What does "Pre-Raphaelite" Mean?
Exploring the definition and core principles of 'Pre-Raphaelitism', with a concise overview of the origins and influence of the PRB
“Pre-Raphaelites they called themselves; not that they imitated the early Italian masters at all, but that in their work, as opposed to the facile abstractions of Raphael, they found a stronger realism of imagination, a more careful realism of technique, a vision at once more fervent and more vivid, an individuality more intimate and more intense. For it is not enough that a work of art should conform to the aesthetic demands of its age: there must be also about it, if it is to affect us with any permanent delight, the impress of a distinct individuality, an individuality remote from that of ordinary men, and coming near to us only by virtue of a certain newness and wonder in the work, and through channels whose very strangeness makes us more ready to give them welcome.”
- Oscar Wilde, The English Renaissance of Art
Pre-Raph·a·el·ite /prēˈrafēəˌlīt/
(noun) a member of a group of English 19th-century artists, including Holman Hunt, Millais, and D. G. Rossetti, who consciously sought to emulate the simplicity and sincerity of the work of Italian artists from before the time of Raphael.
(adjective) relating to the Pre-Raphaelites.
The term "Pre-Raphaelite" encompasses more than the ethereal beauty it elicits at first glance—it also embodies a radical departure from the artistic norms of its time. Originating in 1848 as a clandestine society, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) emerged as a formidable force challenging the conventions of the Royal Academy and prevailing trends in genre painting. Led by three visionaries John Everett Millais, William Holman Hunt, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, this cohort of seven men (William Michael Rossetti, Thomas Woolner, Frederic George Stephens, James Collinson being the other four) sought to inject British art with a new concept called “truth to nature”, shunning trivial subjects in favor of profound themes depicted with “ideal truth.” Inspired by the call of John Ruskin to return to nature, they delved into religious, literary, and societal narratives with a fresh perspective, laying the groundwork for a movement that would redefine the artistic landscape (Meagher 2004). The PRB wanted to emulate the paintings of artists like Botticelli, who predated the Italian High Renaissance artists such as Raphael; hence the name Pre-Raphaelite.
“Disenchanted with contemporary academic painting . . . the Brotherhood instead emulated the art of late medieval and early Renaissance Europe until the time of Raphael, an art characterized by minute description of detail, a luminous palette of bright colors that recalls the tempera paint used by medieval artists, and subject matter of a noble, religious, or moralizing nature.” - Jennifer Meagher, “The Pre-Raphaelites”, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2004)
In the midst of the political and social upheaval of mid-nineteenth-century England, the Pre-Raphaelites emerged as agents of change, striving to instigate moral reform through their art (Meagher 2004). Despite facing criticism for their unconventional approach, the Pre-Raphaelites left an indelible mark on the art world. Their dedication to nature, intricate craftsmanship, and symbolic storytelling not only influenced contemporary movements like Symbolism but also paved the way for subsequent artistic endeavors such as the Aesthetic ("art for art's sake”), Art Nouveau, and Arts and Crafts movement, all of which continued to uphold the values of beauty, craftsmanship, and medieval inspiration championed by the Pre-Raphaelites.
Germ, The: Thoughts Towards Nature - The Literary Magazine of the Pre-Raphaelites by Andrea Rose, 1979
The core principles of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, as defined by William Michael Rossetti ( English art critic, literary editor, and Christina and Dante Gabriel Rosseti’s Brother) in Dante Gabriel Rossetti: His Family-Letters, with a Memoir (1895):
To have genuine ideas to express;
To study Nature attentively, so as to know how to express them;
To sympathize with what is direct and serious and heartfelt in previous art, to the exclusion of what is conventional and self-parodying and learned by rote;
And, most indispensable of all, to produce thoroughly good pictures and statues.
These declarations encapsulate the Brotherhood's commitment to originality, nature, sincerity, and excellence in art. He later expanded on these ideas in his book "Pre-Raphaelite Diaries and Letters" (1900) and in the "The Germ," a periodical published by the Brotherhood in 1850.
As you will find during our walk through the garden of the Pre-Raphaelites, they were contradictory at times with their work, and it wasn't long before Millais and Rossetti deviated from principles of Pre-Raphaelism. But that is a story for another time.
“Pre-Raphaelitism was a misunderstanding they all misunderstood. It was a reform and a dream. It was real and unreal. It was modern, it was in the Middle Ages. …It was an escape from the age and a means of converting it. It was a circle in which the future and the past chased each other round.”
-William Gaunt
Another book by William Michael Rossetti chronicling the history of the Pre-Raphaelite movement:
Ruskin, Rossetti, Preraphaelitism: Papers 1854–62, by William Michael Rossetti (1899). Internet Archive
On YouTube, you can watch the BBC series "The Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Revolutionaries" to delve into the origins and history of the PRB:
If you would like to watch more programs and talks on the Pre-Raphaelites, check out the playlists I’ve curated on my YouTube channel!
References & Further Reading
Marsh, Jan. The Pre-Raphaelites. London: National Portrait Gallery Publications, 1998.
Meagher, Jennifer. “The Pre-Raphaelites.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.
Tate. “Pre-Raphaelite.” Tate.
Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “What is Pre-Raphaelite Art?” http://preraphaelitesisterhood.com/what-is-pre-raphaelite-art/.
Millington, Ruth. “Why Are They Called the Pre-Raphaelites?” https://ruthmillington.co.uk/why-are-they-called-the-pre-raphaelites/.
Tate. “Think you know the Pre-Raphaelites?” Tate. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/pre-raphaelite/think-you-know-pre-raphaelites.
Tate. “William Holman Hunt.” Tate. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/william-holman-hunt-287.
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel. Dante Gabriel Rossetti: His Family-Letters, with a Memoir. Vol. 1. Edited by William Michael Rossetti. London: Ellis and Elvey, 1895. Accessed via Internet Archive.
Thank you for the recommendation of the BBC documentary. Very informative and interesting.
Lovely research and resources. I’ve read Ruskin a while ago and I was amazed on how much of an influence he had in the whole PRB, there’s always something new to find out about them! I can never get enough