John G. Sowerbyartist • painterEind 19e- begin 20e eeuw

John Sowerby is one of the English Symbolists. From the eighties of the 19th century, these painters opted for representations based on religious, mythological or literary sources. For them, a work of art had to represent an idea, through a symbolic imagery. The depicted also had to have an alienating and enigmatic-magic effect, so that the meaning penetrated better to the viewer. Just like the Frenchman Henri le Sidanier, for example, Sowerby opted for a realistic way of elaborating. Sometimes his work is also reminiscent of that of the English Pre-Raphaelites, a group of painters whose style was inspired by painting before Raphael.