Randuwa II: Delaware Art Museum: The Pre-Raphaelites

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Delaware Art Museum: The Pre-Raphaelites

One of the Mecca draws of the Delaware Art Museum is their beautiful collection of Pre-Raphaelite works. A movement begun with a brotherhood of seven artists around a supposed notion of creating a purer, more authentic aesthetic with a penchant for detail, the natural world and Romanticism. Idealized images bordering on androgyny and often embracing themes out of classic and medieval literature. The movement included a wide range of creatives as it's influence expanded and others became associated with it. The collection features examples of fine woodworking, furniture, fabric, stained glass, ceramic, wallpaper and illustration--and I've probably left something out.

Having laid that out, I must confess, I am not a great fan of the genre. Much of it isn't even that good. Apart from the fact that it's part of this collective off-shoot of art, I don't think some of the principles would be particularly noteworthy today. It's not a blanket criticism, there are some lovely works.

The galleries themselves are rich and contain a wide representation of works my the major members of the movement, as well as, some lesser "also includeds." Regardless of how you feel about the art, you can't help by find the venues inviting and informative--and if it is your cup of tea? You could hardly do better.

"Romeo and Juliet" 1869-70

Ford Madox Brown, 1821-1893

from the placard: The work of Shakespeare was particularly revered by the Pre-Raphaelites. Here, Brown captures the poignant moment in the early dawn on Juliet's balcony, when Romeo parts from his love for what will be the final time. The composition has the dramatic awkwardness which is often present in Brown's work, but which serves to allow his subjects a sense of realistic immediacy. This is countered by the wealth of Pre-Raphaelite detail, including the apple blossoms, an example of the emphasis on a close observation of the natural world.

"Vase with Horses" circa 1902

Hannah Bolton Barlow, 1851-1916, and Florence C. Roberts, circa 1879-1930

Doulton & Company

from the placard: The "Art Pottery" movement was the result of the new interest in hand-crafted decorative arts. Ceramic manufacturers employed artists trained in new government-sponsored design schools, and this vase was decorated by two women who took advantage of these programs.