Pre-Raphaelitism
Description
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James Collinson, Frederic George Stephens and Thomas Woolner who formed a seven-member "Brotherhood" partly modelled on the Nazarene movement. The Brotherhood was only ever a loose association and their principles were shared by other artists and poets of the time, including Algernon Charles Swinburne, William Morris, Ford Madox Brown, Arthur Hughes and Marie Spartali Stillman. Later followers of the principles of the Brotherhood included Edward Burne-Jones and John William Waterhouse. Read more ↗
Key Artists
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Charismatic co-founder and poetic soul of the Brotherhood who transitioned from crisp medieval religious symbolism to sensuous, opulent portraits of enigmatic beauties.
John Everett Millais
Prodigy co-founder whose astonishing technical brilliance, microscopic botanical accuracy, and intense psychological focus defined early PRB masterpieces like 'Ophelia'.
William Holman Hunt
Steadfast co-founder who strictly adhered to the Brotherhood's founding principles throughout his life, traveling to the Holy Land to achieve absolute geographical and spiritual realism.
Ford Madox Brown
Senior mentor and close associate of the PRB who shared their meticulous detail and moral seriousness, producing monumental social panoramas like 'Work'.
Edward Burne-Jones
Second-generation Pre-Raphaelite leader alongside William Morris who brought elongated, dreamy medieval lyricism and Arthurian legend into decorative arts and tapestry.
William Morris
Visionary designer, writer, and close associate of Rossetti and Burne-Jones who channeled Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics into the founding of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Famous Artworks
Fun Facts
To paint the floating figure of 'Ophelia' with supreme realism during winter, John Everett Millais had model Elizabeth Siddal lie fully clothed inside a bathtub warmed by oil lamps below; when the lamps went out unnoticed, Siddal suffered severe hypothermia.
↗ Source: tate.org.uk
Pre-Raphaelite painters achieved their signature luminous, jewel-like brilliance by painting with thin, translucent glazes of oil color directly onto a still-wet, pure white lead ground.
↗ Source: tate.org.uk