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''Flaming June'' is a painting by Sir Frederic Leighton, produced in 1895. Painted with oil paints on a square canvas, it is widely considered to be Leighton's magnum opus, showing his classicist nature. It is thought that the woman portrayed alludes to the figures of sleeping nymphs and naiads the Greeks often sculpted. The toxic oleander branch in the top right symbolizes the fragile link between sleep and death.〔Cf. (Leighton, Frederic: ''Flaming June'' (1895) ), article on ''The Independent'' dated 25 April 2008.〕 The actresses Dorothy Dene and Mary Lloyd, who were depicted in paintings by various Pre-Raphaelite artists, have been variously credited with modelling for the work. ''Flaming June'' was auctioned in the 1960s, during a period of time known to be difficult for selling Victorian era paintings, where it failed to sell for its low reserve price of US$140 (the equivalent of $840 in contemporary prices). Afterwards, it was promptly purchased by the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where it currently resides. ==Appraisal== ''Flaming June'' was first begun as a motif to adorn a marble bath in one of Leighton's other works, ''Summer Slumber''. He became so attached to the design that he decided to create it as a painting in its own right. The position of the sleeping woman gave Leighton a great deal of trouble. He made several preliminary sketches to determine the way in which she should lie; in particular he had difficulty making the angle of her right arm look natural. His studies show that the picture went through at least four evolutionary sketches before Leighton came to the end result. Out of these studies, four are nude and one is draped.〔Cf. T. Barringer & E. Prettejohn, ''Frederic Leighton: Antiquity, Renaissance, Modernity'', Yale University Press (1999), ''s.v.'' "Flaming June".〕 The draped figure looks the least lifelike, demonstrating Leighton's need to draw from a naked model to achieve a fidelity to nature. ''Flaming June'' has become Leighton's most recognisable picture. The realism of the transparent material worn by the sleeping woman, the stunningly rich colours and the perfectly recreated marble surround are characteristic of Leighton's work, as is his use of natural light. He allows the sunset in the background to appear as molten gold.〔A. Weidinger, ''Magnificent Extravagance – Frederic, Lord Leighton's Flaming June 1894–95'', Belvedere (2010), ''passim''.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Flaming June」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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