Glossary Term: Pre-Raphaelites
In 1848, a group of young artists rebelled against the style of art that was being taught at the Royal Academy and other art schools. They felt the art of the day was dark and muddy in color. Nor did they like the subject matters, which they felt to be artificial.

Instead they admired the work of the artists of the fifteenth century, with their careful brushwork, serious subjects and bright, fresh colors. These artists began to sign their work with the initials: P.R.B., the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, taking their name from the Renaissance master Raphael. Pre-Raphaelite artists chose subjects from the Bible, Shakespeare and the legend of King Arthur. They used bright colors and painted on a white canvas, rather than a brown one, to give their paintings a lighter, fresher look.

Pre-Raphaelite artists believed art should have a serious, moral purpose and often filled their work with many symbols suggesting deeper meaning. While the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood lasted less than ten years as a group, other artists carried on with the style.

Artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Other artists of the P.R.B. were Ford Maddox Brown and William Dyce.

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