Stitching The Standard 1911

Edmund Blair Leighton painted 'Stitching The Standard' with oils, and although we don't know exactly when, we do know it was sometime before 1922. There's something so satisfying about the flat colours that make up this painting, a process which is so clearly about filling in the lines. The artist uses very precise and controlled brushstrokes, almost erasing any trace of the hand. The paint is applied so smoothly, so thinly, it practically disappears, giving it an almost dreamlike quality. But then I look closer, and I start to notice the slight variations in tone and texture. Look at the stonework behind the woman, and you see how the artist has built up the surface with these subtle marks, layer upon layer. The folds of the woman's dress and the flag are all painstakingly rendered, as if each pleat and crease holds some kind of special significance. I'm reminded of Alma-Tadema’s paintings of domestic life in ancient Rome. Both artists share a love of detail, and this almost photographic realism. But unlike Alma-Tadema, Leighton seems less interested in historical accuracy than in creating a mood, a feeling. And it’s a feeling that lingers long after you’ve left the room.