What Was The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood?

In 1884 a small group of young English artists banded together and took the name to signify their intention to restore an innocence to painting that they perceived in the works of Italian painters before the time of Raphael.
The most notable of the group were Holman Hunt, Millais, and Rossetti. For their subjects they selected mostly religious themes, otherwise morally uplifting subjects. They used a clear, sharp focus technique. The paintings were sharp and bright and the detail closely observed. They wanted to faithful represent nature in their art.
Like all avant-garde art movements, the proponents were attacked for representing biblical figures as ordinary people. Their subjects were also considered not idealised enough.
The critic Ruskin came to their aid in 1851 and the fortunes of the group improved but by 1853 they had practically disbanded. Only Holman Hunt remained true to the ideals throughout his life. The other members went their separate ways.

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