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Truth and Beauty: The Pre-Raphaelites and the Old Masters
Started in the early 19th century by a group of British painters who rejected the sovereignty of the Royal Academy, the Pre-Raphaelites embraced the natural world and bright colors - as opposed to the dark palettes and amorphous lines that emerged in the wake of the Renaissance. Their mission was to be fundamentally modern by emulating the past. Now readers can appreciate their achievements in this volume that offers side-by-side comparisons of 19th-century masterpieces with the 15th- and 16th-century Early Italian and Early Netherlandish paintings that inspired them. Exquisite reproductions of works by Giotto, Fra Angelico, van Eyck, Botticelli, Titian, Veronese, and Raphael are presented alongside examples by William Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and others. The book traces the evolution of the Pre-Raphaelites, and details how these painters were exposed to the early masters as they traveled and encountered the finest European collections. The volume also features decorative arts, including stained glass and tapestries in emulation of Flemish and French textiles as well as 'medievalized' ecclesiastic decorations. The result is an illuminating examination that delves into the aesthetic vocabulary of the Pre-Raphaelites and broadens our understanding of their motives and inspiration.
- GenresArtNonfiction
296 pages, Hardcover
Published June 19, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 5, 2018
Just in terms of the art on the walls, this show was spectacular. It was also very interesting from a historical perspective, but the historical aspect of the exhibit might have had unintended consequences in how the viewer appreciated the art.
The exhibit displayed a wide array of works by the Pre-Raphaelite painters of mid-19th century Britain with the works that inspired them- those of the Italian Renaissance and the Dutch school. The work of the Pre-Raphaelites is undeniably impressive. Their colors are amazing and there is a liveliness to the compositions that makes them unique and memorable. If encountered on their own, one who sees these paintings for the first time might well be wowed.
The notes for the exhibit did a very good job of drawing the viewer's attention to how much the Pre-Raphaelites referenced the works that inspired them, and an impressive array of those works were on display along side the works they inspired. Of course, this did not make the show less appealing in terms of the art on display- the "inspirational" works were spectacular examples by luminaries such as Raphael, Botticelli, Fra Angelico and Van Eyck. But many of these works were so impressive that displaying them had the unintended effect of making the Pre-Raphaelites themselves seem trivial by comparison.
Personally, my favorite works by the Pre-Raphaelites were the late paintings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who had by that time become fascinated with the late Renaissance Venetian School dominated by artists such as Titian and Veronese and characterized by a fleshy eroticism. These works are among my least favorite of Italian Renaissance painting and I thought Rossetti's smoldering beauties rather an improvement on those that inspired them.
One thing the show made clear was that the Pre-Raphaelites were not just students of art history, but art-historians themselves. Indeed, perhaps their greatest contribution to painting was not the works they produced but those they rediscovered. Apparently, inconceivably, Botticelli was essentially a forgotten figure until the Pre-Raphaelites championed him.
The exhibit displayed a wide array of works by the Pre-Raphaelite painters of mid-19th century Britain with the works that inspired them- those of the Italian Renaissance and the Dutch school. The work of the Pre-Raphaelites is undeniably impressive. Their colors are amazing and there is a liveliness to the compositions that makes them unique and memorable. If encountered on their own, one who sees these paintings for the first time might well be wowed.
The notes for the exhibit did a very good job of drawing the viewer's attention to how much the Pre-Raphaelites referenced the works that inspired them, and an impressive array of those works were on display along side the works they inspired. Of course, this did not make the show less appealing in terms of the art on display- the "inspirational" works were spectacular examples by luminaries such as Raphael, Botticelli, Fra Angelico and Van Eyck. But many of these works were so impressive that displaying them had the unintended effect of making the Pre-Raphaelites themselves seem trivial by comparison.
Personally, my favorite works by the Pre-Raphaelites were the late paintings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who had by that time become fascinated with the late Renaissance Venetian School dominated by artists such as Titian and Veronese and characterized by a fleshy eroticism. These works are among my least favorite of Italian Renaissance painting and I thought Rossetti's smoldering beauties rather an improvement on those that inspired them.
One thing the show made clear was that the Pre-Raphaelites were not just students of art history, but art-historians themselves. Indeed, perhaps their greatest contribution to painting was not the works they produced but those they rediscovered. Apparently, inconceivably, Botticelli was essentially a forgotten figure until the Pre-Raphaelites championed him.
December 29, 2018
WISH I could have seen this show. The catalog is a beautiful piece of work, and some consolation for not being able to go.
May 24, 2019
Truly gorgeous, high quality book from an exhibition I dearly wish I could have seen...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews