Sir
Edward Coley Burne-Jones
(1833-1898) is renowned
as the leading painter,
designer and book
illustrator of the
Aesthetic Movement,
characterized as the
second generation of Pre-Raphaelites,
and a pivotal figure in
late 19th century
British art.
A relative latecomer
to the Pre-Raphaelite
movement, Burne-Jones
studied at Oxford where
he first discovered the
movement which, in 1856,
prompted him to seek out
Rossetti, by whom his
style was influenced;
however, the Pre-Raphaelite
group had begun to wane
four years earlier.
Burne-Jones was impacted
by classical and
Renaissance art during
visits to Italy in 1859
and 1862 and, although
his primary themes deal
with romance, chivalry,
courtly love, the
pursuit of beauty and
battles between good and
evil, his painting style
has Renaissance features.
However, Burne-Jones'
painting has a
mysterious and
distinctly detached
quality unique to his
work.
As a partner in
Morris and Company with
his friend William
Morris, Burne-Jones
designed stained glass,
tapestries and tiles
which appear as
decorative elements in
his increasingly
stylized paintings of
the same period.
Beginning in 1865, his
work became more
reminiscent of the High
Renaissance painters,
taking on a decidedly
formal and decorative
style.
Although he often
worked on paintings for
several years,
Burne-Jones was both
prolific and, during a
forty year career, was
sought after for
commissions, producing
numerous large
paintings, stained glass
designs and manuscript
illustrations respected
both in England and in
Europe.
