The Storm - Fancy Footwork and Fine Art

"The Storm"
Pierre-Auguste Cot, oil on canvas, 1880
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York

"This painting was commissioned from the artist in 1880 by Catharine Lorillard Wolfe under the guidance of her cousin John Wolfe, one of Cot's principal patrons. When it was exhibited at the Salon that year, critics speculated about the source of the subject...."

In my considered opinion, this work was inspired by Daphnis and Chloe by Longus - a Greek romance recorded sometime around 200 A.D.; or something else.

I also think that, from the position of their legs, their feet are going to get seriously tangled in less than a second.

Still, it's a cool painting.

And, apparently, the inspiration of a science fiction story. Which is another topic.

Sort-of-related post:

• "Where do Writers Get Their Ideas?"
  Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (August 7, 2009)