Tuesday Art ATTACK- Lawrence Alma-Tadema “Spring”

Dutch born English painter Lawrence Alma-Tadema was born in Dronrijp, Netherlands on January 8, 1836. When he was fifteen, Alma-Tadema was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis and was given a short time to live. While recovering he spent his time painting and drawing. Alma-Tadema decided to pursue a career in art and was educated at the Royal Academy of Antwerp, Belgium. While working as an assistant for his former teacher Louis Jan de Taeye, he helped Alma-Tadema realize his love for Neoclassical design. Much of his work depicted scenes of great Roman luxury and privilege. In 1861 he created his first major work "The Education of the Children of Clovis". The painting was well received by art critics and society alike and made Alma-Tadema instantly well known. With the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 he decided move to England. Alma-Tadema would spend the rest of his life in England and would become one of the more popular painters in his day. The work above was created in 1894. Alma-Tadema passed away in 1912.