The Sleeping Diana
Ker-Xavier Roussel
French, 1867–1944
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Details
Title
The Sleeping Diana
Artist/Maker
Ker-Xavier Roussel (French, 1867–1944)
Date
ca. 1924
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
23 1/4 x 21 5/8 inches
Credit
Purchase in memory of Ruth McMillan with funds from the 1960, 1961, and 1962 Flower Festivals of the Garden Club of Georgia
Accession #
67.19
Ker-Xavier Roussel’s fusion of landscape and figures and his intense, colorful patterning reveal his connection to the Nabis, a group of artists active in Paris beginning in the late 1880s. This arcadian vision includes such evocative figures as fauns, nymphs, and bathers and was intended as a study for a large decorative panel. Roussel rendered the pagan subject matter, which he continued to paint for the remainder of his career, in a light, bright Impressionist manner that was suitable for both easel paintings and large-scale decorative commissions.