Oil On Canvas, The Torture Of Marsyas By William Laparra

The work is dedicated to
My dear old benjamin
Fond memories

William Laparra (1873-1920)
was a French painter born in Bordeaux.

Trained at the drawing college of his city and then at the Académie Julian in Paris, he won the prestigious Premier Grand Prix de Rome in 1898 with The Pool of Bethsaida.

His work combines portraits of women, history painting and scenes of peasant life, marked by the influence of his Spanish origins.

A member of the Salon des artistes français since 1905, he traveled extensively, notably in Spain, Italy, Greece and Egypt. W

illiam Laparra had a great career and around a hundred of his works were acquired by national museums, including the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay.

Here the painter represents the torture of Marsyas

Marsyas, a skilled satyr and flute player, challenges Apollo, god of music, to a musical competition. After his defeat, Apollo condemned him to a terrible torture: he tied him to a tree and flayed him alive to punish him for his pride. This legend illustrates divine vengeance against human pretension.