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Inspiration from Artists Week 33 Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Alfred Wainwright.
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Posted
Welcome to week 33 of Inspiration form artists this weeks featuring artists are two very different in they work . Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Alfred Wainwright Jenny with lead off with the introduction to Dante Gabriel Rossetti and on Wednesday I will introduce the sketches of Alfred Wainwright. I hope you all have a good week and enjoy the artwork.
Posted
Born in London to an English mother and an Italian father Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882) was an illustrator, painter and poet and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was drawn to both poetry and painting and these became an integral part of his work.
His artistic training began in 1841, studying for several years at the Royal Academy of Arts before moving in 1848 to a studio with William Holman Hunt. Shortly after, together with John Everett Millais, they founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of seven artists opposed to the prevailing fashion in the art world at the time, with their aim as ‘truth to nature’. Their progressive approach broke the rules of picture making as taught by the Royal Academy ; they insisted on equal focus on all parts of the composition, painting backgrounds first and figures later, all from life.
Rossetti abandoned oil painting in the 1850s and created small watercolours on medieval themes. By the early 1850s the Brotherhood had disbanded, in part due to a conflict on the inclusion of medieval themes. He returned to oil painting around 1860 when he abandoned medieval compositions in favour of powerful close up images of women, and highly stylised paintings of his regular muses became the signature of his art. One of these muses, Elizabeth Siddal, he married in 1860 but she tragically died in 1862 and he later became close to, and romantically involved with, another of his muses, Jane Morris, by then the wife of William Morris, and the three of them lived for several years at Kelmscott Manor in a rather unconventional arrangement.
His popularity led to a second wave of the Pre-Raphaelite movement in the 1860s, the main aspects of which were romantic enthusiasm for the legendary past, abandoning the Brotherhood’s earlier aim of ‘truth to nature’. Although short-lived, the Pre-Raphaelites had a lasting influence on British art and have long been a rich source of inspiration for generations of artists and creatives.
Self portrait
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by Jenny Harris
Posted
They were an interesting group, and I find much of their work appealing. It's always good to see the actual painting, and I've managed that with several of Rosetti's works...impressive. I find the unfinished painting above especially interesting, it's always good to see how artist's work.
The odd thing is they railed against other artists work of the time (i.e Sir Sloshuer Reynolds as they named Joshua Reynolds), yet, to me, their work seems very much the same. This is not a criticism. Maybe I'm missing something.
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I've always admired the work of the Pre Raphaelites even though it was very 'untrendy' - is there such a word? - to do so when I was younger and perhaps still is for all I know. The Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight has a superb collection of their work and indeed Victorian Art generally. I can honestly say that seeing Holman Hunt's 'Scapegoat' there was was a "wow' moment for me.
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I think Rosetti's ability as a painter is unquestionable, especially if you look at this painting of Jane Morris- to be able to capture fabric in this way is amazing.
Generally, I love the works of the PRB and other painters of that era, especially Ford Maddox Brown (cf. Birmingham Art Gallery for some good examples)
Posted
Never sure about Dante Rossetti. I always think the women look droopy and miserable. I can see how beautifully painted they are, I just wouldn't want to look at one very often.
Lady Lever Gallery , Port Sunlight in Birkenhead in Mersey side has one of the best collections.
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by Sylvia Evans
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This is the first time I have come across his work and I have to say, it's pretty lovely and very skilled. I will have a closer look this evening because I've been running about all day but something that has caught my eye from those posted, is that, the females have masculine traits to their faces, I find the appearance of their faces strange but interesting to look at. I shall have a read about him this evening.
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by Denise Cat