Marie Spartali Stillman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marie Spartali
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Marie Spartali, 1868,
photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron. |
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| Born |
Marie Spartali
10 March 1844 |
| Died | 6 March 1927 (aged 82) London, England, United Kingdom
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| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Painter |
Marie Stillman (born Marie Spartali) was a talented British artist. She was part of a group called the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Marie had a very long career, painting for sixty years and creating over 150 artworks.
She started as a popular model for other artists. But soon, she trained and became a respected painter herself. Famous artists like Dante Gabriel Rossetti praised her work.
Contents
Marie's Life and Family
Her Family Background
Marie Spartali was the oldest child of Michael Spartali. Her father was a rich merchant and the Greek consul-general in London. He moved to London around 1828. There, he married Euphrosyne Varsini, whose father was also a Greek merchant.
Marie's family lived in two places. They had a home in Clapham Common in London. They also had a country home on the Isle of Wight. In London, Marie's father loved to host big garden parties. He invited many new writers and artists to these events. This is how Marie first met people from the art world.
Marriage and Later Years
In 1870, Marie met William J. Stillman. He was an American journalist and painter. They had both posed for the artist Rossetti before. It's not clear if that's how they first met. Marie never modeled for her husband, even though he was an artist too.
They got married in 1871. Marie's father did not approve, and their relationship never fully healed. William was a foreign reporter for The Times newspaper. So, Marie and William lived in different cities. They spent time in London and Florence (from 1878 to 1883). Later, they lived in Rome (from 1889 to 1896).
They had three children together. William also had three children from a previous marriage. Marie Stillman passed away in March 1927. She was almost 83 years old. She was cremated at Brookwood Cemetery and buried there with her husband.
Her Art and Career
Starting in the Art World
Marie Spartali and her cousins, Maria Zambaco and Aglaia Coronio, were known for their Greek heritage and beauty. Friends called them "the Three Graces." This name came from the beautiful goddesses in Greek mythology. Marie was also very tall and made a strong impression. Later in life, she often wore all black, which drew even more attention.
Marie first met artist James Abbot McNeil Whistler and writer Algernon Charles Swinburne. This happened at the home of a Greek businessman. Swinburne was so impressed by her beauty that he reportedly said he wanted to "sit down and cry."
Working with the Pre-Raphaelites
In 1864, Whistler introduced Marie to the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti. She began to model for him. When Marie showed interest in painting, Rossetti sent her to Ford Madox Brown for training. Over the next five years, Marie and Brown became very close.
Brown said that Marie was "the most intellectual" of his models. He respected her artwork deeply, and they wrote many letters to each other. By 1870, Marie decided to become a professional artist. With Brown's help, she sold her first painting for a good price.
Marie also modeled for other famous artists. These included Brown, Edward Burne-Jones (in his painting The Mill), Julia Margaret Cameron, Rossetti (in A Vision of Fiammetta and Dante's Dream at the Time of the Death of Beatrice), and John Roddam Spencer Stanhope.
Her Unique Art Style
Because she worked closely with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Marie Stillman is often seen as part of their second group of artists. A writer named Henry James said she "inherited the traditions" of the original Pre-Raphaelites. He felt she was a "spontaneous, sincere, naive Pre-Raphaelite."
However, some art experts debate this. Robert de la Sizeranne noted that this new group of Pre-Raphaelites, including Marie, had things in common with the Symbolists. Symbolism was an art movement that focused on feelings and ideas. Marie Stillman's figures often look still and quiet. They seem to move slowly, "like sleepwalkers." Rossetti himself praised Marie for making her figures show strong emotions. This made them more than just pictures.
Other Influences on Her Art
In 1873, Marie's young daughter and her sister became ill. Marie wrote to Ford Madox Brown that she was worried about them. She felt "too weak to paint." When she did try to work, she found herself painting her sister looking sad. Because of this, she took a break from painting.
Marie lived in Florence, Italy, for several years with her husband. The city greatly inspired her art. You can see this in the subjects she chose to paint. Florence was the city of Dante Alighieri. So, Marie painted many scenes from his famous book, Divine Comedy. She especially focused on the love story between Dante and Beatrice.
Even though she was far from her artist friends, Marie kept in touch. She wrote to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, especially Rossetti. They both shared a love for Dante's stories.
Where Her Art Was Shown
Marie's paintings often showed subjects typical of the Pre-Raphaelites. These included female figures, scenes from Shakespeare, Petrarch, Dante, and Boccaccio. She also painted Italian landscapes.
She showed her art at many galleries. These included the Dudley Gallery in 1875, the Grosvenor Gallery, and the New Gallery. Her work was also displayed at the Royal Academy. In the USA, her art was shown at galleries in the eastern states. This included the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876.
Stillman also exhibited her work at the Palace of Fine Arts in Chicago. This was during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Later, there were special shows of her work. One was in the United States in 1982. Another was at the Delaware Art Museum in 2015. This show then moved to the UK, opening at the Watts Gallery in 2016.
Known Works
David Elliott's book lists over 170 of Marie Stillman's artworks. Here are some of her more famous paintings:
- The Lady Prays – Desire (1867)
- Mariana (c.1867–1869)
- Portrait of a young woman (1868)
- Forgetfulness (1869)
- La Pensierosa (1870)
- Self-Portrait (1871)
- Self-Portrait in Medieval Dress (1874)
- Gathering Orange Blossoms (1879)
- The Meeting of Dante and Beatrice on All Saints' Day (1881)
- Madonna Pietra degli Scrovigni (1884)
- Love's Messenger (1885)
- A Florentine Lily (c.1885–1890)
- The May Feast at the House of Folco Portinari, 1274 (1887)
- Dante at Verona (1888)
- Upon a Day Came Sorrow unto Me (1888)
- A Florentine Wedding Feast (1890)
- Messer Ansaldo showing Madonna Dionara his Enchanted Garden (1889)
- Convent Lily (1891)
- Cloister Lilies (1891)
- Dante and Beatrice, Scene from the Vita Nuova (1891)
- Saint George (1892)
- How the Virgin Mary came to Brother Conrad of Offida and laid her Son in his Arms (1892)
- A Rose from Armida's Garden (1894)
- Love Sonnets (1894)
- Beatrice (1896)
- Portrait of Mrs W. St Clair Baddeley (1896)
- Beatrice (1898)
- The Pilgrim Folk (1914)
Images for kids
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Self-Portrait, 1871, Delaware Art Museum.
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How the Virgin Came to Brother Conrad in Offia and Laid her Son in his Arms, 1892. Watercolour, gouache, and gold paint on paper.
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Hypatia, Spartali as model. Originally from the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
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Mariana (1867–1869)
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Love's Messenger, 1885, exhibited in the Delaware Art Museum
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Dante at Verona (1888)
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Farm Scene
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First Meeting of Petrarch and Laura (Church of Santa Chiara at Avignon), 1889
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Fiammetta Singing, 1879
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The Pilgrim Folk, 1914
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Madonna Pietra degli Scrovegni, 1884
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See also
In Spanish: Marie Spartali Stillman para niños
