Room 38

The blindfolded young woman in The Execution of Lady Jane Grey reaches towards the block while another figure guides her. Paul Delaroche arranges the scene so that a small human movement carries the drama of a historical execution. Art academies trained painters through drawing, study of sculpture and work from living models. Large religious, mythological and historical subjects stood high in their ranking of painting. Portraits also offered artists important commissions. Look from the smooth finish of an Ingres portrait to a more freely handled passage elsewhere in the room. These differences affected how viewers experienced a person or an event, as well as how they judged the painter’s skill.