Appraisal
Flaming June was first begun as a motif to adorn a marble bath in one of Leighton's other works, Summer Slumber. He became so attached to the design that he decided to create it as a painting in its own right.
The position of the sleeping woman gave Leighton a great deal of trouble. He made several preliminary sketches to determine the way in which she should lie; in particular he had difficulty making the angle of her right arm look natural. His studies show that the picture went through at least four evolutionary sketches before Leighton came to on the end result. Out of these studies, four are nude and one is draped. The draped figure looks the least lifelike, demonstrating Leighton's need to draw from a naked model in order to achieve a fidelity to nature.
Flaming June has become Leighton's most recognisable picture. The transparent material worn by the sleeping woman - through which her right nipple can be seen clearly - is typical of Leighton's artistic predilections, as are the stunningly rich colours and the perfectly recreated marble surround. Natural light too is a constant preoccupation for Leighton, and here he allows the sunset in the background to appear as molten gold.
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