Medusa was once a beautiful maiden who was transformed by the goddess Athena into a Gorgon. Of all three Gorgons, Medusa alone was mortal. Her hair was a mass of writhing serpents and a glimpse of her face would turn you to stone. Perseus, son of Zeus and Danae, avoided Medusa’s deadly gaze by viewing her reflection in his shield,…
-
-
“A study of varied greens”
“The girl is in a sort of passionate reverie, and is drawing her hand listlessly along the strings of a violin which hangs against the wall, while she holds the bow with the other hands, as if arrested by the thought of the moment, when she was about to play. In color, I shall make the picture a study of…
-
Exploring La Bella Mano
Iconic Pre-Raphaelite paintings like Millias’ Ophelia, Rossetti’s Proserpine, or practically any Lady of Shalott garner a lot of attention. (Rightly so.) Of course, there are also several works that might not capture your eye right away when you see them in books or online, but in person they captivate you so unexpectedly and completely that walking away from them seems…
- Albert Joseph Moore, Alexa Wilding, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Evelyn De Morgan, Henry Alexander Bowler, Millais, Nature, Pre-Raphaelite Subjects and Themes, William Holman Hunt
The Symbolism of Lepidoptera
Truth to nature was one of the main tenets of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and an excellent example of this can be seen in the Death’s Head moth in William Holman Hunt’s painting The Hireling Shepherd (above). I’ve blogged about it many times before; it’s part of my Shakespeare post that I share yearly on the Bard’s birthday. William Holman Hunt…
- Alexa Wilding, Annie Miller, Christina Rossetti, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Fanny Cornforth, Jane Burden Morris, Paintings
Rossetti’s Models
Like his Pre-Raphaelite brethren, Dante Gabriel Rossetti used live models in his works. Throughout the course of his career, the same faces grace his canvasses, ranging from family members to lovers. Occasionally, models Elizabeth Siddal and Alexa Wilding are confused for each other. Other models may be misidentified completely. so this post is intended to be a brief overview of…
