The son of the artist Charles Blair Leighton, Edmund Blair Leighton was educated at University College School before becoming a student at the Royal Academy. He exhibited annually at the Royal Academy from 1878 to 1920. His paintings have a large following among 19th-century art enthusiasts for their outstanding execution and chivalrous subject matter. In A Footstep, Leighton portrays two lovers meeting in secrecy. Through the utilization of light and complex details, the artist conveys an emotionally charged scene of anticipation and a fearful anxiety as the maiden listens for the approach of her beloved.
Artist’s Exhibits:
Royal Academy
Suffolk Street
Royal Academy of British Artists
Manchester Art Gallery
Artist’s Museums:
Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery
Towneley Hall Art Gallery and Museum
Croydon Clocktower
References:
British Artists from 1880-1940, 1977, J. Johnson and A. Greutzner, ed.
Allgemeines Künstler Lexikon, Seeman, 1999, Thieme-Becker
Dictionnaire Des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs Et Graveurs, 1999, E. Bénézit
