Secret society: The Victorian rebels Founded in 1848 as asecret society, thePre-Raphaelitesrejected classical ideals and the dominant artistic genre painting of their era for what they saw as a morespiritual, sincere, and naturalisticapproach. Inaugurated by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, they evolved into a seven-member brotherhood that included poets and critics as well as painters.Moving away from the classical compositions exemplified by Raphael (hence the group s name), the Pre-Raphaelites rather turned tomedieval cultureand thejewel-like colors of Quatrrocento artfor inspiration. Their principal themes were initially religious, but also included subjects fromliterature and poetry, as exemplified by Sir John Everett Millais famousOphelia, drawn from Shakespeare'sHamlet.Inspired by the theories of John Ruskin, they were also committed to theclose study of nature.This book presents key works from the Pre-Raphaelite group to introduce their reactionary principles, their dazzling colors, their interest inlove, death, and nature, and their extensive influence on latter-day Symbolism and beyond. About the Series: Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Genre series features: a detailed illustrated introduction plus a timeline of the most important political, cultural and social events that took place during that period a selection of the most important works of the epoch, each of which is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and with an interpretation of the respective work, plus a portrait and brief biography of the artist approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions "