Pre-raphaelite Art

[SusanDoris]

Today I went to one of the Touch Tour mornings at Southampton Museum and Art Gallery. It was most interesting. The subject was the Pre-Raphaelites. I knew there was an aspect of Art called pre-Raphaelite, but I have never tried to find out more. I have now gained  a basic outline understanding   of how the name came about and why they chose the subjects they did.

TheGallery has a collection of sketches by Sir Edward Coley Burne depicting the stories of Perseus but what we were examining were some sculptures made in the mid-nineteenth century , two of which I particularly liked. One is of Edward I on horsebackand the other of Dante. Both are bronze and both have intricate detail of, in the first case, clothing and armour, bridle, saddle , horse's mane etc, and, in the case of the latter, details of a pen of some sort held in one hand and a scroll held by the other hand.

It is a pity more blind and partially-sighted  people within travelling distance of the Gallery do not take advantage of these excellent sessions, run by a very knowledgeable, and absolutely delightful, member of the Gallery staff.

[Robbie]

That is so good Susan. I am a fan of pre-Raphaelite paintings, am aware many consider them to be too 'romantic' and 'flowery' but they've always captured my imagination.

[Steve H]

I once accompanied my blind late wife to such a gathering, at Birmingham University. I was surprised thatt she could get anything out of it, being one of the fairly small proportion of registered blind people with no sight whatsoever (she lost her sight to glaucoma, and both her eyes had been surgically removed by then), but she enjoyed it greatly. The participants were provided with tactile versions of each painting. Birmingham Uni has a large library of rperoductions of paintings, now I suppose more or less redundant in the internet age.

[Steve H]

I love the pre-Raphs too, especially William Holman Hunt, the one member of the PRB who stayed loyal the the brotherhood's priciples to his dying day. Some years ago, there was a drama series about them. Apparently, Dante Gabriel Rossetti divided his spare time between sanctinonious anglo-catholic religiosity and shagging fat tarts.

[Nearly Sane]

I love the pre-Raphs too, especially William Holman Hunt, the one member of the PRB who stayed loyal the the brotherhood's priciples to his dying day. Some years ago, there was a drama series about them. Apparently, Dante Gabriel Rossetti divided his spare time between sanctinonious anglo-catholic religiosity and shagging fat tarts.

Ah women as tarts - your misogyny overfloweth.

[Steve H]

Ah women as tarts - your misogyny overfloweth.

No, just tarts as tarts - i.e. ladies of negotiable virtue, or prostitutes. In that respect, he was rather like James Boswell, who also saw no conflict between professing Christianity and enjoyiing the services of working girls.

[Robbie]

You did describe Rosetti as 'sanctinonious anglo-catholic religios...', is that the male equivalent of a tart?

I too like Holman Hunt and favourites of others are Ophelia -John Everett and The Lady of Shallot -John W Waterhouse. They're heaven to me.

[Nearly Sane]

No, just tarts as tarts - i.e. ladies of negotiable virtue, or prostitutes. In that respect, he was rather like James Boswell, who also saw no conflict between professing Christianity and enjoyiing the services of working girls.

Yep, if misogyny could drip off your posts we would be drowning.

[Nearly Sane]

You did describe Rosetti as 'sanctinonious anglo-catholic religios...', is that the male equivalent of a tart?

I too like Holman Hunt and favourites of others are Ophelia -John Everett and The Lady of Shallot -John W Waterhouse. They're heaven to me.

There is a beauty but it's often seemed passive to me. Lost rather than challenging

[SusanDoris]

My thanks for interesting comments and information.

I once accompanied my blind late wife to such a gathering, at Birmingham University. I was surprised thatt she could get anything out of it, being one of the fairly small proportion of registered blind people with no sight whatsoever (she lost her sight to glaucoma, and both her eyes had been surgically removed by then), but she enjoyed it greatly. The participants were provided with tactile versions of each painting. Birmingham Uni has a large library of rperoductions of paintings, now I suppose more or less redundant in the internet age.

I don't think such things will be quite redundant in the future, because an internet screen can never give the size or colour values of a real picture.
That is very interesting about Birmingham University - I think I might well give them a ring to find out more.
I too was surprised when I first started going to the Touch Tours that I would find it so very interesting using touch to 'see' them. With my remaining (although slowly lessening) peripheral vision to one side, I can get an idea of size, but I have learnt so much about what appeals to me and why, and know more surely my own preferences.

[Harrowby Hall]

There is a good collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings in the city art gallery in Birmingham.

A few years ago I heard a talk about the Pre-Raphaelites which put their work into a new context for me. I had always considered them to be an interesting artistic offshoot - unarguably British but not leading anywhere. The speaker made a convincing (well, it convinced me) case for them to be influential in the development of the art movement which produced Klimt and Schiele.