Reading the Pre-Raphaelites (Revised) [ READING THE PRE-RAPHAELITES (REVISED) BY Barringer, Tim ( Author ) Apr-24-2012[ READING THE PRE-RAPHAELITES (REVISED) [ READING THE PRE-RAPHAELITES (REVISED) BY BARRINGER, TIM ( AUTHOR ) APR-24-2012 ] By Barringe...

by Tim Barringer

Pre-Raphaelite art is par excellence the art of mid-Victorian Britain, and this reappraisal fills an important void within available scholarship on the subject. By adopting a thematic approach, Tim Barringer navigates a course from analysis of key pictures to their significance within the complex cultural and social matrix of Victorian Britain. Individual chapters provide core concepts for understanding the Pre-Raphaelite engagement with medieval revivalism, nature worship, issues of class and gender, and the reconciliation of the religious image and realism in the nineteenth century; these chapters are also enlivened by telling biographical information where it is significant for the meaning of an image.

Genres: Art History, Art, Nonfiction, History, Victorian, Research, School

Hardcover

First published November 9, 1998

About the author

Tim Barringer is Paul Mellon Professor of the History of Art at Yale University.

Reviews

[Catherine T · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Lulufrances · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the preraphaelites, very interesting to read and never too scholarly/boring.

[Magda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic, very readable introduction to the Pre-Raphaelites. It covers their main themes of medievalism, devotion to nature, appreciation of labour, and religion. In the final chapter it also examines the way the short-lived movement influenced the following few decades. There is not much biographical information in the book (for me it was a definite plus), but I would say it is still perfectly understandable for someone who is not familiar with the movement.

[Foxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good (and clearly told) introduction to the PRB.
Brief history, chapters discussing the context of Victorian art and society as shown through the paintings of the group - just as the "reading" in the title suggests.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5) SUPER helpful in understanding the nuances and jargon surrounding the Pre-Raphaelite period leading into the Aestheticism and Arts and Crafts movement! Read it this week on the beach — very enjoyable.

[Avril · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent j'aime trop ça merci les Pre-Raphaelites

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good review, that covers a lot of aspects of the Pre-Raphaelites that many other books do not. It gives some of the social context surrounding the artists, and shows how they are both distinct innovators of their time, but also products of it.

One thing that stands out is the attention the author gives Ford Madox Brown. Admitted by all as not a member of the Pre-Raphaelites, he has a place of prominence in this book nonetheless. Granted, the style of his work overlaps the PRB, but as someone officially not a member, it was interesting to see the attention he and his work got. I got the feeling that the author likes Ford's work a lot, and so highlighted it.

Another thing that comes through is how much the authors of books on the PRB really do NOT like William Holman Hunt. I'm not sure if it is because of Hunt's ideology, theology, style of painting, or something else, but he always gets mocked in these books. Perhaps if I read Hunt's autobiography (on my list), some of this personality that makes them feel this way might explain it, but then again, maybe not - I'll have to find out. All other artists get much more of a free pass for their actions. Even when Rossetti was acting reprehensible - as Rossetti often did - the author says at least he wasn't being awful in the way Hunt was! For me, I like Hunt's art, along with the others' as well, so I don't take such vehement "sides," as it were. But this isn't a criticism of the book per se, more of an observation as I read more and more works about the PRB. The book is expansive and informative, and I do recommend it.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book at the Tate because a long time ago a fellow graduate student said I reminded him of "a pre-Raphaelite shepherdess." Confusing this with Rubens I naturally assumed he meant I had a fat ass so I just left it at that. Now I've read this book, I'm going to accept his remark as a compliment, even if it's perhaps not how he meant it.
Beautifully laid out and designed, the book is replete with full page colour reproductions with excellent descriptions. It is relatively short and meant for the layperson but introduces the key concepts to understanding the Pre Raphaelite movement: from Ruskin's philosophy on the purpose of art, to the politics and sociology of the mid-Victorian era, to religion and symbolism. The book focused on how to "read" the works rather than dwelling on the antics of the artists themselves, although there was enough of that too where it was relevant to understanding the paintings. I'm not sure I could stomach reading a biography of the artists as it would have to delve far into their Victorian patriarchal values, objectification and sexualization of women. But this study was accessible and I have come away with a better understanding and appreciation for the movement's place in British Art history.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pre-Raphaelites are one of my favorite Art movements/groups and this book is an excellent intro into their paintings.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to the Pre-Raphaelites brotherhood. Plenty of paintings reproduced, sitting beside text explaining the circumstances behind the works and illuminating them.