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Lot Essay
Despite the imposing nature of his work, Draper has long been an obscure and neglected figure. There are, however, distinct signs that this ambitious and astonishingly competent exponent of late Victorian classicism is at long last finding his true place in history. His masterpiece, The Lament for Icarus (fig. 2), exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1898 and bought for the Chantrey Bequest, has reappeared on the walls of the Tate after years of being hidden in storage. Two of his other most impressive works, The Golden Fleece (1904; Bradford Art Gallery) and Ulysses and the Sirens (1909; Ferens Art Gallery, Hull) were included in the Last Romantics exhibition at the Barbican in 1989. An exhibition of Draper's drawings was recently mounted by Julian Hartnoll, and a monograph may soon be forthcoming.
Born in London in 1864, Draper studied at the St John's Wood Art School before entering the Royal Academy Schools at the age of twenty. Five years later he won the Gold Medal and a travelling scholarship, which enabled him to pursue his studies in the Académie Julian in Paris and, more independently, in Rome. He exhibited at the RA from 1887, his subject pictures often being inspired by the English poets and having a marked tendency to marine and nautical themes. In this respect all three of those mentioned above are typical. For many years he enjoyed considerable success. The Lament for Icarus, as well as being a Chantrey purchase, won a gold medal at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900, and his pictures were acquired for many regional museums - Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Preston, Truro and Hull - as well as for those of Durban and Adelaide in the colonies.
As the taste for subject pictures declined, Draper, like so many artists who had made their name in this area, found himself increasingly painting portraits, although here again he was in great demand. He also carried out decorative projects, notably a ceiling painting for the Livery Hall of the Drapers' Company representing Prospero summoning Nymphs and Deities. This was painted in a studio in St Ives, which he took both for its size and to gain the benefit of the local light. In private life, Draper seems to have epitomised the successful late Victorian or Edwardian artist. He married Ida, daughter of Walter Williams, JP, and they had one daughter, Yvonne. From 1896 he lived at 15 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, joining the select enclave of distinguished academic artists which also included J. W. Waterhouse, Frank Dicksee, Maurice Greiffenhagen and others. With so many credentials, it is only surprising that Draper was never a Royal Academician or even an Associate. Such was the case, however, to the dismay of many of his fellow artists, who did not fail to put his name forward. Their last attempt, once again unsuccessful, was in February 1920, and he died, still aged only fifty-six, the following September. Significantly, the Times carried no proper obituary, merely a brief notice of his death. Already he was suffering the eclipse from which he is only now emerging.
The Morning Mists was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1912. A model from the Royal Academy schools, Jessie Morris, posed for the sensuously conceived nudes, and Draper made studies in the region of Mont Blanc in preparation for the background, later exhibiting them at the Alpine Club Gallery. The picture is one of his most symbolist perfomances, and evokes a number of comparisons within this tradition. It looks back, perhaps, to The Spirit of the Summit (Auckland City Art Gallery) by Draper's hero Lord Leighton, which had been exhibited at the RA in 1894; but it also finds parallels in symbolist pictures abroad, recalling, for instance, certain works by Fantin-Latour, or that strangely compelling allegory The Punishment of Luxury by Giovanni Segantini (fig. 3), which dates from 1891. Draper's approach, however, is much more academic, and seems to draw heavily on his experience of working under French academic masters in Paris in the late 1880s. It is no accident that one of the most comparable pictures in English art is The Cloud of 1901 by Arthur Hacker (fig. 4). a slightly older artist who had enjoyed a similar training, studying under Bonnat in Paris a few years before Draper entered the Académie Julian. Draper and Hacker were almost certainly known to one another, both being members of the St John's Wood Art Club and having many friends in common.
We are grateful to Simon Toll, author of a forthcoming monograph on Draper, for his help in preparing this entry.
Born in London in 1864, Draper studied at the St John's Wood Art School before entering the Royal Academy Schools at the age of twenty. Five years later he won the Gold Medal and a travelling scholarship, which enabled him to pursue his studies in the Académie Julian in Paris and, more independently, in Rome. He exhibited at the RA from 1887, his subject pictures often being inspired by the English poets and having a marked tendency to marine and nautical themes. In this respect all three of those mentioned above are typical. For many years he enjoyed considerable success. The Lament for Icarus, as well as being a Chantrey purchase, won a gold medal at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900, and his pictures were acquired for many regional museums - Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Preston, Truro and Hull - as well as for those of Durban and Adelaide in the colonies.
As the taste for subject pictures declined, Draper, like so many artists who had made their name in this area, found himself increasingly painting portraits, although here again he was in great demand. He also carried out decorative projects, notably a ceiling painting for the Livery Hall of the Drapers' Company representing Prospero summoning Nymphs and Deities. This was painted in a studio in St Ives, which he took both for its size and to gain the benefit of the local light. In private life, Draper seems to have epitomised the successful late Victorian or Edwardian artist. He married Ida, daughter of Walter Williams, JP, and they had one daughter, Yvonne. From 1896 he lived at 15 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, joining the select enclave of distinguished academic artists which also included J. W. Waterhouse, Frank Dicksee, Maurice Greiffenhagen and others. With so many credentials, it is only surprising that Draper was never a Royal Academician or even an Associate. Such was the case, however, to the dismay of many of his fellow artists, who did not fail to put his name forward. Their last attempt, once again unsuccessful, was in February 1920, and he died, still aged only fifty-six, the following September. Significantly, the Times carried no proper obituary, merely a brief notice of his death. Already he was suffering the eclipse from which he is only now emerging.
The Morning Mists was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1912. A model from the Royal Academy schools, Jessie Morris, posed for the sensuously conceived nudes, and Draper made studies in the region of Mont Blanc in preparation for the background, later exhibiting them at the Alpine Club Gallery. The picture is one of his most symbolist perfomances, and evokes a number of comparisons within this tradition. It looks back, perhaps, to The Spirit of the Summit (Auckland City Art Gallery) by Draper's hero Lord Leighton, which had been exhibited at the RA in 1894; but it also finds parallels in symbolist pictures abroad, recalling, for instance, certain works by Fantin-Latour, or that strangely compelling allegory The Punishment of Luxury by Giovanni Segantini (fig. 3), which dates from 1891. Draper's approach, however, is much more academic, and seems to draw heavily on his experience of working under French academic masters in Paris in the late 1880s. It is no accident that one of the most comparable pictures in English art is The Cloud of 1901 by Arthur Hacker (fig. 4). a slightly older artist who had enjoyed a similar training, studying under Bonnat in Paris a few years before Draper entered the Académie Julian. Draper and Hacker were almost certainly known to one another, both being members of the St John's Wood Art Club and having many friends in common.
We are grateful to Simon Toll, author of a forthcoming monograph on Draper, for his help in preparing this entry.