Pre-Raphaelites by Bethan Stevens

Pre-Raphaelites by Bethan Stevens

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was founded in 1848. Their artistic beliefs were set out by John Ruskin, the art historian who ardently supported them. Their chief principle was 'truth to nature': that a painter should draw precisely what he or she sees, and not follow painterly conventions. They saw this as a virtue of painters working before the age of Raphael but subsequently corrupted in more sophisticated art - hence the name 'Pre-Raphaelite' and their admiration of Medievalism. The British Museum has an important collection of Pre-Raphaelite art which is in constant demand for international exhibitions. In particular, the collection comprises a wonderful collection of drawings by Pre-Raphaelite artists, including three notable albums by Rossetti and Burne- Jones; the Robin de Beaumont collection which includes all the most important Pre-Raphaelite illustrated books plus rare proof impressions; and 49 volumes comprising 54,000 proofs of prints published by the Dalziel brothers, the chief publishers of Pre-Raphaelite prints. Victorian poetry (notably by Tennyson as well as Rossetti's sister Christina), novels and even children's literature, with its tense mixture of hyper-realism and vivid fantasy, provided ideal subjects for Pre- Raphaelite illustration. John Tenniel, who was contemporary with the Pre-Raphaelites, borrows heavily from their work for his famous Alice in Wonderland illustrations, and the author offers a wide range of poetic and literary extracts to accompany these fascinating images.

Bethan Stevens is an illustrator based in London. After finishing her BA in English literature, she embarked on the MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art to learn how to make stories with pictures as well as words. When she's not drawing she can be found reading, writing, and attempting to track down the tastiest almond croissants in London. Grumpy Fairies​ is her first picture book.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780714150666
ISBN 10	0714150665
Title	Pre-Raphaelites
Author	Bethan Stevens
Series	Gift Books
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	British Museum Press
Year published	2008-04-07
Number of pages	96
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.