Sculpture of the week - Athlete Wrestling with a Python by Lord Leighton

Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, Athlete Wrestling with a Python, 1877

Tate Britain, London, UK
(Source)

English sculpture of the mid-19th century was dominated by the Academy which favoured neoclassical stylings influenced by the art of Ancient Greece. In the late-19th century, this changed with the influx of French artists into Britain following the Franco-Prussian War which led to an emphasis on naturalism and away from works that would require knowledge of classical texts or history.

Athlete Wrestling with a Python is the first example of what is now known as the British New Sculpture. The athlete and the snake are very accurately depicted but what is highlighted is the dynamism of their fight. You can see the effort the athlete is putting in against the python, from the strain in his rippling muscles to the frown as he stares down the snake. You can almost feel the sweat coming down his brow. The snake is pretty niftily presented as well with it's very clearly defined muscles and scales.

For trivia buffs, Leighton holds two mildly interesting records. He was the first artist to be elevated to the peerage (lots of Sirs though). The day after he was ennobled, he died of a heart attack, making his title the shortest in history at only one day.