On the Seashore (Modern Iphigenia)

Feuerbach, who was regarded as a member of the socalled ‘Deutsch-Römer’ (a circle of German artists in Rome), lived for many years in Rome and in Venice. He pursued the goal of merging Classical Greek and realist models to create an ideal form. For two decades, the son of an archaeologist concerned himself with the theme of Iphigenia, the king’s daughter who was saved from death by sacrifice and henceforth had to live in exile. Inspired by Goethe’s play "Iphigenia in Tauris", in three different versions of the painting Feuerbach worked to create the ideal portrayal of this female Greek figure, one who had become the epitome of yearning with her words “And day by day upon the shore I stand, my soul still seeking for the land of Greece”. The painting in Düsseldorf is the final version, and here Feuerbach has his model Lucia Brunacci turn away from us and look out to sea. The standing figure is larger than life and, for all the contemporary garb, clearly alludes to Greek robed statues. The subdued palette emphasizes the melancholy mood of an unfulfilled wish for her home country. (Nicole Roth)