The Pre-Raphaelites

by Christopher Wood

Chart the rise and legacy of the Pre-Raphaelites and see how this most admired British art movement was born. Dozens of reproductions attest to these painters’ scrupulous attention to natural more than 40 artists are represented, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Arthur Hughes, Edward Burne-Jones, John William Waterhouse, and Ford Maddox Brown.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction, History, Victorian, Pre Raphaelite, Biography

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Christopher Wood was Britain's leading writer and broadcaster on the subject of Victorian art. For thirteen years he worked for the London auction house Christie's, becoming director of nineteenth-century paintings.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

My girlfriend bought me this book. And as its subject matter suggests it contains lots of lovely art. Lovely, ethereal, dreamy art that is still very popular today.

You don't need to read this book although it is very interesting just rejoice in the amazing talent of the pre-raphaelites and their visions of Arthurian England, nymphs and shepherds and even one or two pictures that show a kind of realism.

My two favourite pictures in Christopher Wood's book are 'The Last of England' by Ford Madox Brown and 'Ophelia' by Arthur Hughes.

If you have never encountered the pre-raphaelites before it will be a revelation to you and if you are familiar with them give your eyes a sensory treat.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having seen some of the paintings in person I was pleased with the quality of the illustrations

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rating is actually for the color plates. The text itself is quite good and provides a solid introduction to the Pre-Raphaelites. Wood is a clear and very readable writer. He gives a history of the Brotherhood, it's main members, the development of the movement after the Brotherhood, and artists associated with it. The book is, however, an overview so readers looking for a meatier discussion of the movement would do better elsewhere. But there's some deeply sad about books about art that provide only tiny, blurry black and white reproductions of the works they discuss. Reading about art is a very secondary pleasure to looking at it, and since it's impossible to live in more than one museum at a time (and very hard to live in even one) we must make do with color reproductions in books. These are very scrumptious ones, even considering that a number of these paintings absolutely can't be done justice by printed reproduction.

It is, of course, printed on that delicious art book paper. Feels and smells heavenly.

[Liv Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh yes - now this is more like it. Superb images reproduced in a way which does not downplay the vividity of the original colours. Not too critical and with a chapter on pre-raphaelite landscapes which is often overlooked. Pointed me towards my next couple of purchases and reminded me of my love for Waterhouse. Refreshing to see paintings by female artists inclusive which is rare.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) had an immense impact on Victorian art. There are many books focused on the core members – Rosetti, Hunt, Millais. This book attempts to show a broader picture that includes core members and many followers. It is very informative, richly illustrated, and a very enjoyable reading overall. The illustrations are mostly (but not all) in color, good quality, and many large-format. Many best-known paintings of the core PRB members and their followers are represented. Altogether, it is “the book” on Pre-Raphaelites.

The book is split into two essential parts – (I) the establishing years (including 1850es) and (III) the later years (with a dedicated part (II) on the Pre-Raphaelite landscape in between). The first part tells about PRB history, presents core members (Rosetti, Hunt, Millais), and reviews the most important early followers – Brown, Hughes, Dyce, and others. The intermediate part focuses on landscape in the art of all members and followers and introduces key Pre-Raphaelite landscape painters such as Brett and Inchbold (this part is relatively small, get the excellent “Pre-Raphaelite landscape” book to learn more). The “later years” part tells about the late period in the art of Rosetti and Hunt (no more Millais) and introduces second-generation PRB - Morris and Burne-Jones. It also reviews many “later” followers that transitioned from PRB to Aestheticism, paying special attention to Waterhouse.
A careful reader might notice a mapping between this book and Wood’s landmark “Victorian Painting” monograph. The connection is very clear – (chapters 8 and 9 map to part I, 10 to II, 11-13, and 17 to III). Given that this book was originally published in 1981 and the monograph is copyrighted in 1999, one can guess this book along with some other earlier books by Wood (i.e., Olympic Dreamers) formed the foundation of the later monograph. However, this book is not equal to the corresponding monograph’s chapters. In comparison with the monograph, this book offers an extended narration and this edition has more color photographs. So this book offers some added value even for those who read (or have) the monograph.

[Joseph Grech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the best overall book about the Pre-Raphaelites, don't look elsewhere. In terms both of the reproductions and the commentary this book exceeds other treatments of the subject. The reproductions are indeed first-class, printed on semi-glossy paper, and as large as can be where appropriate. One big plus of these reproductions is that they never sprawl over two-pages, so that they avoid that annoying spinal crease in the middle. Wood is a knowledgeable commentator, with a sense of narrative, so that sometimes reading the book is like reading a novel, without being weighed down by too many technical digressions. The choice of coverage is excellent, with comprehensive treatment of associated later artists, that are customarily only referred to marginally by other authors, and dismissal of other vaguely related artists. Another plus is that there is chronological sense in the presentation, so that while there is discussion about particular themes, the flow of the book corresponds to an overall timeline. All these factors give this book pride of place in treatment of this subject.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this second hand, and I’m so happy I did. The plates are luminous and many are full sized.

I hadn’t known much about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood beyond the most famous images of Ophelia and the Lady of Shalott. But I ended up learning a ton about the movement and how it influenced later generations of artists, and I ended up becoming acquainted with some of my new favorite artists, John William Waterhouse and Dante Rossetti.

Apparently, the author wrote the book because that era had fallen out of favor when he was studying in the 1960s and 70s and working for auction houses. The pre-Raphaelites needed some love! This book was written in 1981 and I’m happy to note these artists are popular on social media today.

I keep going back and looking at the artwork, it’s so beautiful.

[Megangoldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to feel the electricity between us turn into something even more thrilling.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice survey of the Pre-Raphaelites. Nice reproductions, though it would have been better IMO if more of them were in color. (Though of course this is not always under the author's control.) There were a few places where there were awkward page breaks mid-sentence, and then the next page was dominated by pictures and made it easy to lose the thread.

[Mell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't wait to see Waterhouse's works in person!

[Jacques le fataliste et son maître · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non è che contenga queste grandi rivelazioni critiche, ma mi ha permesso di conoscere molti preraffaelliti minori e anche alcuni preraffaelliti “fuori tempo massimo”.

[Emylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful book-lots of large plates, nice overview of the movement
I'd love to own a copy of this book. It's gorgeous.

[Kali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this book so many times a know it by heart. Dr. Wood, you are amazing!