Pre-raphaelism wall Art, canvas prints & paintings
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pre-raphaelism fine art prints and canvas prints
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood is an English group of artists formed during the second half of the 19th century. It is the result of the meeting at the Royal Academy in London of three artists: William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. In September 1848, the three artists founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. They were then joined by other artists such as Thomas Woolner, James Collinson, Frederic George Stephens, William Michael Rossetti, etc. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and its aesthetic was not strictly speaking a “school of painting”. However, in 1850, the group published a controversial theory of the movement in the magazine The Germ. In this text, William Michael Rossetti set out the Pre-Raphaelite principles. Firstly, the painters rejected the legacy and study of the great Renaissance masters (especially Raphael) and turned to the more “direct and sincere” models of the Italian primitive painters (Raphael's predecessors). The three founders of the group condemned Raphael's Transfiguration for “its grandiose disregard of the simplicity of truth, the pompous posturing of the Apostles, and the unspiritual attitudinising of the Saviour”. Where the Mannerists saw this painting as a major turning point, marking the shift in art towards the 1510s/1520s, for the three artists it was the pivotal point of art’s decline. Secondly, Pre-Raphaelite art is based on a careful study of nature. Its figures are executed from a single model to avoid idealisation. The artists pay particular attention to detail, inspired by the Flemish primitive painters, and use a palette of bright, bold colours. The subjects chosen by the artists were profound and religious. Pre-Raphaelitism broke away from English academicism, which according to its members hindered English art, and from mannerism. The works have a moralizing aim. The goal was to use art to re-establish the morals of English society that had been dissolved since the Industrial Revolution. The notion of national art is particularly strong in Pre-Raphaelist art: "It is not enough that art should be suggestive, didactic, moral or popular; it must also be national". In 1855, the first group disbanded. A second generation of artists gave new momentum to the movement. Artists such as Edward Burnes-Jones and William Morris joined the group. However, the early Pre-Raphaelist aesthetic took on a more decorative dimension. Pre-Raphaelitism was a short-lived artistic movement, but it influenced Symbolism and Art Nouveau.
famous pre-raphaelist painting artworks
Female characters, from literature, the Bible or mythology, were often painted by Pre-Raphaelite painters. In 1851, John Everett Millais, one of the three founders of the group, painted Ophelia. The subject of the painting is taken from the tragedy Hamlet written by the British playwright William Shakespeare. He chooses to paint the moment of Ophelia's drowning when her father is murdered by her lover Hamlet (scene vii, act IV). This work uses Pre-Raphaelite iconographic themes such as water, Nature and flora. Julia Thomas suggests the meanings of the flowers depicted by the painter: 'The poppy under Ophelia's right hand signifies death; the daisies, innocence; the roses, youth; the pansies, unrequited love; the fritillaries floating in the stream in the lower right are sorrow; and the violets around Ophelia's neck represent fidelity'. In 1872, Dante Gabriel Rossetti completed Beata Beatrix, a portrait inspired by the poem Vita Nuova written by Dante Alighieri. In 1873, the artist wrote to William Morris about this painting that it was " not as a representation of the incident of the death of Beatrice, but as an ideal of the sub- ject, symbolized by a trance or sudden spiritual transfiguration”. Two years later, he produced the painting titled Proserpine. Surrounded by symbols such as the pomegranate, which signifies marriage and captivity, and the incense burner, one of her attributes, the goddess appears as the empress of the underworld. In 1878, the Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti executed a preparatory drawing, which two years later served as the basis for the composition of his painting Day Dream. The model shown is Jane Morris, whom the artist had met at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane in 1857 and who poses in several of his works. At that time, they entertained a secret relationship which is symbolised in the painting by the honeysuckle sprout that Jane is holding in her left hand. During the Victorian era, this flower was also a symbol of love.
Our Pre-Raphaelite art prints will bring a dreamy and soft touch to your home. The sense of detail and refined aesthetics of these paintings are sure to catch the eye. Pre-Raphaelitism is a very inspiring and decorative art form. Muzeo offers you a selection of Pre-Raphaelite artworks for the art enthusiast in the form of paintings, cushions, wallpapers or lampshades. All our art prints are handmade by craftsmen who take pride in preserving the spirit of the work.
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