The document provides details on several paintings by Sir John Everett Millais, a prominent English painter and founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. It summarizes the key elements and symbolism within Millais' paintings Ophelia, Mariana, and The Bridesmaid. It also provides biographical information on Millais, noting that he was a child prodigy who became the youngest student ever admitted to the Royal Academy, helped establish the Pre-Raphaelite style but later abandoned it, and ultimately became president of the Royal Academy later in his career.
John Waterhouse - Myth & Beautiful Women Jerry Daperro
John Waterhouse (1849-1917) was one of the Pre-Raphaelite painters of the 19th Century, England. He painted main of women in myths, in literatures and biblical stories. He worked first in a manner close to Alma Tadema painting ancient genre scenes. He was elected as an associate of the Royal Academy in 1885 and a full member 10 years later.
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was from an Antwerp family. In 1591 he became a pupil Verhaecht, a landscape and decorative painter. In 1600 Rubens went to Italy and became a Court painter to Duke of Mantua. He travelled widely in Italy and visited many of the great cities. He spent time studied the works of Titan and Michelangelo. On return to Antwerp he was appointed as the Court Painter to the Spanish Governor of Netherlands, a post he held for the rest of his life. In Antwerp he built himself an Italianate palace and married Isabella Brandt in 1609. Afterward he became perhaps the most energetic and fruitful career in the history of art that made him the most important artist in Northern Europe and the greatest Baroque painter of Northern Europe.
The most learned, inventive and productive artist in the history of the northern Baroque, Rubens’s talent was extraordinary. The range of his work was colossal, encompassing portraiture, allegory, religious painting, landscapes and designs for ornament, tapestry, books and prints. A diplomat and scholar, his intelligent use of iconography was never rivalled, perfectly matching allusions to a patron’s aspirations, while his emotive religious works were actively intended as part of the Catholic armoury against the onslaught of the Protestant Reformation.
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One of the main reason why I was not keen on Rubens’ paintings is that he over dramatised, leading to theatrical and a sense of unreal, perhaps a bit too commercial. But of course technically he is very good and very successful, perhaps even better than Titan.
John Waterhouse - Myth & Beautiful Women Jerry Daperro
John Waterhouse (1849-1917) was one of the Pre-Raphaelite painters of the 19th Century, England. He painted main of women in myths, in literatures and biblical stories. He worked first in a manner close to Alma Tadema painting ancient genre scenes. He was elected as an associate of the Royal Academy in 1885 and a full member 10 years later.
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was from an Antwerp family. In 1591 he became a pupil Verhaecht, a landscape and decorative painter. In 1600 Rubens went to Italy and became a Court painter to Duke of Mantua. He travelled widely in Italy and visited many of the great cities. He spent time studied the works of Titan and Michelangelo. On return to Antwerp he was appointed as the Court Painter to the Spanish Governor of Netherlands, a post he held for the rest of his life. In Antwerp he built himself an Italianate palace and married Isabella Brandt in 1609. Afterward he became perhaps the most energetic and fruitful career in the history of art that made him the most important artist in Northern Europe and the greatest Baroque painter of Northern Europe.
The most learned, inventive and productive artist in the history of the northern Baroque, Rubens’s talent was extraordinary. The range of his work was colossal, encompassing portraiture, allegory, religious painting, landscapes and designs for ornament, tapestry, books and prints. A diplomat and scholar, his intelligent use of iconography was never rivalled, perfectly matching allusions to a patron’s aspirations, while his emotive religious works were actively intended as part of the Catholic armoury against the onslaught of the Protestant Reformation.
---------------------
One of the main reason why I was not keen on Rubens’ paintings is that he over dramatised, leading to theatrical and a sense of unreal, perhaps a bit too commercial. But of course technically he is very good and very successful, perhaps even better than Titan.
27 famous william shakespeare quotes about flowersOZoFeTeam
William Shakespeare is an English writer and playwright, he is considered as the greatest writer in Britain and the talented playwright that was ahead of his time. He is also honored as one of the most popular poets of Britain and as “The Poet of Avon River”.
Instructor shares Elizabethan era masks and styles explored and used by craftspeople, actors and participants in the Venetian Carnivale and other venues.
The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879 and located in Chicago's Grant Park, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 million guests annually.[2] Its collection, stewarded by 11 curatorial departments, is encyclopedic, and includes iconic works such as Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Pablo Picasso's The Old Guitarist, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, and Grant Wood's American Gothic. Its permanent collection of nearly 300,000 works of art is augmented by more than 30 special exhibitions mounted yearly that illuminate aspects of the collection and present cutting-edge curatorial and scientific research. Text from Wikipedia
The years between 1900 and 1913 represent an extremely turbulent historical moment. Women's fashion is often said to mirror closely the spirit of the times. Technology was a huge force of change during this times, as the Industrial age kicked in. This was a time of transition and progress; although the world was rapidly changing, people still held ideals of womanly beauty and clothing trends reflected that.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is beyond doubt the greatest dramatist of all time. He occupies a position unique in world literature. Other poets, such as Homer and Dante, and novelists, such as, Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens, have transcended national barriers; but no writers living reputation can compare to that of Shakespeare.1 His plays, sonnets and two long narrative poems earned him an international acclaim and acceptance as the best writer in the history of English literature. His play, The Tempest, is thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. In this play Shakespeare artistically blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms2: a sorrowful scene is immediately followed by an amusing scene and vice versa. On one hand, the play has enough comic elements to lighten the tragic elements and on the other hand it has enough tragic elements to intensify the comic elements. The paper aims to study The Tempest as a tragicomedy by highlighting Shakespeares artistic technique of blending tragic and comic elements in the play. Ishfaq Hussain Bhat"Shakespeares The Tempest as a Tragicomedy" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-2 | Issue-1 , December 2017, URL: http://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd5955.pdf http://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/english/5955/shakespeares-the-tempest-as-a-tragicomedy/ishfaq-hussain-bhat
Mary Cassatt - The New Woman of ImpressionismJerry Daperro
Mary Cassatt was (1844 -1926) an American painter who lived and worked permanently in France. She was well educated and also a modern woman, who lived in the era of rising awareness of the equality of the sexes. She painted the social and private lives of women in her days, with emphasis on the mother and child relation. She was not just an American artist living in Europe. She regularly exhibited her works with other impressionists. She was particularly close to Degas. She participated in the Impressionist Exhibitions in 1880 and 1881 and remained an active member of the Impressionist circle until 1886. Later in life she exhibited her workd in the US
When I go to an art museum, gallery or auction house I am eagle-eyed and fastidious to a degree. A nick in the frame, the dust and grime of centuries, the general effect sad and forlorn, all these I see. I see, too, the myriad of other defects …
27 famous william shakespeare quotes about flowersOZoFeTeam
William Shakespeare is an English writer and playwright, he is considered as the greatest writer in Britain and the talented playwright that was ahead of his time. He is also honored as one of the most popular poets of Britain and as “The Poet of Avon River”.
Instructor shares Elizabethan era masks and styles explored and used by craftspeople, actors and participants in the Venetian Carnivale and other venues.
The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879 and located in Chicago's Grant Park, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 million guests annually.[2] Its collection, stewarded by 11 curatorial departments, is encyclopedic, and includes iconic works such as Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Pablo Picasso's The Old Guitarist, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, and Grant Wood's American Gothic. Its permanent collection of nearly 300,000 works of art is augmented by more than 30 special exhibitions mounted yearly that illuminate aspects of the collection and present cutting-edge curatorial and scientific research. Text from Wikipedia
The years between 1900 and 1913 represent an extremely turbulent historical moment. Women's fashion is often said to mirror closely the spirit of the times. Technology was a huge force of change during this times, as the Industrial age kicked in. This was a time of transition and progress; although the world was rapidly changing, people still held ideals of womanly beauty and clothing trends reflected that.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is beyond doubt the greatest dramatist of all time. He occupies a position unique in world literature. Other poets, such as Homer and Dante, and novelists, such as, Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens, have transcended national barriers; but no writers living reputation can compare to that of Shakespeare.1 His plays, sonnets and two long narrative poems earned him an international acclaim and acceptance as the best writer in the history of English literature. His play, The Tempest, is thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. In this play Shakespeare artistically blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms2: a sorrowful scene is immediately followed by an amusing scene and vice versa. On one hand, the play has enough comic elements to lighten the tragic elements and on the other hand it has enough tragic elements to intensify the comic elements. The paper aims to study The Tempest as a tragicomedy by highlighting Shakespeares artistic technique of blending tragic and comic elements in the play. Ishfaq Hussain Bhat"Shakespeares The Tempest as a Tragicomedy" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-2 | Issue-1 , December 2017, URL: http://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd5955.pdf http://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/english/5955/shakespeares-the-tempest-as-a-tragicomedy/ishfaq-hussain-bhat
Mary Cassatt - The New Woman of ImpressionismJerry Daperro
Mary Cassatt was (1844 -1926) an American painter who lived and worked permanently in France. She was well educated and also a modern woman, who lived in the era of rising awareness of the equality of the sexes. She painted the social and private lives of women in her days, with emphasis on the mother and child relation. She was not just an American artist living in Europe. She regularly exhibited her works with other impressionists. She was particularly close to Degas. She participated in the Impressionist Exhibitions in 1880 and 1881 and remained an active member of the Impressionist circle until 1886. Later in life she exhibited her workd in the US
When I go to an art museum, gallery or auction house I am eagle-eyed and fastidious to a degree. A nick in the frame, the dust and grime of centuries, the general effect sad and forlorn, all these I see. I see, too, the myriad of other defects …
Botticelli, Sandro (c1445-1510) was the most individual, if not the most influential, painter in Florence at the end of the 15th century Renaissance. He spent almost all his life in his native Florence. At the peak of his career, Botticelli was the most sought-after painter in the city and head of a thriving workshop His only important journey outside Florence was made when he was on the of the artists chosen to decorate the Sistine Chapel in Rome – The most prestigious commission of the day. This presentation included three of his most popular and important paintings today – The Birth of Venus, La Primavera and Venus and Mars. The presentation explores the meanings behind these the great iconic paintings of the Renaissance
English Pre-Raphaelite Painter , designer, writer, and translator (1828-1882).. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais,
An overview of the history of romantic periodDayamani Surya
An analysis of the salient features of the romantic period, the first generation and second generation of the romantic poets, writers and their works are described at a glance.
Few painters have achieved success so early and remained so successful throughout their lives as Velazquez. Even in his teens he was acclaimed as a master painter. By the age of 24 he had become Court Painter to King Philip IV. For nearly 40 years he produced an incomparable series of the king and of other figures at court. H e created an art as moving and as varied as any in Europe and less comfined to its age than many other, seemingly freer, painters.
Paolo Veronese (c1528-88) was born in Verona and trained under several minor artists. The Chief influence on him was Titian. He worked in Venice probably from 1553, when he began his ceiling for the Doge’s Palace, with daring Sotto in Su (from below to above) perspective and Mannerist nudes in complicated poses filling up the picture space. He went to Rome for the first time in 1560, probably after he painted the frescoes in Villa Maser. He specialised mainly in huge pictures of Biblical, allegorical or historical subjects. With vast crowd and of accessory figures. Golden hair women, children, horses, dogs, apes, courtiers, musicians and soldier in armours.
Vermeer of Delft was the most calm and peaceful of all the Dutch masters and the recognition of his greatness has been long delayed. Very little is known of his life and the pictures were completely forgotten until the end of 19C. He was certainly influenced by Carel Fabritius and may have been his pupil. Vermeer became a Master and in the Delft Guild in 1653 and became the Dean of the Guild between 1663 and 1670. He died in 1675 at the age of 43 leaving some 11 children behind. He painted very slowly and there are only about 40 known paintings of his.
Botticelli, Sandro (c1445-1510) was the most individual, if not the most influential, painter in Florence at the end of the 15th century Renaissance. He spent almost all his life in his native Florence. At the peak of his career, Botticelli was the most sought-after painter in the city and head of a thriving workshop His only important journey outside Florence was made when he was on the of the artists chosen to decorate the Sistine Chapel in Rome – The most prestigious commission of the day. This presentation included three of his most popular and important paintings today – The Birth of Venus, La Primavera and Venus and Mars. The presentation explores the meanings behind these the great iconic paintings of the Renaissance.
Few painters have achieved success so early and remained so successful throughout their lives as Velazquez. Even in his teens he was acclaimed as a master painter. By the age of 24 he had become Court Painter to King Philip IV. For nearly 40 years he produced an incomparable series of the king and of other figures at court. H e created an art as moving and as varied as any in Europe and less comfined to its age than many other, seemingly freer, painters.
big and small, lined and soft, round and angular
of felt or velvet
adorned with fur, embroidery, gorgeous bird feathers, ribbons, stones according to the owner’s fortune
grands et petits, doublés et doux, ronds et angulaires,
en feutre ou en velours,
ornés de fourrure, broderies, plumes d'oiseaux magnifiques, de rubans, pierreries selon la fortune du propriétaire ...
Recognised as the most beautiful woman in the Mediterranean civilisations, hers was the face that launched a thousand ships and inspired the legends ...
Rückenfigur ... back figure in paintings.ppsxguimera
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog is perhaps the most iconic Rückenfigur in German Romantic painting …
Rückenfigur, the back-figure is a pictorial theme with significant power.
Rückenfigur ... back figure in paintings
Rückenfigur ... figure de dos dans la peinture.ppsxguimera
Le Voyageur contemplant une mer de nuages est probablement la Rückenfigur la plus emblématique de la peinture romantique allemande ...
Rückenfigur, la figure de dos est un thème pictural d'une grande puissance.
Has been depicted
in mythological and religious paintings, in still life, vanities, allegories, in the genre painting.
From Caravaggio and Rubens to Millet, through Vermeer, Delacroix, Manet, Moreau …
Panier en osier dans la peinture européenne.ppsxguimera
A été représenté
dans les peintures mythologiques et religieuses, les natures mortes, vanités, allégories, dans la peinture de genre.
Du Caravage et Rubens à Millet, en passant par Vermeer, Delacroix, Manet, Moreau ...
The Art of Rain_The beauty of rain in paintings..ppsxguimera
The beauty of rain in paintings.
expected or feared, delicate or stormy, metaphorical or very real, the rain has often entered the imagination of artists ...
L’art de la pluie_La beauté de la pluie dans la peinture..ppsxguimera
La beauté de la pluie dans la peinture.
espérée ou redoutée, fine ou orageuse, métaphorique ou bien réelle, la pluie s’est souvent invitée dans l’imaginaire des artistes ...
Medea and the beautiful Argonaut,
the first human Cain
Romulus and Remus nursed by the same she-wolf,
Vulcan who loves Venus who loves Mars
Eve and the Apple of the Tree of Temptation
and
the most human of emotions that inspired the painters
La jalousie dans la peinture européenne.ppsxguimera
Médée et le bel Argonaute,
le premier humain Caïn
Romulus et Remus nourris au sein de la même louve,
Vulcain qui aime Vénus qui aime Mars
Ève et la pomme de l'arbre de la tentation
et
la plus humaine des émotions qui a inspiré les peintres
créatures mi-hommes, mi-chevaux, habitant les forêts et les montagnes
violents et sauvages, avec une morale brutale, et un amour immodéré pour le vin et les femmes
Explore the multifaceted world of Muntadher Saleh, an Iraqi polymath renowned for his expertise in visual art, writing, design, and pharmacy. This SlideShare delves into his innovative contributions across various disciplines, showcasing his unique ability to blend traditional themes with modern aesthetics. Learn about his impactful artworks, thought-provoking literary pieces, and his vision as a Neo-Pop artist dedicated to raising awareness about Iraq's cultural heritage. Discover why Muntadher Saleh is celebrated as "The Last Polymath" and how his multidisciplinary talents continue to inspire and influence.
2137ad - Characters that live in Merindol and are at the center of main storiesluforfor
Kurgan is a russian expatriate that is secretly in love with Sonia Contado. Henry is a british soldier that took refuge in Merindol Colony in 2137ad. He is the lover of Sonia Contado.
Hadj Ounis's most notable work is his sculpture titled "Metamorphosis." This piece showcases Ounis's mastery of form and texture, as he seamlessly combines metal and wood to create a dynamic and visually striking composition. The juxtaposition of the two materials creates a sense of tension and harmony, inviting viewers to contemplate the relationship between nature and industry.
2137ad Merindol Colony Interiors where refugee try to build a seemengly norm...luforfor
This are the interiors of the Merindol Colony in 2137ad after the Climate Change Collapse and the Apocalipse Wars. Merindol is a small Colony in the Italian Alps where there are around 4000 humans. The Colony values mainly around meritocracy and selection by effort.
3. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Ophelia
1851-52
Oil on canvas, 76 x 112 cm
Tate Gallery, London
4. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Ophelia (detail)
1851-52
Oil on canvas, 76 x 112 cm
Tate Gallery, London
5. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Ophelia (detail)
1851-52
Oil on canvas, 76 x 112 cm
Tate Gallery, London
6. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Ophelia (detail)
1851-52
Oil on canvas, 76 x 112 cm
Tate Gallery, London
7. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Ophelia (detail)
1851-52
Oil on canvas, 76 x 112 cm
Tate Gallery, London
8. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Ophelia (detail)
1851-52
Oil on canvas, 76 x 112 cm
Tate Gallery, London
9.
10. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Mariana
1851
Oil on mahogany wood, 59.7 x
49.5 cm
Tate Britain, London
11. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Mariana (detail)
1851
Oil on mahogany wood, 59.7 x
49.5 cm
Tate Britain, London
12. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Mariana (detail)
1851
Oil on mahogany wood, 59.7 x
49.5 cm
Tate Britain, London
13. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Mariana (detail)
1851
Oil on mahogany wood, 59.7 x
49.5 cm
Tate Britain, London
14.
15. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
The Bridesmaid
1851
Oil on canvas, 27.9 x 20.3 cm
Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge
16. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
The Bridesmaid (detail)
1851
Oil on canvas, 27.9 x 20.3 cm
Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge
17. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
The Bridesmaid (detail)
1851
Oil on canvas, 27.9 x 20.3 cm
Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge
18. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
The Bridesmaid (detail)
1851
Oil on canvas, 27.9 x 20.3 cm
Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge
19.
20. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
A Souvenir Of Velazquez
1868
Oil on canvas, 1027 X 824 mm
Royal Academy of Arts, London
21. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
A Souvenir Of Velazquez (detail)
1868
Oil on canvas, 1027 X 824 mm
Royal Academy of Arts, London
22. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
A Souvenir Of Velazquez (detail)
1868
Oil on canvas, 1027 X 824 mm
Royal Academy of Arts, London
23. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
, Featured Paintings in Detail (1)
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24. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
A Souvenir Of Velazquez
In Souvenir of Velázquez, Sir John Everett Millais beautifully balances an almost contradictory sight: the Anglican infanta. Her hair is rendered in the manner of the court
contemporary to Velázquez, and the orange in her grasp perhaps references his Seville period of the time. Also, Millais employs the technique made famous by Velázquez:
chiaroscuro, the art of lighting a scene from an angled source as if in theatre.
25. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Ophelia
Millais painted the landscape for this painting beside a stream while staying with his friend William Holman Hunt on a farm in Surrey in the summer and fall of 1851. The
time Millais took over this painting from the life enabled him to represent the flowers he required (some of which were cited by Shakespeare in Hamlet and some of which
were included for their symbolic value), even if they did not all bloom at the same time.
Following a method much used by the Pre-Raphaelites, Millais painted the figure in his London studio during the following winter. There he observed the effect of
drowning, again from the life, by having Elizabeth Siddal (the group's favourite model and Rossetti's future wife) pose in a heated bathtub, wearing an old-fashioned dress.
26. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Mariana
Tennyson's poem was inspired by the character of Mariana in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. Rejected by her fiancé, Angelo, after her dowry was lost in a shipwreck, she
leads a lonely existence in a moated grange. She is still in love with Angelo - now Deputy to the Duke of Vienna - and longs to be reunited with him.
In the picture the autumn leaves scattered on the ground mark the passage of time. Mariana has been working at some embroidery and pauses to stretch her back. Her longing for
Angelo is suggested by her pose and the needle thrust fiercely into her embroidery.
The stained-glass windows in front of her show the Annunciation, contrasting the Virgin's fulfilment with Mariana's frustration and longing. Millais copied the scene from the
window of the Chapel of Merton College, Oxford. However, the heraldic design appears to have been his own invention.
The motto 'In coelo quies' means 'In Heaven there is rest' and clearly refers to Mariana's desire to be dead. The snowdrop symbolises 'consolation' and is also the birthday flower
for 20 January, St Agnes' Eve, when young girls put herbs in their shoes and pray to St Agnes to send them a vision of their future husband.
The mouse in the right foreground is Tennyson's mouse that 'Behind the mouldering wainscot shriek'd, | Or from the crevice peer'd about'
The miniature altar in the background, decorated with a small triptych, and a silver casket, in which Mariana prays desperately to the Virgin Mary.
27. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
The Bridesmaid
The Bridesmaid was painted in 1851, during John Everett Millais’s involvement in the rebel Pre-Raphaelite movement, and – typically for an artist at the age of 21 – he has love, sex and
marriage on his mind. The near-symmetrical composition presents an unwed and apparently chaste girl of age with a face, framed by her teaming hair, looking above and beyond the
viewer in a state of deep, concerned longing. She is engaged in a folk tradition of passing a piece of wedding cake through a ring nine times, an act that would be rewarded with the vision
of her true love.The-Bridesmaid-full
The orange blossom she wears on what appears an oriental print dress expresses, according to similar but distinct interpretations, either her virginity or her commitment to marriage and
fidelity. The most prominent item in front of her is the silver vessel that breaks the symmetry of her hair and brings what one critic describes as a “phallic authority” to the painting. While it
appears elsewhere in Millais’s work as an incense burner, here it is a pointedly upright sugar caster, representing “containment, swelling and sweetness”. Say no more – aside from the
footnote that Millais apparently later gave it to his future wife Effie Gray, who was inconveniently wed to his faithful supporter John Ruskin at the time, as something of a promise.
The caster is placed deliberately on white cloth, which recreates the table as something of an altar, allowing the scene to be read as one of prayer. The red bowl is cropped to create a
curve that directs the viewer upward to the fixated gaze of the maiden and holds two fruits; an orange and a pomegranate that could represent symbols of free will and fertility. The
pomegranate also has association with Saint Catherine, the mythical bride of Christ, to add a religious overtone that characterised much of the Pre-Raphaelite output.
On top of all that highly-charged symbolism is an ambiguity in the subject itself: the bridesmaid – and whether she is real, reflected or imagined. A revisiting of romantic poetry at the time
offers the possibility that this is, in fact, an unmarried girl staring into a mirror or even a conjured image of a man’s longed-for lover. An attention to the brushwork offers the possibility of
glazed reflections in her eyes, lips and skin and across her hair, which has been grown to an almost ludicrous length and prefigures much of the long-locked models in Millais’s later
Aesthetic work. Certainly his fascination with how paintings are viewed and precocity could explain such an attempt to deliver a deceptive twist to an otherwise simple subject. But even as
a picture of tentative dreaming for a future fulfilment it remains enchanting.
28. MILLAIS, Sir John Everett
Sir John Everett Millais was an English painter and precocious artist. Learning to draw at age 4, his parents
providing him with private art lessons with a Mr. Bessel. Encouraged by Bessel, the family visited London with an
introduction to the President of the Royal Academy and in 1840, at age eleven, John Millais became the youngest
student ever at the Academy. In 1846, he exhibited his Pizarro Seizing the Inca of Peru at the RA.
Along with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt he was a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood,
and was markedly influenced by them and by John Ruskin. His first Pre-Raphaelite picture Lorenzo and Isabella,
the banquet scene from the poem Isabella, or The Pot of Basil about ill-fated love by English poet Keats, figures in
the Academy in 1849, where it was followed in 1850 by Christ in the House of His Parents, Ferdinand Lured by
Ariel which met the full force of the anti-Pre-Raphaelite reaction.
In 1855, he married Euphemia (Effie) Charmers Ruskin, the divorcée of John Ruskin, who bore him 8 children; they
appeared later on many of his pictures. Ruskin continued to praise the artist. Preoccupied with his social
standing, Millais later abandoned the Pre-Raphaelite style, broke with John Ruskin, and began to cater to popular
tastes. The exquisite Gambler’s Wife and The Boyhood of Raleigh mark the transition of his art into its final phase,
displaying brilliant and effective coloring and his effortless power of brushwork. The interest and value of his later
works, largely portraits, lies mainly in their splendid technical qualities.
In 1885, at age 56, Millais was made a baronet, and eleven years later became president of the Royal Academy and
was decorated with many foreign orders and awards. He died the same year, and was buried in St. Paul’s
Cathedral.