Athlete Wrestling a Python

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Frederic Leighton's passion for Italian art knew no bounds. His extensive education in Frankfurt, Rome and Paris gave him a profound understanding of how modern figure painting relied heavily on copying Roman sculpture techniques. The paintings he created in the 1870s were characterized by perfect nudes, precise outlines and striking poses that rivaled classical sculptures. This is one of his two life-size sculptures, both crafted with the expertise of Thomas Brock. Evidently intended as a challenge to one of the most iconic classical sculptures, The Laocoön, it depicts three men being crushed by two massive sea serpents.