'The Young Sophocles Leading the Chorus of Victory after the Battle of Salamis with His Lyre'

A classicist in approach and vision, John Talbott Donoghue became one of the most successful American artists under the age of thirty when he won the gold medal at the 1880 Paris Salon for 'The Young Sophocles'. As seen in the present work, his success lies in his ability to incorporate ancient Greco-Roman aesthetics and a strict attention to the human form while still creating a lightness and sense of movement all his own.