Hot August
1898
Shannon captures the heavy, lazy atmosphere of late summer in this circular composition, aptly titled 'Hot August'. Three figures inhabit a classical space: one reclines dreamily against a column, another stands with their back turned, and a central figure clutches a basket of grapes. The limited palette of olive green and cream creates a sense of timeless, mythological calm, typical of the Symbolist movement's focus on mood. Shannon, a key figure in the British Aesthetic Movement, often collaborated with his partner Charles Ricketts to produce prints and books that celebrated beauty for beauty's sake.