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Reading the Pre-Raphaelites Paperback – April 24, 2012
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Noted for its vivid colors, elaborate use of symbols, and dedication to close observation of the natural world, the work of Pre-Raphaelite artists combines a deep engagement with the past and a modern realism that exemplifies the concerns of the age of steam travel. In Reading the Pre-Raphaelites, author Tim Barringer draws on an imaginative selection of paintings, drawings, and photographs to suggest that the dynamic energy of Pre-Raphaelitism arose out of the paradoxes at its heart. Past and present, historicism and modernity, symbolism and realism, as well as the tensions between city and country, men and women, worker and capitalist, colonizer and colonized all make appearances within Pre-Raphaelite art. By focusing on these issues, Barringer draws together the strands of revisionist thought on the Pre-Raphaelites and provides a range of stimulating new interpretations of their work.
Beautifully illustrated, the revised edition of this authoritative survey traces the history of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and includes new sections on photography as well as a revised introduction and bibliography.
- Print length192 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherYale University Press
- Publication dateApril 24, 2012
- Dimensions9.25 x 6.52 x 0.51 inches
- ISBN-10030017733X
- ISBN-13978-0300177336
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Product details
- Publisher : Yale University Press; Revised edition (April 24, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 192 pages
- ISBN-10 : 030017733X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0300177336
- Item Weight : 1.52 pounds
- Dimensions : 9.25 x 6.52 x 0.51 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,168,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,118 in Arts & Photography Criticism
- #6,040 in Art History (Books)
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About the author
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2022Have my own copy of this book. Ordered it as a gift for someone else. It's a great source of information on various Pre-Raphealite paintings. I learned a lot about each artist and the stories around each painting they painted and also controversies they may have caused because of what they chose to paint. Yeah, we ALL know how people can be. I recommend it.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2016Articulate, incredibly well-researched, interesting account of the Pre-Raphaelites by an author with an impressive command of the subject.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2015Interesting Post Modern take on Victorian Times falls victim to its own philosophy of everyone having an agenda!
- Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2014Loved this authors take on pre-raphaelite art. There is a vast array of pictures to accompany the text
- Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2017Beautifully book.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2004"Reading the Pre-Raphaelites" has been on the market for five years now (as of 2004), and continues to hold up well as an introduction to Pre-Raphaelite painting. People who are already familiar with Pre-Raphaelite Art (and its copious bibliography!) will not find too much here that is new, but for the not-yet-expert, this book works well in presenting many of the essential Pre-Raphaelite themes and paintings in an orderly and easy-to-understand manner.
The book is organized topically, with separate chapters on Pre-Raphaelite medievalism, nature painting, modern life, religious painting, and Post-Pre-Raphaelitism (the latter including Whistler, Burne-Jones, and the Aesthetic Movement.)
The author tosses in a bit of "critical theory" from time to time, and on occasion can be judgmental about individual works. These negatives, though, are easily overcome by the author's clarity of writing and competence of interpretation, which lucidly ground these paintings in their social and artistic milieu. The book's bibliography and index are marginal, but the quality of its color printing is exceptional, much better than in many more expensive art books.
In summary, this book would be a good buy for the student or other reader who wants a general, thematic introduction to the Pre-Raphaelites.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 1999The Pre-Raphaelite men, like most masculine hegemonies, could not have survived had it not been for the credible contributions of the women who lurk at the periphery of the Brotherhood. More than mere emotional or sensual inspiration (or support), the Pre-Raphaelite women--Christina Rossetti, Elizabeth Siddal, and Jane Morris--provided the creative impetus for their men, and often even the critical eye needed to master a work of art. History and its historians have not been as generous as they could have been in recounting the contributions of these women.
Often, the summation of any one woman's contributions to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood is left up to individual biographers. Those writing the introductory texts frequently fall short of effectively identifying the enormous contributions of the Pre-Raphaelite women. Two such introductory texts are Timothy Hilton's _The Pre-Raphaelites_ and Tim Barringer's _Reading the Pre-Raphaelites_. Where the Pre-Raphaelite women are concerned, both texts provide a footnote to the art history of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood but really do little more than re-emphasizing the marginal status of the Pre-Raphaelite women.
In his Introduction, Barringer recognizes the artistic aptitude of Christina Rossetti as a poet, of Elizabeth Siddal as an artist, and of Jane Morris as an embroiderer. Furthermore, Barringer claims that the "full contribution of these artists, and a number of women less directly connected with Pre-Raphaelitism, has only recently been acknowledged" (14). With this affirmation, _Reading the Pre-Raphaelites_ promises to bring to the fore a considerable new interest in the works of the Pre-Raphaelite women. Barringer, however, does little to revise and reappraise the contributions of these women.
Where Christina Rossetti is concerned, Barringer mentions her only four times in his text: twice in the introduction (11, 14); once in relation to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, wherein he reprints her sonnet on the disintegration of the Brotherhood (135); and once in the epilogue (168). Jane Morris fares somewhat better with six mentions, including the inclusion of her painting _St Catherine_ (50). Mostly, however, Jane Morris rates mere mention as an appendage to either Dante Gabriel Rossetti or William Morris (136, 155, 156).
It is Elizabeth Siddal, however, who garners the most attention from Barringer, with a total of ten mentions. Barringer offers decent treatment to Siddal's _Pippa Passing the Loose Women_ (144-45) as well as to Dante Gabriel Rossetti's use of Siddal as a model (141-42). Barringer is even so generous as to include Dante Gabriel Rossetti's _The Artist sitting to Elizabeth Siddall_ [sic.] (141).
Timothy Hilton's _The Pre-Raphaelites_ purports to be an art book which "offers some adjustments to the straight art history" of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Additionally, Hilton's text supposedly offers a reinterpretation of the activities of several members in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's circle (7). _The Pre-Raphaelites_ precedes _Reading the Pre-Raphaelites_ by twenty-seven years and was written during the height of the Women's Movement (in the U.S.). That considered, it should come as no surprise that Hilton dwells slightly on the subjects of Jane Morris and Elizabeth Siddal. What does come as a bit of a surprise is that Hilton glosses over Christina Rossetti, treating her almost parenthetically. She rates a total of four references in Hilton's text (only three of which are indexed).
Hilton first refers to Christina Rossetti simply as one in a series of Rossetti children (26) and then again as one of the "various others" who joined the Brotherhood in their print undertaking _The Germ_ (50). She receives credit for sitting for the Virgin in her brother's The Girlhood of _Mary Virgin_ (94) and for being the recipient of one of her brother's letters (107).
Again, Jane Morris receives a slightly greater amount of recognition, although Hilton's references to her total only four. Hilton first mentions Morris as one of the objects of Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "many delineations," a credit which she shares with "Lizzy" Siddal (59). Hilton then dwells on Jane Morris for four pages, wherein he describes William Morris' profound love for her and displays several images of the beautiful Mrs. Morris, including William Morris' _Queen Guinivere_ (166-69). Jane Morris rates still another small note when Hilton inventories Dante Gabriel Rossetti's menagerie at Cheyne Walk, saying that Rossetti had "a Brahmin bull whose eyes reminded [him] of Jane Morris" (182). Finally, the author takes a moment to detail the love affair between Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Jane Morris (183-84).
Elizabeth Siddal, "Lizzy" as Hilton calls her, yet again rates the most references (seven), and not without cause. In addition to her credit as one of Rossetti's models (59, 175), she also receives note (this time parenthetically) as one who attempted to illustrate Wordsworth's "We are Seven" (60). With a series of illustrations and text, Hilton then describes the love affair between Siddal and Dante Rossetti (99-101) and then reiterates the strong affair by stating "Rossetti was busy with Lizzy Siddal" (107). Hilton sums up his mention of Siddal by detailing, if rather briefly, the weakening of the her marriage to Dante Rossetti, her eventual "accidental death," and Rossetti's subsequent depression (178-79).
While Hilton's text may offer slightly more insight into the lives of the Pre-Raphaelite women, neither his nor Barringer's text does justice to the lives of these three women. Yes, Elizabeth Siddal was perhaps the most intricately involved in the goings-on of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but Jane Morris' and Christina Rossetti's contributions should not receive the degree of dismissal that they do. Barringer's and Hilton's attempts at revisionist art histories fail and once again place the brunt of their focus on the men of the Brotherhood. Both authors allow the Pre-Raphaelite women to remain in the margins of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood history, and, in doing so, do a disservice to all women artists, no matter in whose shadow they may have stood in during life.
Top reviews from other countries
- John PeateReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars Very satisfied.
The Pre-raphaelites were prominent in the 1890's. I am keen to learn more about the art (painting etc) of this period.
- LaraReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2021
2.0 out of 5 stars Sentence highlighted in the book
There was a sentence highlighted in pink - which is a pity because they didn’t tell me in advance. The outside of the book where the pages end is stained. Again, for a collector like myself, a pity.