The Pre-Raphaelite Legacy
May 20, 2014 to Oct 16, 2014
Official Site
The Pre-Raphaelite Legacy, British Art and Design is currently on exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Pre-Raphaelites, led by 19th century British artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, believed that contemporary academic practice was unimaginative, empty, and artificial and therefore wanted to revive medieval and early Renaissance themes of spirituality, symbolism, myth, romance, and nature, before the time of Raphael.
In paintings like Lady Lilith (1868) by Rossetti, and The Love Song (1868-77) by Edward Burne-Jones, the Pre-Raphaelite filled the canvas with vibrant colors, attention to detail, good lighting, and agreeable atmosphere. Lilith, according to Judaic myth, was the first wife of Adam and an evil temptress whose long flowing hair symbolized her seductive power over men. Burne-Jones' The Love Song depicts three figures gathered in the foreground, they are relaxed and engrossed in the soft music, thoughts of love and desire fill their minds, a scene reminiscent of a 15th century painting.
The Pre-Raphaelite movement only lasted a short while, but the aesthetic strongly influenced other artists, designers, and crafts people of the era. This is evident in the textiles, furniture, ceramics, stained glass, photography, and book illustrations also on display. One such British designer who wholeheartedly supported this medieval example was William Morris. Morris opposed mass production and firmly believed that beautiful objects should be hand crafted using traditional practices. In 1861 he helped form the design firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner& Company. Two tapestries produced by his firm hang in the exhibit. And, one photograph by well-known 19th century photographer and Pre-Raphaelite admirer Julia Margaret Cameron is also here.
In total 30 objects are on view, from the museum's own galleries, but also private collections. Housed in the Robert Lehman wing on the first floor, it's here until October 26, 2014.
Author: Andrea Muller
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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