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William Etty

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Artist

The Resume

    (March 10, 1787-November 13, 1849)
    Born in York, England, United Kingdom
    Paintings include 'The Triumph of Cleopatra' (1821), 'The Combat: Woman Pleading for the Vanquished' (1825), 'Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews His Wife by Stealth to Gyges' (1830), 'Youth on the Prow and Pleasure at the Helm' (1832), 'The Sirens and Ulysses' (1834), and 'The Bather' (1843)
    Admitted to the Royal Academy (1828)

Why he might be annoying:

    His biographer described him as 'Slovenly in attire, short and awkward in body—large head, large hands, large feet—a face marked with the small-pox, made still more noticeable by length of jaw, and a quantity of sandy hair, long and wild.'
    He was extremely shy; when forced to attend dinner parties or other social events, he would usually sit silently for the duration.
    He was so worried that his niece and housekeeper Betsy would get married and quit that he made her sign an affidavit that she would never leave him (1835).
    The press accused him of pandering to prurient tastes while using themes from mythology or ancient history to gives his nudes a veneer of respectability.
    For example, the Times of London wrote, 'Nakedness without purity is offensive and indecent, and on Mr. Etty's canvases is mere dirty flesh.'
    He lapsed into obscurity, so by the early 20th century, his paintings were selling for less than their original prices.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Fellow artists admired the realistic depiction of the flesh of his nudes.
    He influenced the English pre-Raphaelite art movement.
    He underwent a revival of popularity after his works were featured in the Tate Britain's exhibition 'Exposed: The Victorian Nude.' (2001-02)
    One of his male nudes is the best-selling postcard at the York Art Gallery.

Credit: C. Fishel


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Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 97 Votes: 55.67% Annoying