In 1848, a group of art students from the British Royal Academy of Arts founded the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. They where

• William Holman Hunt 1827-1910
• John Everette Millais 1829-1892
• Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828-1882

Unhappy with the direction that the Royal Academy was heading, the Pre-Raphaelite movement was essentially a revolt

They would paint in a realistic style, with an emphasis on the aesthetic value of nature and the traditions and techniques from the old masters, prior to the artist Raphael’s period, hence the name Pre-Raphaelite.

They would also bring back more vibrant colors, rather than the dull and drab palette used at that time. (Strongly influenced by Queen Victoria)

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Waterhouse: Lady of Shallot   Oil on canvas size: 153 x 200 cm location: Tate Britain, London, England

Waterhouse: Cleopatra 1888Oil on canvas size: 25.7 x 22.4 in (65.4 x 56.8 cm)

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Waterhouse: I am Half-Sick of Shadows, said the Lady of Shalott 1916
medium: Oil on canvas size: 39.5 x 29 in
location: ArtGallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada

Waterhouse: Spring (The Flower Picker) Medium: Watercolor size: 46.2 x 29.2 cm Location: Private Collection

However the movement died by 1853, but the strong influence already permeated the art world. The trio also published an underground journal called "The Germ".

John Millais’s fame as a portrait artist would also ruin his artistic talents as he could demand the same pay for a simple painting as much as an elaborate work and thus he went onto mass production.

Then came an art critic John Ruskin, who thought the world of the Pre-Raphaelite artists who where painting nature as God intended, and although his wife had run off with Millais, he continued to support the cause of the Pre-Raphaelites.

The second generation of the Pre-Raphaelite artists include:

• Edward Burne-Jones 1833-1898
• Spencer Stanhope
• William Morris 1834-1896
• Marie Spartali Stillman
• Evelyn DeMorgan
• Kate Bunce
• Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale
• Fort Madox Brown
• John William Waterhouse 1849-1917
• Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
  

For those of you not familiar with Pre-Raphaelite paintings, I would strongly recommend viewing some of the works by John William Waterhouse, Edward Burne-Jones and Lawrence Alma-Tadema to appreciate the beauty, charm and mystique of the Pre-Raphaelites.

The movement strongly influenced William Morris (1834-1896), who helped to create the Arts and Crafts movement. The Pre-Raphaelites also laid seeds for Art Nuevo and Art Deco.

To look at more image from the Pre-Raphaelites artists above, click here.



Millais: Ophelia 1851-2    Location: Tate Britain, London, England