Frederic, Lord Leighton was - and still is - an important and influential Victorian artist. During the Nineteenth century, Leighton reigned as one of the most fashionable and significant painters of his time. Indeed, he was so well regarded as a painter that he was made President of the Royal Academy in 1878.

And the reason that Lord Leighton was so successful during his lifetime is simple - his paintings brilliantly captured the Victorian nostalgia and longing for the glorious "Golden Age" of ancient Greece and Rome. In classically inspired works such as Clytie, Idyll, and Greek Girls Picking up Pebbles by the Sea, Leighton depicted an idealized vision of the past that perfectly appealed to the sensibilities of the time.

Combining a flawless painting technique with a keen sense for color and composition, the artist created some of the most beautiful - and memorable - images made during the Nineteenth century. See for yourself, and learn more about this remarkable painter by selecting one of the links to his works above.