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My mom has a large print of this hanging in her house and has had it since I was little. I always used to stare at it and think about how beautiful she was and how she had pretty red hair like my mother. Two houses later, she's still hanging up and affectionately referred to as June

"Does anyone actually sleep like that?" More than once have I freaked people out by sleeping in apparently unnatural positions. The way she's posed is actually very comfy, as I've slept exactly like that many times

As a tall, flexible woman who poses for life drawing classes: I've actually had artists tell me that "Yeah, that's an amazing and interesting pose. But when you do it, even if I reproduce *exactly* what I'm seeing, people will think I drew it wrong. Because it's not a pose just anyone can do!" They were complimenting me for the unique pose. But lamenting that if they faithfully reproduce it, people won't buy that they drew it right. I've found that photography modeling is better for me (and the photographer) simply because it's more believable than a drawing. Yes, my hips flex more, my spine, and all my joints. Laughably, even my mother has said of a photo of me: "It looks like you only have 1 leg. And it doesn't belong to you." I'm just throwing this in here for those art historians and critics who say "the human body can't possibly be in that pose" to say "Don't fully rule it out. Human bodies are more variable than you think."

It doesn't cease to amaze me how talented painters can paint TRANSCLUCENT fabric. Her chiffon dress seems so realistic and inspires temptation in me to someday attempt making one such dress. Warm colors DO NOT suit my coloring. I'm a winter, so I'm more apt to make this in perhaps forest green or aubergine.

For me it's really the colour that makes this painting. If it was in a more sedate palette I imagine it would look too soft, but that glowing orange makes it bold and timeless.

Flaming June is one of my all-time favourite paintings. I almost dropped my tea when I heard that grandma Weber called it junk! It’s beyond me, how a picture of a woman in a transparent chemise can be called “prudish” .

It's shocking that so many people can't appreciate art for its beauty, and instead think what's trending has value. I'm so glad people are appreciating this masterpiece once more.

At the 3:20 mark: That is not long brown hair swirling down her sides; that's another piece of fabric, perhaps a cloak. If you look carefully you can see above her forehead her beautiful RED hair...which is not the same color as the brown cloak. Thank you for the art lesson and story. very enjoyable.

I've always thought that she looks like a tiger lilly in June, radiant, glowing, fragrant. This painting feeds my eyes.

She is hanging in a Museum in Puerto Rico. She is stunning. She even inspired an EDM piece (by BT) ❤ Always wanted to know more about her

The pose looks perfectly natural to me, as a painter. The symbolism is so unified. Pity about the original frame being separated from the piece. It has more a Pre-Raphaelite than strictly Victorian theme, even foreshadowing Art Nouveau. Certainly must have inspired all who saw it. Stunning.

I saw this painting for the first time in elementary school (around 1986) on a Field trip from my school to the Museum Of Puerto Rico. I remember how amazed we were by the orange dress and the pretty lady's long hair. The teacher asked each of us how we felt when we looked at it, and I said, " it makes me smile because I think she is happy and comfortable" another kid said, "yeah, It looks like she has air conditioning in her room" LOL. We were little kids, and PR is hot, so most of the answers were related to sleeping comfortably. We were poor, and field trips were rare, so that experience is branded on my brain. I've seen it many times after that and every time is so exciting, like visiting an old friend.

I learned from the guide in the museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that the painting was made to hang high up on the wall. This is the reason why the leg seems to be disproportionate to the rest of the body. It works the same way as the drawing of a bike in the road works, seen from above it looks drawn out, seen from a distance (diagonally so to speak) it looks right. A lot of people were actually lying on the floor underneath it to see it properly.

I don't think I've ever seen this painting before, but I'm immediately in love with it! I don't understand how people could hate this. People are weird.

Many people actually sleep close to this fetal position. It helps you feel safe and you can tell she found a comfortable way to fall asleep on the sofa while she was being painted.. It is unique because most portraits show people in stiff, rigid, awkward positions when sitting up straight.. It also is one of my very favorite paintings that I have seen because of the choice in color, vibrant, not at all boring. I never get tired of seeing it. The title does it justice...Flaming June. Just because she is asleep, does not mean I will start yawning.. A lot of love was put into that painting.. It is stunning, the definition of life, beauty, youth and one of life's joy, a good restful nap.

I bought this just a print of course at an art frame shop..The print was only $19 and it cost me almost $300 to have it matted and framed professionally. It is the first piece of art that when I purchased my first home that I saved my money and chose this piece and I still have it to this day and it is my favorite favorite.

So excited to see someone embracing the arts and doing it in such a classy and fun way. Keep up the great work lady!

As a birthday gift to my mother, I bought an 10x13 copy of Flaming June from a Pier One retail store back in the 90s. I had it framed in a beautiful antique burgundy and gold foil frame. I LOVED this painting. I mean, I fall head over heels and read everything I could find on Lord Leighton...I was obsessed. My mother on the other hand was like, "meh". So, there she sat for nearly 25 years, on the floor, leaning against the wall, next to the fireplace. My mom has since passed. I now have Ms. Flaming June. She sits on my desk and I look at her every morning with the same love and amazement as I did when I first laid eyes on her. At The Golden Gate by Valentine Cameron Prinsep is another beautiful painting

When I first visited the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico, I was in awe observing this piece. I knew it was the museum’s crown jewel, but being in is presence was so petrifying and enjoyable that I had to stay there for minutes on end. It definitely became my favorite painting from the victoria era. Im consider myself lucky to be from Puerto Rico and being able to visit this piece any time.

The story of Ferre's purchase of "Flaming June" is a popular one among art historians in PR given how hilarious it is & lives on as proof that "one man's junk is another man's treasure". The painting has been on loan to a number of different locations across the globe at the moment due to the Museo de Ponce being repaired due to both earthquake & hurricane damage but everyone's hoping to have it back here once the repairs are done. Interestingly enough, back in 2016, we ended up loaning "Flaming June" back to the Leighton Estate for a display. Sorta wonder how he would've felt knowing that a small island in the Caribbean views his work as part of their adopted cultural heritage.

The first time I saw this painting (right here just now), my first impression was "That's a cat in human form." My oldest daughter would fall asleep like that on the nights she would stop by to hang out with her parents for movie night. We'd pile on the afghans to keep her warm and let her be. One other thing, you mentioned the length of her leg; well, that's actually her leg and her hip and a portion of her lower back. It is a beautiful painting, and it's a good thing it survived the vagaries of fashion. 😄

I admire how the artist was able to make such a unatural and unconfortable posture look so calm and dreamy. I imagine that Dorothy must had been very unconfortable while posing like this for the painter.

As a puertorican, I grew up seeing this painting everywhere. Excited to see what you know about this painting.

Thank you for this backstory! This painting, or rather a parody of it, was used for the cover of a collection of Isaac Asimov robot stories in 1986 called "Robot Dreams." The cover painting, by Ralph McQuarrie, shows a metallic robot in the same pose on a somewhat more austere sofa and no clothes, of course. McQuarrie was also the pre-production artist for the original "Star Wars," and is the one who designed C3PO, basing him on the Robotrix from Fritz Lang's "Metropolis." Lots of cross pollination going on here!

As usual, a wonderful episode! One note about the woman’s body position… it’s not an uncommon position. I used to fall asleep in this position often (no joke). The left arm is resting on the left leg to make a pillow, and the right leg comfortably locks the left leg in place so it doesn’t slide down when you get relaxed with sleep. Super comfortable, I used to do it in tight places. The downside is that the left foot ultimately falls from the weight of the right leg, and the whole left arm falls asleep because…we’ll look at it 😂 So he could have squished her body down like this for a purpose, or he could have genuinely caught her in this position when she was trying to catch a nap in an uncomfortable chair

I’m an art fan, but I’m not well studied in their history. Your channel does a great job at teaching the historical context without reaching an info overload-perfect for when I’m doing housework. Thanks for the great video as always!

Notice again the color in her cheeks. But also notice the blood red color of the draped cloth beneath her, representing passion and life. Her elbow and updrawn knee points, not to the oleanders, but to the geraniums, which pick up the line from her knee and elbow with a leaf. Geraniums represent happiness. Oleanders have an older meaning of beneficence and positive emotions. This is a happy young woman, full of life during a hot summer ("Flaming June"). The fire of her blazing gown is the fire of vivacious life. She has merely collapsed where she was exhausted from a happy night (I myself have slept in that position when exhausted). The black only serves to accentuate the brightness of the woman's alluring nightgown. She is sleeping, yet overflowing with life. The painter was expressing his love of life. She is not some floosy. She is the viewer's lover, or rather, the viewer is her's, the one admiring her life and beauty while she sleeps. There is no death in this painting, only a celebration of life. Also, her femur is not freakishly long. It's called foreshortening. The bench is wide enough to let her rest backward comfortably. Thus she is using up more space than you realize. However, no one ever seems to notice the one flaw that stands up like a rose in the woman: she has a cauliflower ear, and yet you could still forget that she has it because of the beauty of the entire image.

My dad bought a small print of this painting that had been varnished because he said it reminded him of me. Over time the print deteriorated so my husband bought a larger print and we had it framed. It’s my favorite piece of art.

This has been my favorite classic painting since I first saw it. It is like childhood memory I have of my mom, who used to take naps in her favorite seat beneath a window in the afternoon sun every day in that exact same body position. I love it

Many decades ago I attended a class on the history of art at university. The professor was amazing and inspired a love of art for me. You remind of him as you have a similar sense of humor. Thank you for posting these wonderful videos.

I’ve loved this painting for decades. The other week I was telling my college student son about the Leighton House in Holland Park, and that I found out that Lord Leighton’s Flaming June was at the Met (my son studies in The Bronx). Next thing I know, my son sends me a selfie with him standing in front of the painting!

The palette is gorgeous and everything flows so nicely together. I like the dynamic shapes that lead into each other as well. It’s a shame about Dorothy Dean; I have pernicious anemia and require iron infusions every few years; it can feel like hell, and her dying of anemia when it’s usually so preventable today is just really sad. That relationship they had though, that is wild!

I feel vaguely ashamed that I've never seen this piece before. It is breath-takingly gorgeous!

This channel’s so dang good. Thank you for telling us about the lives of these incredible paintings ❤

My college roommate used to fold herself into a chair and sleep like this. I used to call her "Flaming June" and bought a cheap print of this image for our dormroom. In addition to thinking it's a lovely piece in and of itself (what can I say? I'm a sucker for "Victorian Junk," particularly Pre-Raphs and New Romantics), it holds a special place of nostalgia for those bygone college days.

I've had a print of Flaming June for years! I purchased it on an online art shop & had it framed as well - have always loved it. I did always think that one of those scarves was her extremely long flowing hair - but now, seeing other pieces from Lord Frederic Leighton, I believe instead that there are two scarves wrapped around her her - a sort of mushroom colored one & an auburn colored one - that is close to the color of June's hair lol! You learn something new everyday! Thank you so much for the history of this piece it was very interesting to learn!!

Her position isn't unnatural to me, mostly because I'm confident I've fallen asleep on the sofa in the same exact pose, but in a much less luxurious outfit 😅 love all the vids, thank you so much for making these

A few years ago when I went to PR to visit family, we went to Ponce to the museum and were able to see her there. It is simply breathtaking to see "her" in person. I have a print of this painting at my home office.

4:30 Having grown up in California I am quite familiar with Oleanders. This bush was planted between the lanes of traffic on the freeway. It was dense enough to stop an out of control car reaching the lanes opposing of traffic, block headlights at night and it was an astatically pleasing flower to look at.

I have seen this painting in the Tate gallery in London, it is amazing in person. It is also much larger than you would expect, I think over 6 feet by 6 feet.

Okay but listen. That is a very comfortable sleeping position. I've absolutely slept like that in a chair before and I'm sure I will again. This is the "I don't have a bed to lay on, and it's hot out, but I prefer to sleep with a blanket, so instead I'm going to curl up like a cat" sleeping pose.

This painting is gorgeous. So glad it wasn't completely lost for good.

Some years ago I found an incredible huge painting in a junk shop, a scene with several people in a landscape, really good. I asked the owner how much it was and he said 'that painting has hung there for twenty years, no one wanted it and this morning someone bought it' , just my luck. Another day I found an amazing painting in another antique shop, the owner sold it to me for the frame, he said that it would make a nice mirror but the painting was junk. The painting is actually a work by a known artist and it has a certificate on the back, I love it.

Interesting how a painting can be thought of differently in different eras...to me the painting is an absolute visual feast...that gorgeous orange color. The diaphanous fabric caressing a voluptuous body of a beautiful woman. An unconventional and surprising composition...Leighton hit a grand slam with this one!

When I first saw this painting as a teen I fell in love. HARD. Everything about it was sensual. I felt the heat of the sun, the languidness of late afternoon, I heard the buzz of insects and imagined a light little breeze gently brushing June’s sheer clothing. I could imagine her sweating slightly, her upper lip damp while not being so overheated that she awakened from her dream. She looked vulnerable, beautiful, sexual, otherworldly. A dream. And right then and there. I knew I was gay. Yep this is the painting that made me aware I was a lesbian. My first love. I had a poster of her hung in bedroom for years, my parents never suspecting why I wanted her next to my bed. I can understand that all art isn’t going to appeal to all people. I personally loathe modern art. People aren’t going to like everything, aren’t going to appreciate everything and an art piece that is life changing to one person inspires yawns in another. But for me personally, this painting will always have a special place in my heart as my great gay awakening. Thank you June, you’ll always be a goddess to me

I love this painting. I've bought various sized prints of it over the years. You might think it boring, I consider it unforgettable. The subject peacefully sleeping, while "sturdy" by today's standard, is still very beautiful. I've never thought there was anything unnatural about her pose, she looks peaceful and relaxed to me. I own a version of Winding the Skein by the same artist. For the reproduction, the entire left half of the original painting was eliminated. What remains is a lovely female figure gazing off into the distance, but it utterly lacks the appeal of Flaming June. Leighton was undeniably a talented painter, but Flaming June will likely remain my favorite.

I don’t know why any apparently blind person would get rid of this exquisite painting. It’s magnificent.

I studied art in Ponce and had free access to the museum. I would stare at it mesmerized for HOURS✨🇵🇷

I NEVER hated this painting. It’s one of my top 10. ❤

Beautiful...I wouldn't' call that color apricot but sunset orange...and to me she is depicted to be the sun setting in this art and to achieve the round appearance of the sun, she is put in this position.

If you see this painting in person, you will be mesmirized by the vibrant colors but especially the sparkle of the sunlight on the water. I had never heard of this painting until I passed it at the Metropolitan Museum a few months ago. It is beautiful.

I’m so glad you connected the dots to the oleander. I love this painting, especially the gorgeous colors. She looks so incredibly peaceful in her deathly repose

This channel is the intro to art I always wanted but never got to take. I know nothing about art but enjoy learning through this channel so much!

I don’t know anything about this painting but it’s actually incredibly beautiful….

I saw this wonderful painting in London at a Leighton exhibition. It really takes your breath away its so beautiful. He was a wonderful artist.

I have seen Flaming June "in the flesh" a few times 🙏🏼 Its part of the collection in the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico; it only takes me a 3 minute walk from home to get there. Also, the museum lends Flaming June to the Museo del Prado in Spain and other museums in Germany and New York every now and then.

I saw this piece at the Prado in Madrid when she was on tour there. I fell in love with the piece immediately

Every time I think I'm getting better at this, you point out tiny details I never would have noticed. Flaming June is beautiful!

You can now see Flaming June at Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY. I love this painting!. I had the print beautifully framed in the 1990’s even before I knew anything about it. Many years later I saw it in El Museo de Ponce in PR. A few weeks ago I saw it in NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. I can’t wait to go see it again. ❤

My Fair Lady was originally a play based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, drawn from mythology. Of course, this story could have inspired his writing of it, but the movie was made in 1964, starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. Julie Andrews starred in the original musical that opened in 1956 and won the Tony award in 1957. The Shaw play was written in 1913.

I don’t know but that doesn’t look like her hair running down both sides of her. It’s not the same auburn color. It looks like long draping fabric along her sides similar to the red fabric under her and the orange fabric of her gown.

I think it is gorgeous; especially the rippling orange material of the dress and the bright shining silver sea behind her. But it is evocative of a certain time in art history and I can see how it wouldn't be appreciated by everyone.

My mom had this in her bed room it was given to her sister who is still living at 94. I have always loved this piece of art thanks for the history of it

It was a delight seeing this master piece, among so many others, at the Ponce Art Museum, in Puerto Rico.

I love how you explain the backstories of paintings! I can’t wait for more!

I hate... And I mean I HATE (nah it doesn't work it doesn't have enough emphasis) when I hear how a "wave", a sort of new "trend" ruines the ENTIRE VALUE OF SUCH MASTER PIECES! Can't be more mad at how this society works... It pains me to see the same thing happening today in many different forms of art and many great artists are being neglected just because their art is out of trend... It's a pity that after all this time we still haven't managed to learn much.

I am a realist painter, and I don't know, but to me she seems to be in an incredibly comfortable position, sleeping on a very soft sofa, in somewhat of a contorted way almost feline like. The composition is majestic could fit her body in a circle, which to the eye is very pleasant, no jagged edges. Technical mastery is superb, the way he nailed the translucency of the dress, left foot under right leg and the way the translucent material falls gracefully is sheer genius. I mean if you told me Leonardo da Vinci was the author, I would totally believe it.

As a Puerto Rican I have seen this paining is person and it really does have a sort of Grace. I had no idea of the story of it. Wish you had spoken more about how el museo de arte de Ponce obtained it and how it became quite beloved here. My mother and my aunt both have a large print of it in their living rooms and a lot of people who don’t even know about art can tell you what it is or have at least seen it somewhere before.

How someone can apply paint such that the human form is translucent below a veil is beyond me.

When I was a teenager, I have the privilege of seeing this painting in the Museum in Ponce, PR. and I feel in love with it I was mesmerized by it.

This is one of my favorite paintings! The way the dress clings to the woman's figure, her voluptuous body, the tangerine color--it always makes me think of peaches. I always come away from it hungry for fuzzy drupes.

I just can't believe everyone along the way missed how Magnificent this work is......What-what-what!!!!??? And no: I don't see disproportionality in the anatomy, at all....But that might just be me.

I LOVE YOU ART DECO!!!!!

"Does anyone sleep like that?" - You haven't seen me crashing on the couch, apparently.

I love “Flaming June”. She’s on the cover of my book on Victorian art and is a poster girl for that era. I do agree, though, there’s a stifling, enervating quality about the painting, it’s almost too lush and carnal. Thank you so much for your most interesting background research. Poor old Sir Frederick, and poor Dorothy, dying of anaemia at such a relatively young age. It’s consoling to think that they and their collaboration live on through this great work of art. Congratulations to the gallery in Puerto Rico that now houses it.

I had the privilege to see this paint in The Art Museum of Ponce and is really an astonishing piece of art. 47" x 47" of visual delight, set in a majestic frame, placed so strategically that the lady appears to be floating. Even the cracks caused by time give the painting its majesty.

It’s like when you’re so tired you come home and fall asleep on the spot and then get up and wonder why your body hurts😅 But as someone who‘s tired most of the time anyways and has chronic back pain. That position doesn’t seem that uncomfortable 😂 Anyway great video and beautiful painting 💖

I could not imagine why anyone would hate that painting because it's fucking gorgeous

This has always been my favorite painting from my hometown museum, Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico. I love it so much that I have a replica painting at the top of my spiral stairs at home.

I was born and raised in Ponce Puerto Rico. Went to the museum several times. This has always been my favorite painting. It is impressive to see it in person. Thanks for the video.

I had this painting in my home when I was a young girl, I didn't remember it until I saw this in my recommendations and this gave me so much nostalgia seeing it. Thank you so much.

I first saw a picture of Flaming June in a Design Toscano catalog. She intrigued me. More viewings in future catalogs intrigued me more. I finally purchased a framed print and hung it in my bedroom where I would see her everyday. I don’t know exactly what about the painting caught my soul, but I’m glad it did: she intrigues me still.

I love this painting. Would love to have a copy in my home. Added: And I love this channel, the stories behind the painting and the principles, the public's reaction to it - then and now, the meaning and subtle references I would never know on my own, and the narrator's voice and style of delivery. ArtDeco is really just a delightful channel that shows us that so much life can be happening in a still painting. Subscribed.

A copy of this wonderful painting hangs above my bed. It was a present from me for my late wife more than 40 years ago. And now i now more about the history thanks to you. Greetings from the Netherlands.

i’m so happy i got to see this beautiful painting while it was on display at the met

it is a very dynamic composition of a sleeping woman. your eyes can't help but travel inside the painting following the flow of her form and jumping to the peripheral objects of colour. it's brilliant

really love these videos from you! love your narration and commentary and the pics you use when questioning things or making a point.... priceless, entertaining, clever and enjoyable.

This is the most beautiful painting I ever saw.

I may be missing something, but that is not what I'd describe as a prudish painting since her gown is quite revealing and the color is fierce...almost as if the woman is being consumed by fire. Orange is viewed at the center of a very hot fire so if she is comfortable sleeping inside that color, she is even hotter than the flame. I may be seeing something that isn't there (very possible) but prudish?

You always blow me away with the details of the research. Thank you ❤

I remember my grandfather having a print of this painting in his home when I was still a child and I always loved it. That beautiful orange colour was so mesmerizing to me. Also, I want to thank you for your amazing channel. Art history is so fascinating and I've taken a couple of classes when I was in university studying history and always enjoyed it so much. Thank you for your perfect videos 😊

I first saw an enormous print of Flaming June in a hotel stairwell in Johannesburg about 25 years ago. Love at first sight! It’s the orleander, the suggestiveness of the slumber and well, the romance of pre-Raphealite art. I’d go to Costa Rica for two things, to see her and ayahuasca

Merci pour tout votre travail mademoiselle. On apprend toujours en regardant votre série de vidéo. Formidable.

I have a copy of that painting hanging in my room as we speak. I was surprised to see there is a video with her story. Thank you so very much for uploading and telling her story.

This painting always make me think of a sleeping cat, curled up and peaceful in the warmth of a sunny spot.

I love your channel. Educational, fun, and witty. And you always pick interesting works.

I could stare at it for hours and never get bored of it. The color... Even the transparency of the dress... Her face... I wonder what she's dreaming about. It all looks so cozy... I'm sorry to know it was not appreciated for so long.

It’s one of my fav paintings of all time. Ty for the backdrop story.

This was so interesting. Thank you for posting it.