The Art of the Pre-Raphaelites

In 1848 seven inexperienced young artists banded together to form the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, one of the first and most distinctive movements in modern art. A century and a half later, their art still has the power to shock, as well as fascinate, its audiences.

Through detailed analysis of the materials, techniques, and working methods of the artists, this lavishly illustrated book examines how Pre-Raphaelite paintings compel the viewer to see more, and more vividly, than traditional painting styles. This intensity of observation reinforces the distinctive subject matter the the works: the natural world and the human model; gender identities and sexual relationships; and debates on politics, science, and religion. Among the artists featured are Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Edward Burne-Jones, and Ford Maddox Brown.

Elizabeth Prettejohn is Professor of Art History at the University of Bristol. She is the author of ROSSETTI AND HIS CIRCLE, editor of AFTER THE PRE-RAPHAELITES: ART AND AESTHETICISM IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND, and BEAUTY AND ART 1750-2000.