive of a statue of Venus while the delicate colouring and background of flowers reflects ‘Japonisme’. ‘Japonisme’ refers to the influence of Japanese art and design among Western European artists in the 19th century, following its reopening to foreign trade after 200 years of isolation.
