A Young Bacchus

A Young Bacchus by Martin Archer Shee, painted in 1824, shows the portrait painter venturing into mythological subject matter — an aspiration that reflected the academic hierarchy placing history and mythology above portraiture and that earned him mixed critical responses. Bacchus, the god of wine, provided a figure whose youthful sensuality was appropriate for a painter known for his ability to depict attractive young sitters. Shee's ambition to paint beyond portraiture was a consistent thread in his career, and his mythological works, however commercially secondary to his portrait practice, demonstrate his desire to be measured against the full range of academic painting. The work dates from three years before his election as President of the Royal Academy.

The mythological figure is rendered with Shee's accomplished academic technique, the youthful body idealized according to classical conventions. The smooth, polished surface and careful modeling demonstrate his technical competence in figure painting beyond portraiture.