The Pre-Raphaelites by Timothy Hilton is a book about the artistic movement of the late nineteenth century. It’s a book that is filled with pictures, many of them in colour, and the text handily indicates where in the book you can find the picture that the author is discussing which is useful for the reader.
This book is about the movement rather than a biography of the painters and others involved in the movement. The author tells the history of the movement – who became involved and when. He outlines the main themes and influences and details how they changed during the lifetime of the movement. He relates their painting to what else is happening in society at the time. He takes time to talk about the major paintings which we associate with the movement and why they were successful but he also criticises those that he feels don’t work as well as the painter might have intended.
I have a very small knowledge of art but I have seen many of these paintings in real life and have always enjoyed the colours used and many of the subjects depicted. I have also read and reviewed a book about one of the models and painters who was part of this movement – see here. This book was a good introduction for me to the movement and it fitted in well with my historical knowledge of the culture and politics of the period. I found it fascinating and very readable and was delighted to be introduced to so many new paintings.
Anne Is Reading 