The Cremation of Percy Bysshe Shelley by Louis Édouard Fournier:
The Cremation of Percy Bysshe Shelley by Louis Édouard Fournier
Writers in Art: The Cremation of Percy Bysshe Shelley by Louis Édouard Fournier
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A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea. 
I’ve always thought that this way of cremating and accompanying the departed would be wonderful. Did it really happen?
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I agree. Yes, indeed, it really happened! It was a bit weird and dramatic, just as one would expect from this bunch.
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This grim painting is in the Walker Gallery in Liverpool, which has a fantastic collection of pre-Raphaelite art, amongst other things. Here’s a link with a bit of info (and a poem that someone wrote in response to a Walker Gallery challenge – inspired by the painting – not something I would attempt even if I were a poet – writing about Shelley’s death!) http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/collections/paintings/19c/fournier.aspx
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I imagine the painting is stunning in person.
Thanks for the link. I like that the writer of the blurb mentions what the weather was really like the (August) day of the cremation. Byron, who swam a considerable distance from shore during the procedure, ended up with a sunburn. This painting is so evocative and atmospheric, that I can overlook Fournier’s artistic license.
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