The Sluggard (An Athlete Awakening from Sleep), Frederic Leighton 1st Baron Leighton of Stretton

Exhibition Label:
"Corpus," Apr-2012, Kris Ercums
Awakening from a drowsy slumber, Leighton’s Sluggard or “young athlete,” delineates the lithe, svelte form of a young boy. By introducing the attribute of the laurel wreath, Leighton suggests that the young athlete was rising from a well-deserved rest after exercise; the overall image, however, conveys little in the way of a moral or narrative message.
It is primarily a celebration of youthful beauty and the idealized male nude. Leighton drew heavily on historical inspiration-ancient Greece and Renaissance Italy were among the most important sources-constructing a “feminized” aesthetic that is a joyous celebration of all variety of human sexuality.