The Tender Gaze of a Victorian Woman - Edmund Blair Leighton

Thank you very much for watching this longer than usual short!
I have been wanting to try and incorporate slightly longer shorts which go more in depth on specific painters, their styles and their artworks.

I would love to hear your feedback on this idea and feel free to suggest changes or even future topics for me to possibly cover more in depth.

Below you will find a small description of why I picked this topic and the names of the paintings in order of appearance until you start seeing repeats, these were all painted by Edmund Blair Leighton.

1.) Stitching the Standard (1911)
2.) Ribbons And Laces For Very Pretty Faces (1902)
3.) The Charity of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1895)
4.) Books And Art Maternity (1917)
5.) The Accolade (1901)
6.) The Shadow (1909)
7.) Straying Thoughts (1913)
8.) Tristan and Isolde (1902)
9.) Conquest (1884)
10.) A King And A Beggar Maid (1898)
11.) An Apple For The Boatman (1896)
12.) Yes Or No (1890)
13.) God Speed (1900)
14.) Lay Thy Sweet Hand In Mine And Trust In Me (1891)


One thing I’ve always noticed and really loved about Edmund Blair Leighton’s paintings is how often the women he paints are looking slightly away, off to the side, instead of directly at the viewer. It gives them this quiet sense of mystery, like they’re deep in thought or caught in a moment that we’re not fully part of. They often seem graceful and self-contained, like they have a whole story going on inside them. It makes you wonder what they’re thinking about or what they’re looking at just beyond the edge of the painting. To me, that sideways glance is part of what makes his work so emotional and interesting. Even though they’re dressed in these romantic, historical outfits, the women don’t feel like flat, idealized figures. They seem like real people who are caught in a private moment. I’m not an expert art historian or anything, but I think Leighton was really good at making you feel like you’ve walked in on a scene just as something is about to happen or has just passed, and the women’s expressions pull you into that mood.

Thanks for watching and learning about this amazing artist and all these beautiful paintings he has created ????❤️