ROUSSEL, Ker-Xavier
(b. 1867, Lorry-les-Metz, d. 1944, L'Etang-la-Ville)

The Sleeping Diana

c. 1924
Oil on canvas, 56 x 55 cm
High Museum of Art, Atlanta

Ker-Xavier Roussel's fusion of landscape and figures and his intense, colourful patterning reveal his connection to the Nabis, a group of artists active in Paris beginning in the late 1880s. This arcadian vision includes such evocative figures as fauns, nymphs, and bathers, intended as a study for a large decorative panel. Roussel rendered the pagan subject matter, which he continued to paint for the remainder of his career, in a light, bright Impressionist manner suitable for both easel paintings and large-scale decorative commissions.