HON 205 The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

William Holman Hunt was a famous English painter who became noticed in the 1840s. Although Hunt’s work included a variety of characteristics such as attention to detail, bright and vibrant colors, and complex compositions, he was known famously for his religious approach to his artwork. As a result of these characteristics, this eventually became a specific style of art as Hunt and six others began a group in 1848 named the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood who valued and dedicated themselves to a new level of reality in every detail of their subjects (Davenport 43). In addition, the Brotherhood…

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was born on May 12, 1828 in London to parents Francis Polidori and Gabriel Rossetti (de la Sizeranne 157, Ash 8). Despite his later success as an artist, poet, and a vital member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Rossetti was not a successful student in school. He attended King’s College School, Sass’s, and the Antique School of the Royal Academy, but he dropped out of each school before graduation (Ash 8-9). Rossetti learned valuable skills throughout his time in school, but because he never finished any of his programs, he was unsure of what path-- poetry or…

Ecce Ancilla Domini!, later known as The Annunciation, is an oil painting created by Dante Gabriel Rossetti between 1849-1850, and its original dimensions were 72.7 cm x 41.9 cm (Ash 20). The painting contains a considerable amount of religious symbolism, which is also reflected through its title. Ecce Ancilla Domini is a Latin phrase that translates to “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” in English (Prettejohn 51). As a part of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Rossetti debuted this painting at the Portland Gallery in 1850. Following the criticism the painting received at its debut, its name…

Dante’s Dream at the Time of the Death of Beatrice is an oil on canvas painting created by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, in 1856. This painting highlights a woman laying down on a bed, who seems to be deceased. As seen in the title, the viewer can assume that this must be Beatrice. To the right and left of Beatrice, there are two women standing and holding a cloth above Beatrice and what seems to be an angel, as she has wings on her back and is holding a bow and arrow. These two women holding the cloth are dressed similarly as they are both…

Ford Madox Brown was a Franco-English painter (See Figure 1). His father was a retired purser from the Royal Navy and his mother came from Kent. His grandfather, John Brown, founded the Brunonian system of medicine. He was an only child. Ford’s education was limited as his childhood was spent traveling between England and the rest of Europe. His interest in painting arose at the age of six. His strength in his talent was not portrayed until he completed a portrait of his father at the age of fourteen where he showed the fine details of his father’s solemn expression (see Figure 2). At the…

The Hireling Shepherd is an oil painting on canvas by Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt circa 1851. Hunt travelled alongside John Everett Millais, another member artist of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, to Ewell, Surrey. Together, they searched for locations for inspiration in their artwork. While Millais began painting Ophelia near the River Hogswell, Hunt chose a meadow to paint The Hireling Shepherd. Ford Madox Brown set the foundation of modern-life realist style painting for the Pre-Raphaelites. Rossetti was intrigued by Brown’s depth in his…

Ophelia, by John Everett Millais, represents the artistic movement of painting beautiful yet melancholy scenes of young, beautiful, and naïve girls (Painting Shakespeare 55). This was one of the artistic movements seen throughout Pre-Raphaelites’ paintings as these Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) artists idealized love and death that overcame young, beautiful females (Painting Shakespeare 55). Millais’ purpose in painting was to follow the source of his muse as closely as possible to bring meaning and to stay true to what the original author of this idea composed. Although…

John Everett Millais was born on June 8th, 1829 to a rising middle class family from Southampton (Rosenfeld 13). As Millais was home-schooled by his mother, she had the greatest influence on Millais and would continue to be a strong presence in his life (Rosenfeld 14). Through his father, Millais grew to admire observing flora and fauna (Rosenfeld 14). In Millais’ early years, he and his family moved to various locations due to his mother’s health (Rosenfeld 15). However, while in France and Jersey, Millais created impressive drawings of the militiamen which prompted his parents to move…