Academical
contradiction
The contradiction that here I want consider is so
evident that nobody has seen, a academic painter that is against the academic
tradition; who is? The reality about this brotherhood is given by John Ruskin, in an article to Times in data 13th may 1851, that underlines this absolute not sense of name and works, it is enough read this step: “These pre-Raphaelite( to
I must give my compliments to name) they don’t desire and not exigent to imitate the ancient painting. Who has this
opinion manifests his ignorance to ancient painting, who thinks that is similar
painting of these painters and ancient…the pre-Raphaelite don’t want renounce
to some vantage that the actual knowledge
and inventiveness can offer to their art"; it is right cetainly, in fact Ruskin has made a synthesis, but the subject that Ruskin has considered, as who ignorant the ancient painter, to Ruskin he is impersonal, but identity of this person is John Ruskin(1819-1900), because he hasn't found the models of pre-Raphaelite brotherhood; hence Ruskin has written about this painters but hewas absolutely extraneous to pre-Raphaelite, and I think that he was extraneous also to Medieval Italian painters; anyway the judgemnet of Ruskin is true, they don't lost nothing of new way, they, as every painters before them, have took from past and they have translated with other style in they present; the name of brothrhood is very far from the truth, because before Raphael is the name alone; Dante Gabriele Rossetti(1828-1882), that despite his name
was British but evidently influenced from his origin, because he was son of a
Italian patriot Gabriel Rossetti, banned from Italy and exiled to London after
1821. The contradiction is in his style, because he want outrun the academic
style but he uses it always, and the principal of his brotherhood, this is take
the style and the spirituality of painter before Raphael(1483-1520) is a failed
in painting because he took the academic style, because we must consider that
he lived in Victorian British when the form was more important than essence; in
fact he repeated same style to face and subjects: same face and subject (Fig.1),
is sama face, whilethe posture Rossetti has took from Guido Reni(Fig.2); what is characteristic that
bond these painting? The beautiful of drawing, the drafting of colors, the line
very perfect; the cloth of model, that is the wife of Rossetti, Elizabeth
Siddal(1829-1862), is perfect woman and perfect model, the similarities is due
by the same model, but the cloth is different, and the academic culture of
Rossetti is evident in treatment of this matter, that is silky may, we can
think that this accurate definition of textile matter is due from influence of Beato
Angelico(1395-1455)(Fig.3), that Dante could studied very much and take the
cloth matter; and may from study of this painting Dante has had the idea of
this brotherhood; but an influence certainly radical to cloth of Rossetti is
that of Peter Lely(1618-1680), a portraitist painter that in London from 1640
has portrait major part of British aristocracy, and an painting, above all,
could influenced the light and formal definition of Dante, this painting is
Portrait of young lady(Fig.4) and the portrait of Nell Gwynne(Fig.5), that keep
the refulgent light of cloth of Dante; the line and drafting are of Dutch origin;
hence the style of Rossetti is a translation of academic model of British, this
is he took the model that before and after the Raphael, because Lely lived on
17th century; thereupon the intent of ideal of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood
is absolutely failed, because Dante took from after and before Raphael, fro
contradictions it is very exemplar.Further is likewise contradictory models that a member
of this brotherhood, because Peter von Cornelius(1783-1867), to his The Parable
of Wise and Foolish Virgins(Fig.6), dated 1813-1816, he culls the model that
changed to posture but, certainly, he took the Virgin in Universal
judgment(Fig.7) that is took to central female figure, and Pontormo, this is
Jacopo Carucci(1494-1557), is necessary to the female figures on right that
embraced one other; and the return to Raphael and Athens school is to male figure
on the center of same painting(Fig.11), because it took from other figure of
Raphael(Fig.12); the architecture of Athens school was necessary to other
building in Joseph Recognised to his Brothers(Figs.13-14)of same von Cornelius.
The Raphael now is accompanied to Girolamo Siciolante called
Sermoneta(1521-1575), because Friedrich Johann Overbeck, to his Joseph Being
Sold by his Brothers, in 1816(Fig.15), to the figure on right from behind(Fig.16)
followed two models one is in front of and other from behind, I intend two
figures, the first from Siciolante, above mentioned, (Fig.17) and the second is
from Raphael in mentioned School of Athens(Fig.18), that has suggested the from
behind position.Some hint of history of this brotherhood given Steven
Adams(The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, p.28) was founded in London in September
1848. Initially a secret society, there were seven founder-members: John
Everett Millais (1829-96), William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), James Collinson
(1825-81), FG Stephens (1828-1907), Thomas Woolner (1825-92), who was the only
sculptor among the group, and William Michael Rossetti (1829-1919), a tax clerk
by trade and the Brother- of Dante Gabriele. But the contradiction is constant
to Pre-Raphaelite exponents because we can consider the models that Peter von
Cornelius, has took to his The Last Judgement(Fig.18); he took from Raphael the
Christ of Ascension(Fig.19), and the crow is directly took from Universal
judgement of Michelangelo(Figs.20-21); we must also consider that sometimes
also in Pre-Raphaelite is some coherence, because Edward Burne-Jones, to his
painting The Mill(Fig.22) has took the cloth of Giovanni di Paolo, to painting
the Final judgement(Fig.23), same finesse of sewing, and Giovanni di Paolo(1403-1482)
is precedent to Raphael; and Jones encouraged from John Ruskin(1819-1900) gone
to Italy, where he certainly could see the medieval painter of Italian, and
Jones become a connoisseurs very skilled of Tuscan painters, hence he seen
certainly also Giovanni di Paolo in Siena(Fig.24), but I think that Jones
hasn’t lost the cloth of child of Madonna of milk(Fig.25) of Ambrogio
Lorenzetti(1290-1348), same folds and intensity of cloth and the Purification
of the Virgin(Figs.26-27) and the Annunciation in Scrovegni chapel(Fig.28)
frescoed by Giotto(died in 1337) ; but to each virtue of coherence a sin of
incoherence occurs, in fact the posture of three figures of Jones is took from
The three graces of Canova(1757-1822)(Fig.29) and Thorvaldsen(1770-1844)(Fig.30).
To Ford Madox Brown, Wycliffe Reading his Translation of the New Testament to
his Protector(Fig.31), Brown has considered and developed to his iconography
the Baptism of Christ of Piero della Francesca(Fig.32); he developed the right
side with other figures, it is necessary to equilibrate iconography, that Piero
has balanced with figure of Saint John Baptist and other figure on back that is
stripping, hence the equilibrium is reached, but Brown have to paint other
subject and other iconography, therefore he has took the composition of Piero
and has conceived his composition, and the naturalism of Piero is present; the
boy that is bringing the books on left side is a touch of naturalism the to wit
has took from Piero, the figure on back, that we has seen in Piero, that is
very natural, has a correspondence here to this boy, because he is natural,
thereupon Brown saved the mystical representation and also the human nature.
Raphael is present to composition and ideation of The Seeds and Fruits of English
Poetry is suggested from Athens school of Raphael; we must give attention to
this inspiration, because apparently nothing connection is, but two figures on
high to center are directly from Aristotle and Platoon(Fig.34), and the crowd
is took directly from same numerous below of same school(Fig.35), after all the
intellectual subject is present also to painting of Brown, on stead be
philosophy is poetry. To Sir John Everett Millais(1829-1896), that has painted
Isabella(Fig.36), Michelangelo Merisi called the Caravaggio(1571-1610) is
motive to composition, the Dinner in Emmaus(Fig.37) is ideation to composition,
although Millais has composed with more figures, but the subject is different;
it is enough consider the edge of table(Fig.38), that is directly kinsman of
painting of Caravaggio, same ideation of space, the edge is stressed from leg
of the figure, but composition is very similar, also because the waiter on
right is correspondent to waiter of Caravaggio. Raphael is always ready to use,
because Millais is convinced user of the School of Athens, because the Cymon
and Iphigenia(Fig.39) is remade of two central philosopher Platoon and
Aristotle(Fig.34) and the figures around. But Caravaggio turns to Dante Gabriel
Rossetti, Ecce Ancilla DominiFig.40), although more terrain than
Caravaggio, because in Annunciation of Nancy(Fig.41), angel is touching down
whereas the Rossetti’s angel is on land, but same posture from behind is same,
the posture of Mary is similar, although the composition is different because nneds
of painters were different, and the times are very different. Always Raphael is useful to William Hunt(1827-1910) to Christ and two maries(Fig.42), onstead to one mary he has took the Virgin of Caravaggio(Fig.41); and same Caravggio, above mentioned, is usefull also to composition of The return of dove(Fig.43) of Millais, whose composition is directly took from Incredulity of Saint Thomas. Hunt after sees alone Michelangelo and the Sistine
Chapel because in his A converted British family sheltering a Christian missionary(Fig.45),
he didn’t lost the appointment to Michelangelo and the very famous Chapel,
because to figure from shoulder on right is took from posture of Sybille’s, on
the vault of chapel above mentioned, and from the Christ in the church of
Minerva, of same Michelangelo(Fig.48); and the Sistine chapel is catalog of
postures always present, because to the adolescent on ground, laid on ground
the posture of legs is suggested from different figures(Figs.49-54); Ford Madox
Brown took from Raphael and Madonna Sistine(Fig.55) to The Pretty Baa-Lambs(Fig.56),
further the clot that to Raphael is evidently and dynamic in Brown is very
splay, but the cloth dresses the figure as Raphael, almost an homage to
Renaissance master. Hunt to The light of word(Fig.57) took again Raphael
and the Athens school, to figure of Platoon(Fig.34); the naturalism(S. Adams, The
pre-Raphaelites art, p.37) that is evident to much painting of these painters,
is a address that in every painters in history of art, and the 19th
century isn’t exception, but in this century is predominant, also in
neoclassicism some time is evident that natural adherence, as Daedalus and Icarus(Fig.58),
the figure of Daedalus is very natural old age. Same Hunt to his The awakening
conscience (Fig.59) has took one reference, this is one Virgins that are seated
in throne that in Italy are very much, I took in random of Perugino(Fig.60) and
for the male may some figure of Universal judgement (Fig.61). Hunt to Isabella and the pot of basil(Fig.62) mixed
two models from Raphael one if the Sistine Virgin(Fig.55) and the second is the
Virgin on chair(Fig.63) to first model he copied the posture, and to second
Hunt took the affect manifestation of a mother, with the cheek to head of
child.To a painting of Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Dorigen of
Britain Waiting for the Return of her Husband(Fig.64), Jones took directly or
indirectly, through the engraving, from Federico Barocci(Figs.65-66), the
posture is different but the idea of open arms is from Barocci; as The laus Veneris(Fig.67)
directly from Cleopatra in Vatican Museums(Fig.68); other painting of Jones of
Dorigen(Fig.69) same sculpture has suggested this posture, or may other ancient sculptures as the Campidoglio(Figs.70-71).
Alessandro Lusana
Fig.1
