The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
In the mid-19th century a group of young artists formed what initially was a secret society, the P.R.B. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood rejected contemporary art and favoured a return to the painting styles before the Italian painter Raphael, hence the name chosen for their movement.
The brotherhood was formed in 1848 and comprised Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, all of whom were under 25. They were inspired by the realism of early renaissance Italian art (itself inspired by classical Greek and roman sculpture) and also the ‘divinity’ of the natural world in antipathy to the academic art tradition of their day. In a sense they adopted a moral high ground with their sincere depictions of religious and romantic themes.
John Ruskin, the most prominent art critic of the time, supported the PRB and defended their art against widespread condemnation and denigration in newspapers and journals. In letters to The Times he championed their cause, strongly opposing the view that the Pre-Raphaelites were conceited upstarts challenging the Royal Academy with their ‘offensive’ paintings. As their mentor and patron, and a believer that artists should be ‘true to nature’, Ruskin was to a large extent responsible for the popularisation of PRB art.
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood included Thomas Woolner (sculptor, poet), William Michael Rossetti (Rossetti's brother, writer/editor of The Germ), Frederic George Stephens (art editor & critic) and James Collinson (painter).
The PRB had fragmented by 1855, although several artists remained friends and collaborated for the remainder of their careers. Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris, both undergraduates at Oxford, met Rossetti in 1856, and under Rossetti’s guidance they both embarked on artistic careers. William Dyce and Ford Madox Brown were both associates of the PRB.
Many later artists followed the Pre-Raphaelite style and, in the eyes of many, surpassed what had gone before with their attention to detail and lovingly constructed pictures. Legends, myths, medieval tales and life in classical eras featured prominently with less focus on religiously inspired works.
In order of birth date:-
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1881) A poet and painter, Rossetti shared his views on art primarily with Holman Hunt and John Millais, and with them formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848. The principle was to paint true to nature in attentive detail while adopting a high moral stance. They respected the simplicity of early 15th century art before Raphael (hence Pre-Raphaelite).
Rossetti’s early muse was Liz Siddal (whom he married in 1860, though tragically she was to die two years later of a laudanum overdose). His other inspiration was Jane Morris (wife of William Morris) with whom he had a lasting affair, although many other women also modeled for him. Supported by the art critic John Ruskin, patron and mentor to the PRB, Rossetti sold much of his work. He lived and worked in London, then in 1871 moved to Kelmscott near Oxford with the Morrises.
John Everett Millais (1829-1896) A founding member of the PRB, Millais favoured a realistic painting style with attention to detail. He came to London in 1838 from his Jersey family and with evident talent was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools aged just 11 in 1840. He first exhibited at the RA in 1846. Besides painting, Millais illustrated a number of literary works which included several Anthony Trollope novels and an edition of Tennyson’s poems.
In 1855 he married Effie Grey, former wife of his mentor John Ruskin, having had her sit for painting and then holidaying with the couple during which time they fell in love. They departed London to live in Perth, Scotland, but by 1861 returned to the capital where he developed his career as a portrait artist. Millais became a full member of the RA in 1863 and in 1896 became its president.
Works include ‘Isabella’ (1849), Christ in the House of His Parents (1850), ‘Ophelia’ (1852), ‘The Blind Girl’ (1856), ‘The Farmer’s Daughter’ (c.1863), ‘Esther’ (1865), ‘Chill October’ (1870) and ‘The Martyr of Solway’ (1871).
Frederick Lord Leighton 1830-1896 Supported in his career by wealthy parents, Leighton was one of the most prominent British artists of the 19th century. He received many accolades and awards and became president of the Royal Academy in 1878. His first painting was sold to none other than Queen Victoria.
His work was usually connected with Greek and Roman mythology, and his early years were spent living and traveling in Europe, then in 1857 he went to Africa and commenced a long involvement with the continent as well as the Middle East. In 1860 he moved to London and associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Notable paintings include ‘The Bath of Psyche’ (1879), ‘Flaming June’ (1895), ‘Perseus and Andromeda’ (1891), ‘Desdemona’ (1888) and ‘The Garden of the Hesperides’ (1892).
Jules Joseph Lefebvre (1836-1911) Known for his portraits and nudes, Lefebvre was an academic classicist and received considerable acclaim. He studied and was influenced by the great Italian masters, becoming a prolific artist, and in the 1870s was a teacher of art at the Académie Julian in Paris. Some of his works bear a distinct Pre-Raphaelite style (which was popular in France), for example ‘A Pensive Moment’, ‘Ophelia’ and ‘Girl With A Mandolin’.
Valentine Cameron Princep (1838-1904) Born in Calcutta and raised in England, Val Princep took up painting with the encouragement of his friend G.F.Watts. Other artistic friends were Millais and Burne-Jones, and together with members of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Princep taught at the Working Men's College. He was also part of the group, including Rossetti, that painted murals at the Oxford Union hall in 1857. His work was influenced by various Pre-Raphaelite artists that included Burne-Jones, Millais and Leighton. He was commissioned in 1876 to paint the Imperial Durbar to commemorate Queen Victoria as Empress of India, though was not elected to the Royal Academy until 1894.
Albert Joseph Moore (1841-1893) A painter of many elegant, decorative pictures, often of ancient Rome or Greece, he exhibited at the Royal Academy and Grosvenor Gallery. Known as an eccentric, he lived with a daschund dog and several cats, except he tended to neglect his own health. Eventually a cancerous growth took hold and during his decline he was grimly committed to completing ‘The Love of the Wind and Seasons’. Other works include ‘Dreamers’, ‘Midsummer’, and ‘A Reverie’.
Marie Spartali Stillman (1844-1927) The daughter of a wealthy merchant and member of the Greek culture community in London, Marie Stillman was a dedicated artist who painted in the style of whimsical romance. From 1864 she studied art under Ford Madox Brown and modelled for various artists, including Rossetti. In 1871 she married the American painter William Stillman and moved to Italy but regularly exhibited her work at the Grosvenor Gallery in London.
She was a person of charm and a noted muse (or ‘stunner’ in PRB slang) and took painting seriously, although her mastery did not match her Pre-Raphaelite contemporaries. Nonetheless, many of her portrait pictures of historical figures are engaging and clearly influenced by Madox Brown. Noted works include ‘Love's Messenger (1885) ‘Madonna Pietra Degli Scrovigni’ (1884), ‘A Rose from Armida's Garden’ (1894), and ‘The Lady Prays’ (1867).
John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) Born in Rome, early paintings on Italian themes demonstrated an affection for his birth place, but his most famous works were influenced by Pre-Raphaelite art (notably Leighton and Alma-Tadema) and inspired by mythology and legend. Waterhouse exhibited at the Royal Academy and was elected Academian in 1895. He taught art and served on the RA Council.
Well-known, popular works include ‘The Lady of Shalott’ (1888), ‘Miranda the Tempest’ (1916), ‘The Siren’ (1900), ‘Windflowers’ (1903) and ‘Ophelia (Blue Dress)’ (1905).
John Melhuish Strudwick (1849-1937) Having taken classes at the Royal Academy Schools in London, John Strudwick’s development as a painter began in earnest in the 1870s when he became studio assistant to Spencer Stanhope (his uncle) and afterwards to Edward Burne-Jones. His style was detailed and decorative medieval or Renaissance, and although it could be seen as unsophisticated he enjoyed the support of wealthy patrons. Eventually, however, criticism of his work from the art community saw him cease painting and consequently his patronage was withdrawn.
His last exhibition was held in his 60th year and included the intentionally unfinished work ‘When Sorrow Comes in Summer Days, Roses Bloom in Vain’ to mark his disillusionment.
Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret (1852-1929) Dagnan-Bouveret was brought up in Mulen, France, and following a temporary move to Rio with his brothers where their father owned a clothing company, they were returned to France after the death of their mother, Louise, in 1858. Here they lived with their father’s brother-in-law Gabriel Bouveret.
As a gifted young artist at the École des Beaux-Art in Paris from 1869, Dagnan-Bouveret saw considerable success. His talent gave him a versatility to pursue new methods of painting, and an interest in the new medium of photography aided his forward-looking approach. In fact, many of his paintings originated from posed photographs together with traditional sketching. His art mainly centered around the rural or urban lives of everyday people, and then later, in 1879 after marriage, religious work became his main theme.
Although not a Pre-Raphaelite artist, some of his works were allied to the movement (which was popular in France) according to some contemporary commentators. In 1900 he exhibited at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, where his painting of The Last Supper was a showpiece measuring 10x18 feet. He had made a study of past masters depicting the scene and his intent was to modernize the old tradition of such paintings.
John William Godward (1861-1922) The English artist John William Godward painted at end of the Pre-Raphaelite era and was a protege of Alma-Tadema. He received little critical acclaim in his day but his paintings are now sought after and fetch high prices at auction. Godward was an idealist and painted technically brilliant pictures of serenity, his studies mainly being of classical women of Greece and Rome against marble architecture. A very private person, Godward was described as melancholy, reclusive, shy, handsome and talented. Works include ‘The Mirror’ (1899), ‘Summer Flowers’ (1903), ‘Dolce Far Niente’ (1912), ‘Drusilla’ (1906) and ‘Idleness’ (1900).
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