The Manchester Art Gallery announced this week that it has removed from exhibition the painting Hylas and the Nymphs by J.W. Waterhouse, and also the post cards of it in its gift shop. The gallery’s stated goal is to “challenge this Victorian fantasy” of “the female body as either a ‘passive decorative form’ or a ‘femme fatale.'” The move feels hollow…
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- Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Effie Millais, Evelyn De Morgan, fairy tales, Frederick Sandys, Keats, May Morris, Millais, Nature, Ophelia, Paintings, Robert Bateman, Shakespeare, William Holman Hunt
Botanical Paintings: My Top Picks
An important hallmark of Pre-Raphaelite art is truth to nature. Of course, there are many reasons why the art of the Pre-Raphaelites is so visually striking. Their subject matter often illustrates a compelling narrative, the vibrant hues they used results in a visually arresting effect that commands attention, and who can resist the beauty of a long-haired Pre-Raphaelite Stunner? For…
- 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…
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Proserpine and Blogging About Art
Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s painting Proserpine is an arresting and visually striking work. Blogging about it once has never been enough; it resurfaces in my posts again and again. The myth of Proserpine/Persephone is a story that resonates with me on multiple levels, so I think that in writing about it I am attempting to explore that theme in different ways.…
- Books, Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Robert Hughes, Evelyn De Morgan, fairy tales, Paintings, Personal, Shakespeare
Art is a Mirror
When I was fifteen years old, my father taught me how to drive. I was eager, yet scared; I couldn’t believe that I had actually passed the test to get my learner’s permit. Dad wanted to give me ample opportunity to practice before beginning Driver’s Ed at school, so we drove together often. He’d pick a destination and I would…
