Bern Jones paintings. Edward Burne-Jones: The Last Pre-Raphaelite. Development of the artist's style

BERNE Jules Verne (1828-1905) - French writer, one of the founders of the science fiction novel genre. capable of feat, because on the right day and hour

Eric Byrne

Eric Berne Eric Berne was a forty-six-year-old psychiatrist when he abandoned further training in psychoanalysis after fifteen years in this line. He gave up further efforts in this direction after in 1956 the Institute of Psychoanalysis

Burne-Jones Edward Paintings and biography of Edward Burne-Jones Burne-Jones Edward Coley (1833-1898), English painter, draftsman, master of arts and crafts. Born in Birmingham on 28 August 1833 into a humble family of a frame joiner. He belonged to the younger generation of the Pre-Raphaelites. Seeking to revive the spirituality and naive poetry of medieval and early Renaissance art, Burne-Jones stylized the forms of his works in the spirit of 15th century Italian painting. Burne-Jones' decorative and sophisticated compositions on religious and mythological subjects ("The Story of Pygmalion", 1869-1879, Birmingham, Art Gallery and City Museum; "Mirror of Venus" 1872-1877, Lisbon, National Museum of Old Art; "Story of Perseus" after 1875, Stuttgart, City Collection; "The Golden Staircase", 1876-1880, "The King of Kofetua and the Beggar", 1880-1884, "Love Among the Ruins", 1893, - all paintings in the Tate Gallery, London) are distinguished by traits of romantic excitement and idealization features of romantic emotion and idealization, flexible linear rhythm, gravitation towards ornamentation. Since 1853, Burne-Jones studied at the theological faculty at Exeter College, Oxford, but the craving for art turned out to be stronger, and from 18 he attended Dante Gabriel Rossetti's painting studio.

Between 1859 and 1873, Burne-Jones made several trips to Italy, which allows him to get to know better the work of Mantegna, Botticelli and Michelangelo. Traveling with John Ruskin, who convinced the painter to copy the old masters of the Venetian school, Edward Burne-Jones renews his technique. Since that time, signs of new influences have been noticeable in the artist's style, which ultimately brings him fame and the knighthood, bestowed on the artist as the discoverer of a new era in art.

In 1864 he was elected a member of the Old Society of Watercolorists. In 1877, the artist presented his works at the first exhibition at the Grovenor gallery and became a permanent participant in its salons until 1887.

Burne-Jones' fame is growing, extending far beyond the borders of England. During the reign of Queen Victoria, the British began to think more and more about the imperial role of their country.

Edward Burne-Jones The Outfit of Perseus 1885 National Gallery, London Edward Burne-Jones Love Among the Ruins 1893 Tate Gallery, London Edward Burne-Jones Chained Andromeda 1885-1888, Private collection Edward Burne-Jones Pan and Psyche 1870-1872 Edward Burne-Jones Battle of Perseus with the Dragon 1878, Museum of Art, Stuttgart Edward Burne-Jones The Grim Head of Medusa the Gorgon, 1885 Interest in ancient literature and the history of Ancient Greece and Rome, as well as the legendary past of Britain itself, is growing. Edward Burne-Jones becomes a master of both antique and medieval scenes, creating works like the series "Pygmalion" or "King Kofetua and the Beggar Girl", in which the educational motive of the superiority of the nobility of the soul over earthly riches is revealed. In 1882, Burne-Jones represented England with Frederick Leighton at the World's Fair in Paris. In 1885, Eward Burne-Jones was elected an associate member of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Cupid's Hunting Grounds, 1885 King Arthur's Last Dream, 1881-1898 The Mirror of Venus 1870-1876 The Wheel of Fortune 1875-1883 King Cofetua and the Beggar, 1880-18844 The Tree of Forgiveness 1881-1882 Annunciation 1876-1879 Star of Bethlehem 1887-1890 Danae and the Copper Castle 1888 Rose hip. Sleeping princess 1870-1890 Aphrodite and Galatea 1868-1878 Rosehip.

The Enchanted Forest 1870-1890 In 1894 Burne-Jones receives the title of Baronet; glory comes, crowning it with awards. The last years of his life were devoted to large compositions on literary themes. The history of the Pre-Raphaelite movement ended with the work of Burne-Jones, leaving a great legacy to the masters of the 20th century thanks to the exalted faith in art and creative achievements that changed the attitude of society and artists towards painting, book design and decorative arts. The painting of the Pre-Raphaelites represents a transition from romanticism to symbolism of the early twentieth century, which, perhaps, it would be more correct to call neo-romanticism: he re-opened the scope of fantasy, striving beyond the limits of everyday life. The illustrations, sketches of tapestries, mosaics, stained-glass windows, and objects of decorative and applied arts performed by Burne-Jones for the workshops of W. Morris contributed to the revival of English artistic crafts. Burne-Jones died in London on June 17, 1898.

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I love the paintings and stained-glass windows of this artist, but I do not know the biography very well. Therefore, the text about his life, with some abbreviations, will be taken from the Internet, and the illustrations will be from my collection. I warn you in advance that I don't know the names of some of the paintings.

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones was born on 28 August 1833 into a humble family of goldsmiths in Birmingham. He receives his elementary education at the King Edward School of Birmingham. A gifted draftsman, Edward has attended evening courses at the government school of design since 1848. In 1853, having decided to become a priest, he entered the Exeter College of Oxford, one of the oldest university cities in England (founded in the 12th century). There he meets William Morris - the students are connected by close friendship and a common passion for art. There they absorb the spirit of the Middle Ages and see it as a source of creative inspiration.
Learning about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood from the articles of the critic John Ruskin, in the house of one of their friends they saw Dante Gabriel Rossetti's watercolor "Dante Painting an Angel" (1853), which made such a strong impression on young people that the Pre-Raphaelites became their ideal in painting , and Dante Gabriel Rossetti is an idol.
William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones decide to abandon theology for the sake of painting. In 1855, young people left Oxford, finally deciding to devote themselves to art, applying to Rossetti for permission to participate in their magazine. With Rossetti's acquaintance with these two students at Oxford University, a new stage began in the Pre-Raphaelite movement. At this time, a group of Pre-Raphaelites developed in their work a range of themes based on the New Testament and medieval legends. Burne-Jones met Ruskin and Rossetti at the beginning of 1856, and in May of the same year he was already accepted as a student at Rossetti's studio. The following year, he is involved in a teacher's large mural project for the Hall of Unions, Oxford. In addition to this work, his attention is almost entirely absorbed by the drawing with a pen or watercolor, very carefully worked out.
In 1860 Burne-Jones married. At this time, he began to paint watercolors with the addition of gouache with bovine bile on a brown base. Two portraits of the enchanting Sidonia von Bock and her cousin Clara von Dewitz, inspired by the Italian Renaissance and influenced by Rossetti, date from this period.
Passion for the Middle Ages forced the Pre-Raphaelites to change their attitude towards arts and crafts, opposing soulless industrial products with the high quality of hand-made things. In 1861, William Morris opens Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. in London. This decorative arts store sells everything you need to create your home interior: furniture, stained glass, ceramics, upholstery fabrics, art objects. Morris is joined by his loyal friends Philip Webb, Rossetti and Burne-Jones.
Burne-Jones worked in arts and crafts in the so-called "Red House" workshop of William Morris in Kent, designed in 1859 by Philip Speakman Webb in the style of an English country cottage of red brick with windows, different in shape (square, rectangular, round), some had stained-glass windows, entangling the walls of the dwelling, climbing plants so beloved by the Pre-Raphaelites. Artists made furniture, carpets, curtains, stained-glass windows and even doorknobs with their own hands. Dante Gabriel Rossetti wrote a triptych for Morris's study on themes from Dante Alighieri's poems. They learned to weave, make dishes, print designs on fabric. The new way of life drew people to Morris's workshop. It seemed to the visitors that they were getting into the very thick of the creative process. The appeal "Do not have anything in your home that is not useful to you or does not seem beautiful" has found many followers. Illustrations, sketches of tapestries, mosaics, stained-glass windows, decorative and applied arts were created for Moriss's workshop. In many ways, it was on the projects and drawings of Burne-Jones that the activities of the company "William Morris and K." and Kelmscott Press. In tapestries and stained-glass windows, he usually performed human figures, and Morris ornaments. Here Burne-Jones strove for completeness and emotionality in the treatment of faces, despite the protests of Morris, who wanted to strengthen the decorative principle in such things. Books are created in the same style of book page design, its title page and binding. The Canterbury Tales by the English poet Jeffrey Chaucer are adorned with curly floral designs from the Middle Ages, with miniature screensavers and ornamented capital letters enlivening the text.
In 1861, the artist traveled to Italy with Brown and Rossetti, and upon his return, he actively helped Morris in creating his art-industrial company, for which he made many sketches of stained glass windows, ceramic cladding, tapestries and other applied objects.
Between 1859 and 1873 Burne-Jones made several trips to Italy, which allows him to get to know better the work of Mantegna, Botticelli and Michelangelo. Traveling with Ruskin, who convinced the painter to copy the masters of the Venetian school, Burne-Jones renews his technique. Since then, signs of new influences have been noticeable in his style, which ultimately brings him fame and the knighthood, bestowed on the artist as the discoverer of a new era in art.
In 1864 he was elected a member of the Old Society of Watercolorists; participates in the exhibition of the Society in 1870. In 1877 the artist presents seven of his works for the first exhibition in the Grovenor gallery; becomes a permanent member of its salons until 1887 Burne-Jones's fame is growing, going far beyond the borders of England.
Throughout the reign of Queen Victoria, the British began to think more and more about the imperial role of their country. Interest is growing in ancient literature and in the history of Ancient Greece and Rome, as well as in the legendary past of Britain itself. Burne-Jones becomes a master of both antique and medieval scenes, creating works like the series "Pygmalion" or "The King of Kofetua and the Beggar", in which the educational motif of the superiority of the nobility of the soul over earthly riches appears.
In 1882, at the World's Fair in Paris, he represented England with Frederick Leighton. In 1885 Burne-Jones was elected an associate member of the Royal Academy of Arts, but in 1893 he renounced this title.
In 1894 he received the title of baronet; glory comes, crowning it with awards. The last years of his life were devoted to large compositions on literary themes. The artist died on June 17, 1898.

There is a beautiful legend about the young king Kofetua. He never knew women and avoided them. Everywhere he looked for the ideal of female beauty. And only when he met a young beggar woman, being struck not only by her beauty, but also by her virtues, he felt the awakening of love.
In art, this legend is reflected in literature and painting.
The popularity of this legend brought a poem by Alfred Tennyson.

Her arms across her breast she laid;
She was more fair than words can say:
Bare-footed came the beggar maid
Before the king Cophetua.
In robe and crown the king stept down,
To meet and greet her on her way;
"It is no wonder," said the lords,
"She is more beautiful than day".

As shines the moon in clouded skies,
She in her poor attire was seen:
One praised her ancles, one her eyes,
One her dark hair and lovesome mien.
So sweet a face, such angel grace,
In all that land had never been:
Cophetua sware a royal oath:
"This beggar maid shall be my queen!"
(1833)

In painting, this plot has received more than one embodiment. What I like most is how Burne-Jones interprets it. The king sits, taking off his crown, and looks up at the girl, who is painted in light colors and seems to radiate radiance. In my opinion, an amazingly poetic picture! .. Here are the artist's own words: "" In the picture I see a beautiful romantic dream about what never was and never will be, which is illuminated by an unearthly light and it takes place in lands in which no one will not define and will not remember. My only desire is for the shapes to be beautiful. "

"King Kofetua and the beggar" (1884)

Golden Staircase (1880)

In Burne-Jones's paintings, contemporaries were attracted by the grace of pensive figures with their ideal beauty, bringing a nostalgic touch. The huge canvas radiates a mysterious and attractive force, mesmerizing with the endless stream of girls descending in a spiral. They are remarkably similar to each other: slender, graceful, in white tunics, each with a musical instrument in their hands. They could be mistaken for angels, if not for the small skylight at the top of the painting, where white doves are visible against the sky.

Merlin in the spell (1870-74)

The image of Merlin has come down to us from the depths of centuries of Celtic culture as an educator, faithful advisor and spiritual protector of King Arthur. Always imbued with wisdom, the seer Merlin gave advice to the young king as wishes or orders. Merlin is the most famous character in the Celtic mythological and poetic tradition and in the medieval tales of King Arthur. Arthur's mentor was a talented scientist, it is he who is credited with creating the Brotherhood of the Round Table, the construction of the city of Camelot, the capital of the kingdom, and the stone ring at Stonehenge. Foreseeing that Arthur is the future mighty king who will unite Britain and give her peace, Merlin took Arthur to his upbringing as a boy. Legend has it that Merlin made a huge sword, Excalibur, and imprisoned it inside a large stone by the power of his magic, on which was inscribed: "Whoever draws this sword from the stone is by birth the king over all Britain." Arthur was the only one who could do this and rightfully became the ruler of the country. Merlin's story comes to an end in an unusual way. The sorcerer knew his future and revealed to Arthur that he did not have much time left on earth, begging the king to take care of the magic sword Excalibur more than an eye. In the Burne-Jones painting, Merlin is bewitched by his beloved. According to one of the legends, he does not die, but turns out to be imprisoned by the magic spell of the fairy of the lake Viviana. The beauty “bewitched him hopelessly; to maintain her power over him, she fished out of him the secret of a magic tomb, carved into the rock, lured him there and locked him there forever, so that Merlin was alive, but completely cut off from the world. " This is not the end of the story of Merlin and King Arthur, for somewhere else lives the great wizard imprisoned by Viviana ...

Mirror of Venus (1870-76)

Maria Zambaco (1870)

Katie lewis

Danae and the copper lock (1888)

The cycle of paintings "Sleeping Beauty" (6 paintings; 1871-90)

Wheel of Fortune (1875-83)

The Tree of Forgiveness (1881-82)

Depth of the sea

Annunciation (1879)

Psyche's Wedding (1895)

Lovers among the ruins

The Deadly Head of Medusa

The Mother Superior's Tale (1898)

Song of Love (1868-77)

Crying (1865-66)

Rose heart

Garden of the Hesperides (1887)

King Arthur's last dream in Avalon

Armament of Perseus

Battle of Perseus with the dragon (1878)

Chained Andromeda (1885-88)

Pygmalion and the Statue: The Hand Dare Not (1878)

Pygmalion and the Statue: The Gods Bless (1878)

Pygmalion and the Statue: Comprehension of the Soul (1879)

Love leading the pilgrim

Wizard

Baronne deslandes

Lady francis balfour

Geirgiana Burn-Jones

Margaret burn-jones

Lady Burn-Jones, her son Philip and her daughter Margaret

Author - NADYNROM. This is a quote from this post

The life and work of Edward Cowley Burne-Jones

Edward Cowley Burne-Jones was born on August 28, 1833 in Birmingham to the humble family of a goldsmith. The artist's mother died a week after the birth of her son, and this left an imprint on his relationship with his father, who at first could not see the baby, considering him the cause of the death of his beloved wife.
From early childhood, the boy lived in a world of his own dreams and fantasies, hiding in it from the indifference of others and the boredom of provincial life. The first twenty years of Burne-Jones's life were spent in Birmingham, and the most vivid impressions were the celebrations of the coronation of Queen Victoria on June 20, 1837. At the age of eleven, Edward was admitted to the school of King Edward VI. According to the school's archives, he was one of the first students and won many prizes, especially in mathematics. The young man also showed a talent for drawing, making numerous cartoons of teachers. From 1848 he attended evening courses at the public school of drawing.
In 1853 Burne-Jones entered Exeter College, Oxford, one of the oldest university cities in England, where he studied theology with the intention of becoming a priest. Within the walls of the college, he met William Morris, who became his friend and like-minded person for many years. The young people were connected by a common love for art and a passion for the Middle Ages, in which they saw a source of creative inspiration.

Burne-Jones and Morris

From the articles of the critic John Ruskin, friends learned about the existence of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, whose ideas were consonant with their own views on art. And after they saw Rossetti's watercolor "Dante Painting an Angel" (1853), the Pre-Raphaelites became their artistic ideal, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti himself became an idol. Morris and Burne-Jones decided to abandon theology for the sake of painting - from now on, art became their only religion.
In 1855, young people, having never received a degree, left Oxford to devote themselves entirely to art. They moved to London and rented a small room for two, all their free time doing art. In a very short time, they will lead the movement of the Pre-Raphaelites of the second wave, the distinguishing feature of which will henceforth be a fascination with antiquity and the assertion of the artist as a universal master.
In early 1856 Burne-Jones personally met Rossetti, who at the time was personally teaching at the Workers' College, and became an assistant in his workshop.

D.G. Rossetti. Self-portrait

From November 1856 Burne-Jones and Morris rented a room at 17 Red Lion Square, which was once Rossetti and Deverell. Around this time, Edward, formerly known to friends as just Jones, added the prefix "Bern" to his last name to give it a personality. The surname was too common.
The artist made personal acquaintances with Ruskin and Hunt, who reacted favorably to his early experiments. The following year, he joined a group of artists working under Rossetti's direction on a large mural project in the hall of the Hall of Unions, Oxford, with scenes from the life of King Arthur. Morris, Hughes, Stanhope, Prinsep and Pollen also contributed to the painting.
Apart from lessons from Rossetti, Burne-Jones received practically no art education, having achieved everything in art with his incredible tenacity. His numerous works, executed in ink or watercolors, are worked out with the utmost care and are composed compositions on literary and romantic subjects. This period includes the painting by Burne-Jones "The Mermaid (1857) [To my deepest regret, I have not yet found a reproduction of this work, so I will be grateful for the help], executed in watercolors with the addition of gouache - the artist's favorite technique, which allowed him to achieve freshness and depth of color. Her style indicates Rossetti's hobby, in whose workshop he spent several days a week, trying to comprehend all the wisdom of his teacher.
The influence of Rossetti's work on the art of Burne-Jones is undeniable. It manifested itself in the types of faces of the characters, and in the decorativeness and whimsy of the drawing. Like his teacher, the artist strove for the aestheticization of reality, but his greatest passion was always classical art, as eloquently speak of Burne-Jones's canvases. He enjoyed the patronage of Ruskin, who introduced him to the mysteries of painting and architecture of the Italian Renaissance. Burne-Jones has repeatedly copied the great Italian masters, whose influence (especially Michelangelo and Botticelli) is noticeable in many of his works.

J.E. Milles. Portrait of John Ruskin

In 1858, Burne-Jones became a member of the Hogarth Club, which, in addition to him, also included the largest representatives of the Pre-Raphaelite movement - Rossetti, Brown, Bret, Swinburne, as well as Ruskin, Watts, Webb. The club existed until 1861 and was involved in the organization of exhibitions, the first of which was the exhibition of works by the twenty-six-year-old Burne-Jones, which opened in 1859. In the same year, the artist made his first of four extended trips to Italy.
On June 9, 1869, Edward Burne-Jones married the sister of his old school friend Georgiana MacDonald.

Georgiana's portrait

She was one of the MacDonald sisters, each of whom was famous in her own way. Dazzling beauty Aggie was married to artist Edward Poynter. Alice, the eldest of the sisters, gave birth to the famous writer Rudyard Kipling, who was thus Burne-Jones's nephew. Louise became the mother of British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin.
The couple settled on Great Russell Street in rooms vacated by Henry Wallis. They were regular guests of William and Jane Morris at the Red House, which Burne-Jones helped decorate.
Georgiana became the ideal mistress of the house and keeper of the hearth. She was distinguished by an even and calm character. Such a wife was needed by a nervous, ascetic artist who preferred to work in the studio to secular pleasures to the point of complete nervous exhaustion, which invariably occurs after each major work. Georgiana surrounded Edward with care, replacing his mother, whom he never knew, becoming his muse and assistant in business. In 1861, she gave birth to a son, Philip, and five years later, a daughter, Margaret.

Georgiana with Philip and Margaret

Georgiana Philip and Margaret

In 1879, when Burne-Jones became interested in his beautiful student Maria Zambako, their marriage was in jeopardy, and only Georgiana's patience and tact allowed the spouses to keep the family together.
Georgiana's talents were varied. She studied at the School of Drawing in Kensington and after her marriage continued to paint, making illustrations for fairy tales of her own composition. Later, she turned to woodcut technique, making engravings from her husband's drawings, which aroused Ruskin's admiration.

Georgiana

Georgiana was not a beauty, but Burne-Jones, who often painted his wife in his paintings, gave her features such sublime purity and spiritual nobility that she, along with Lizzie Siddal and Jane Morris, went down in art history as one of the Pre-Raphaelite muses.
The year of marriage was a turning point in Burne-Jones's creative career. During this period, he created paintings that make it possible to speak of him as a mature master. It's about canvases "Sidonia von Bork"(1860) and "Clara von Bork"(1860), conceived as a pair. In both works, the influence of Rossetti's style, which in those years was the artist's idol, is noticeable. The literary basis for the painting was the short story "The Witch Sidonia von Bork" by the German romantic Wilhelm Meinhold, which was published in English in 1847 in the translation of Lady Wilde, Oscar Wilde's mother.
Clara's face, modeled by Georgiana, expresses innocence. The plot of the picture is eloquent and symbolic. Clara von Bohck holds yellow-cheeked chicks in her hands, protecting them from the intrigues of her cousin's witch's cat, spinning under her feet.

Clara von Bork

In contrast, Sidonia von Bork, for whom Rossetti's mistress Fanny Cornforth is believed to have posed, personifies a predatory and evil nature. Researchers note some similarities between the painting and the profile of Isabela d'Este, which the artist could see in the Hampton Court Palace. An ominous threat is felt in this picture in everything - the plasticity of the figure, the pattern of the dress that resembles a network, the gloomy coloring, and even in the signature printed on paper in the corner of the picture, near which the artist depicted a large black spider.

Sidonia von Bork

Of considerable interest is not so much the pictorial manner, freer than in the works of subsequent years, but, first of all, the compositional construction of canvases, the deep space of which is a refutation of the statements of some critics who considered the flat construction of later works a sign of insufficient skill, and not the result of subtle and skillful styling.
The picture also belongs to the undoubted successes of the early period of creativity. "Beautiful Rosamund and Queen Alienora" (1862).

Many Pre-Raphaelites wrote canvases on this subject - Rossetti, Hughes, Evelyn de Morgan.
Burne-Jones used the theme of adultery, popular in Victorian art, skillfully and originally placing plastic and semantic accents. Rosamund, who was the mistress of King Henry II, appears before the viewer in a virgin white dress, while the queen is dressed in all black, like an evil sorceress. By depicting Rosamund as a victim, the artist, contrary to generally accepted morality, evoked feelings of sympathy and compassion for her in the Victorian viewer.
The painting was painted in watercolors, but has an exceptional density and depth of color, characteristic of oil painting. It is known that Burne-Jones practically did not paint in oils in the early period, since he was allergic to this type of paint.
There is also a second option, made in red colors:

In 1861, in company with Miles and Brown, Burne-Jones again traveled to Italy, and in 1862 he visited there with Ruskin, carefully and scrupulously studying the painting of the Renaissance, especially Mantegna, Botticelli and Michelangelo. Influenced by these artists, he largely changed his early Rossetti style, developing his own style, which was more speculative than emotional. His work has become tougher. From now on, the line and outline dominate in them over the color, which has become more local.
The artist's favorite themes were medieval legends and plots of ancient myths filled with religious mysticism, also interpreted in a mystical manner. The main artistic problematic of his canvases is the hero as a toy of Destiny, an instrument in the hand of Providence. The static nature of the poses and the smooth rhythm of his canvases creates a feeling of slowness, enchantment of the action. Burne-Jones's paintings are contemplative and full of unearthly detachment.
Having found his ideal in classical art, Burne-Jones was extremely intolerant of all new trends in painting. Modest and withdrawn in life, the artist was distinguished in matters of art by his extreme categorical judgments. In particular, with his characteristic straightforwardness, he argued that impressionism gave the world only "landscapes and whores." By the way, Rossetti also did not understand and did not accept the Impressionists.
Burne-Jones formulated his picturesque credo as follows: “I present the picture as a beautiful romantic dream about something that never happened and never will; This dream is illuminated by an unearthly light, in it we see those lands in which no one will ever visit or comprehend them. My only ambition is to make the shapes beautiful.
Such artistic views made Burne-Jones one of the leaders of aestheticism, and later allowed him to classify his work as symbolism.
The Pre-Raphaelite movement of the second wave, to which Burne-Jones joined, devoted significant influence to the arts and crafts, opposing the soulless industrial products with the high quality of hand-made things. Passion for the Middle Ages made the Pre-Raphaelites change their attitude to crafts, making them the most important component of art. In 1861, when Morris opened Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. in London, producing decorative arts and household items (painted furniture, stained glass windows, ceramics, upholstery fabrics, etc.), Burne-Jones joined friend, becoming one of the active participants in the "Arts and Crafts" movement.

Burne-Jones and Morris with their wives and children[This is who the third man in the photo is, I still don't understand].

In many ways, it was on the projects and drawings of Burne-Jones that kept the activities of the company, in which he was the developer of stained-glass windows practically until the end of his life. More than a thousand colored glasses made by him have survived.
One of the artist's last works in this area is the magnificent stained glass window of St Philip's Cathedral in Birmingham.

In tapestries and stained-glass windows, he usually performed human figures, and Morris - ornaments. Here Burne-Jones strove for completeness and emotionality in the treatment of faces, despite the protests of Morris, who insisted on strengthening the decorative principle in such things.
Working as a decorator, Burne-Jones did not leave painting, in which the decorative principle was also manifested to a large extent - his paintings are made with emphasized linearity. At the same time, the space in them was decided very conditionally, which gives them a resemblance to trellises, and numerous details (folds of clothing, armor, architectural elements, plant motifs) are more intended for decoration.
In 1864 Burne-Jones was elected a member of the Society of English Watercolors. The first work of the artist shown at one of his exhibitions was "The Merciful Knight" (1863).

The plot is based on the legend of the eleventh century in the retelling of Kinelm Digby. Its hero is a knight named John Gualberto, who was later canonized. The artist, following the example of many Pre-Raphaelites, accompanied the painting with an inscription explaining its content: "About a knight who forgave his enemy, while he could destroy him, and how the image of Christ kissed him as a sign that his act is pleasing to God." In the "Merciful Knight" those ideals of the Pre-Raphaelites were visibly reflected, which during this period were closest to the artist's soul - admiration for the spirit of chivalry, adherence to high moral principles. The final version of the painting, made in gouache, was distinguished by the severity and asceticism of both plasticity and color, while the first sketches are full of sensuality and impulse, far from religious restraint.
Burne-Jones participated in exhibitions of the Society of English Watercolors until 1870, when a scandal erupted around one of his paintings. The organizers demanded that Burne-Jones' watercolor be removed from the exhibition "Phyllida and Demofont"(1870), shocked by the frank male nudity of the character.

The emphasized eroticism in the interpretation of the ancient Greek myth, apparently, was an echo of his extramarital affair with Maria Zambaka, a student and model of the artist, who endowed her with the features of the female image of the painting. In protest against the removal of the painting, Burne-Jones left the ranks of the Society of Watercolorists, thereby depriving himself of the opportunity to participate in its exhibitions.
By the mid-1860s, Burne-Jones had acquired some reputation that allowed him to take a firm position in the art world. He became a successful artist among the wealthy and educated. Frederick Leyland and William Graham were among his regular patrons. The latter was one of Burne-Jones's most devoted admirers. After the death of Graham, his collection was sold at Christie's auction, and among the paintings was one of the variants of the famous "Mirrors of Venus".

Constantly dissatisfied with the result, Burne-Jones often returned to work on his canvases after many years, so it is very difficult to trace the evolution of his style. The timid and insecure artist was exhibited very rarely and therefore was completely unknown to the general public. Only in 1877, under pressure from friends, he showed seven works in an exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery just opened by the amateur artist Coates Lindsay.
The organizer saw one of the main tasks of the Grosvenor Gallery in the fact that it provided an opportunity for artists who had been left out of the attention of the Royal Academy to show their work to the public. Burne-Jones's paintings were noticed and praised. The famous English novelist Henry James wrote them: "This is a cultural, highly intellectual, aesthetically sophisticated art for those who look at the world not directly - in its random reality, but through its reflection and depiction in literature, poetry and culture." This statement eloquently shows how far Burne-Jones went in the direction of fiction and fantasy from the original idea of ​​the Pre-Raphaelites, formulated by Ruskin - "to draw what you see, what is a real fact."
It was this path that brought the artist recognition, first at home, and then abroad. In 1879, at the World Exhibition in Paris, he, together with Frederick Leighton, represented the painting of England. Quite quickly, Burne-Jones acquired a significant fortune with his paintings. In the 1880s, he was even more in demand than the extremely popular Milles and Leighton, who were considered the richest artists of the time.
The late 1870s and 1880s were marked by Burne-Jones's conversion to large monumental forms. The size of his canvases increased significantly, during this period he increasingly turned to oil painting. At the same time, the artist conceived and embodied several painting cycles, consisting of paintings, consistently revealing the chosen theme. One of the first such cycles was a series of four paintings under the general title "Rose hip", which is a brilliant interpretation of Charles Perrault's fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" and Tennyson's poem "Dreams", written on a similar plot.

I. Rosehip forest

II. Meeting room

III. Backyard garden

IV. Rose's Gazebo. (Sleeping Beauty)

In it, the artist again turned to the aesthetics of the Middle Ages he adored. All four canvases are made on elongated horizontal canvases, which together form an extended panel. The Rosehip composition is built on the principle of a frieze - the foreground is formed from figures enveloped in sleep and lying in various angles. A powerful rhythmic support for them is provided by dense thickets of blooming wild rose hips, intertwining around the sleeping people in the likeness of a fancy ornament. For the image of the princess, his daughter Margaret posed for the artist.

Portrait of Margaret

Burne-Jones has always been exceptionally thorough in the approach to the depicted subject. To achieve greater reliability in the transfer of plants, he asked one of his friends, who had a country house with a garden, to send him the most thorny branches of the bush, and carefully studied their bizarre plastic. While working on "The Knight of Mercy," the artist carefully studied the collection of medieval armor and weapons from the collection of Coates Lindsay's cheese. However, for Rosehip, as well as for the Perseus cycle, he invented and created his own armor from cardboard and tin. This gave his works a great plastic freedom and a fantastic timeless sound, which absolutely corresponded to the spirit of the myth.
The artist wrote two versions of this cycle. Author's repetitions were common practice for Burne-Jones, as for many other Pre-Raphaelites. One of them, work on which lasted for six years (1884-1890), was written by order of the collector Thomas Agnew.
The second famous Burne-Jones cycle was "Pygmalion and the Image", which also consisted of four paintings, consistently conveying the content of the famous antique myth about the sculptor's love for his creation. This cycle is also known in two versions, the first of which (1867-1869) is made in darker and harsher colors, while the second (1875-1878), painted in oil, is more soft, almost pastel in color and tone.
The artist traced all the stages of the development of the plot: the birth of an idea - "Heart Desire"

Reverence for the creation of one's own hands - "Restrained hand"

The miracle of transformation "Divine Animation"

Admiration for the newfound ideal - "Comprehending Soul".

However, the myth in the artist's interpretation takes on a slightly different meaning, different from the canonical meaning. The ideal beauty, created by the hands of the sculptor, by the will of Aphrodite acquired physicality, but remained just as cold. This is a bitter result that awaits every artist who strives to translate the ideal into reality. At the same time, the cycle reflects the feelings and emotions of Burne-Jones, who in those years had a passionate affair with his student Maria Zambako and was then in a fierce internal conflict between feeling and duty.

Portrait of Maria Zambako

"Pygmalion and the Image" like no other cycle demonstrates the influence on the artist of the ideals of the Italian Renaissance, especially Michelangelo. Sometimes the artist resorts to direct quotation: for example, the scene of the miraculous revival of Galatea in Divine Spiritualization with the movements and gestures of his hands is strikingly similar to the Creation of Adam from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This similarity is further accentuated by the fact that in both cases we are talking about the creation of man. Burne-Jones admired the genius of Michelangelo and even broke up with Ruskin after he criticized the great sculptor. And this despite the fact that the venerable critic was at one time the artist's idol. Exalting Ruskin's artistic and human qualities, Burne-Jones wrote: "He is so beautiful, so kind - better than his books, which are in themselves the best books in the world."
The second version of the cycle "Pygmalion and the Image" was shown in 1879 at an exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery and was a resounding success. The audience perceived it as an expression of the Victorian idea of ​​sublime love and of the ideal woman - wife and mother, erected by a man on a pedestal.
One of the most famous paintings by Burne-Jones was the canvas "The King of Kefetua and the Beggar Girl"(1884), which brought the artist worldwide fame.

It is based on a medieval legend about a valiant king who, returning from a campaign, saw and passionately fell in love with a beggar girl, modest and virtuous. The public wanted to see in the canvas only an affirmation of virtue as the highest good worthy of royal reward. She was perceived as a kind of consolation for the beautiful women of the Victorian era, who devoted themselves to the family. However, those who were familiar with the legend according to which a beggar woman, although she became a queen, remained a beggar woman worthy of contempt in the eyes of numerous courtiers, could see something more - a sad reflection on the cruelty of society and the triumph of class prejudices. In 1889, for this painting, shown at the World Exhibition in Paris, the artist was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.
Perhaps the most famous cycle of Burne-Jones is his “Perseus, written on the subject of an ancient myth. In 1875, the artist received an order from the politician and future British Prime Minister Arthur Balfora for ten paintings intended for the music salon of his London residence. Despite the fact that all preliminary sketches were made in gouache, only four of them received their final embodiment in oil - "Perseus and the Sea Nymphs"? it is "Armament of Perseus"... [I came across two options]

"Rock of Doom"

"Wheel of Fortune"

AND "Sinister head"

The work on the cycle took a long time. The reason for this was the large size of the paintings, complex symbolic interpretations of the subjects chosen by the artist, and the author's constant dissatisfaction with his own result. In the end, the client, tired of waiting for the completion of the entire cycle, graciously accepted the four panels that had been completed.
Subsequently, the artist made a repetition of the repetition of the four completed works, while the sketches remained sketches. The paintings of the Perseus cycle gained immense popularity and had a huge impact on contemporary art, later largely predetermining the artistic problems of symbolism and modernity.
In 1882 Burne-Jones started a series of small watercolors under the general title "Book of Flowers", on which he worked for a whole decade.
[I'm going to make a separate post with reproductions of watercolors from the "Book of Flowers". I may have found reproductions of not very good quality, but that's all].
Burne-Jones' desire for a large, monumental form was reflected in active collaboration with his friend Morris's firm, where he was one of the main designers in the 1880s. The end of the decade saw the creation of the first major series of tapestries on the theme of The Adoration of the Magi. A huge number of sketches and sketches for this great work have survived, testifying to how seriously he approached any form of artistic creation.
Burne-Jones's most outstanding tapestry achievement was the Holy Grail series designed to decorate the dining room at Steinmore Hall, the country residence of Australian industrialist William Norsy d'Arcy.

Vision of the Holy Grail

The topic of the search for the Holy Grail from his youth excited Burne-Jones with its polysemy, sublime and mystical spirit. They considered it the most beautiful and complete episode of the Arthurian cycle. Work on the series of tapestries took several years. They were woven at Merton Abbey between 1891 and 1894 and are by far one of the most impressive creations on the subject.
Burne-Jones also made significant contributions to another Morris venture, the Kelmscott Press, founded in the late 1880s. The artists saw its goal in the revival of the ancient tradition of highly artistic book publishing. The publication of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales with illustrations by Burne-Jones became a real masterpiece of book art. The book was published in 1896, four months before Morris's death.

One of the pages of Chaucer's book

In 1885, Burne-Jones was admitted to the Royal Academy, but the official atmosphere that prevailed in it was alien to the artist, and he resigned. In the annual exhibitions of the Royal Academy, he took part only once, showing his canvas "Depths of the Sea" (1886).

In 1894, a year after his retirement, Burne-Jones was awarded the title of baronet, which surprised and amused his friends, who knew the artist's character and his attitude to official recognition.
In the 1890s, Burne-Jones's health, undermined by constant exhausting work in the workshop, deteriorated significantly. The death of William Morris in 1896 came as a crushing blow to him, as their friendship and cooperation lasted for almost half a century.

William Morris

Edward Burne-Jones died suddenly at his home in West Kensington, London, on June 17, 1898, and was buried in Rottingdeen, Sussex, where he owned a country house.
Burne-Jones' reputation after death was mixed. Some critics reproached his work for decadence, and his canvases for overly careful elaboration. Others scoffed at his ideas of chivalry. The artist himself wanted his paintings to be enjoyed, not analyzed.
Today Burne-Jones is read as one of the most prominent representatives of the British art school, which developed the aesthetic principles of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His works are distinguished by an amazing refinement of images and maturity of style. They combine both sensuality and external decency, characteristic of the Victorian era.

Burne-Jones workshop

Women of his unearthly beauty, as if illuminated from within by the highest spiritual light, enjoyed even more success with the public than the much more sensual images created by Rossetti. Burne-Jones influenced a number of younger contemporary artists such as John Melush Straduick, John Roddam Spencer Stanhope, Charles Fairfax Murray, and Evelyn de Morgan. A special role in this row belongs to the artist Thomas Matthews Rook, who for many years served as an assistant in the Burne-Jones workshop and took an active part in the creation of the master's largest canvases and cycles.
The most representative collection of Burne-Jones' works is kept in the City Art Gallery of his native Birmingham.

The text is based on an article in the book: World Art. Pre-Raphaelitism / Comp. I. G. Mosin. SPb., LLC "SZKEO Crystal", 2006

Edward Coley Burne-Jones (August 28, 1833, Birmingham, Great Britain - June 17, 1898, London, Great Britain) - an English painter and illustrator, close in spirit to the Pre-Raphaelites, one of the most prominent representatives of the arts and crafts movement. Widely known for its stained glass windows.

Burne-Jones received his primary education at the King Edward School of Birmingham. Since 1848 he has attended evening courses at the government school of design. In 1853 he studied theology at Exeter College (Oxford University). Here he meets William Morris, and both, being impressed by the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites, decide to abandon theology for the sake of painting. When Dante Gabriel Rossetti meets William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones in 1856, this acquaintance marks the beginning of a new stage in the development of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.

In 1856 Burne-Jones became engaged to Georgiana (Georgie) MacDonald (1840-1920), one of the MacDonald sisters. She studied to be an artist, and was the sister of an old school friend Burne-Jones. The couple got married in 1860. Georgiana took up woodcuts and became friends with George Eliot. (Another sister, MacDonald, married the artist Edward Poynter, the second - to the owner of the metallurgical enterprises Alfred Baldwin and became the mother of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, and the third - the mother of Rudyard Kipling. Thus, Kipling and Baldwin were Burne-Jones' nephews).

Georgiana gave birth to a son, Philip, in 1861. The second son, born in the winter of 1864, when Georgiana was sick with scarlet fever, died shortly after birth. The family then moved to No. 41 in Kensington Square, and their daughter Margaret was born there in 1866.

In 1867 Burne-Jones and his family moved to Grange, an 18th century house with a large garden in Fulham. Throughout the 1870s, Burne-Jones barely exhibited his work, surviving bitterly hostile press attacks and a passionate romance (described as "the emotional climax of his life") with the Greek model Maria Zambako, which ended in her attempted suicide by throwing herself into the Regent's Channel. During these difficult years, Georgiana became a close friend of Morris, whose wife Jane was in love with Rossetti. Georgie and Morris could have been in love with each other, but if he asked her to leave her husband, she refused. In the end, the Burne-Jones, like the Morrises, stayed together, but Georgie and Morris were close for the rest of their lives.

Their son Philip became a famous portrait painter and died in 1926. Their beloved daughter Margaret (died 1953) married John William Mackale (1850-1945), friend and biographer of Morris, professor of poetry at Oxford from 1911-1916. Their children Angela Firkel and Denis Makeil became writers.

Burne-Jones received the Legion of Honor for his painting King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid (1884).

In 1894 Burne-Jones received the title of Baronet.

In 1885, Eward Burne-Jones was elected an associate member of the Royal Academy of Arts, but in 1893 he renounced this title.

At the age of twenty-two, Burne-Jones discovered The Death of Arthur by Thomas Malory, and until the end of his life he created canvases dedicated to these legends. The beauty and mystery of ancient legends captivated Burne-Jones also because they were Christian legends, built on the theme of the battle of good and evil, sin and salvation. Like many other contemporaries who lost their faith in God, Burne-Jones retained faith in Christian virtues, romantic love, nobility. Two years before his death, he wrote: "Amazingly, this story of the Holy Grail has always been in my thoughts ... Is there anything in the world that is as beautiful?"

Burne-Jones draws a lot of naked male body. His paintings are almost flat, they do not have a pronounced play of light and shade. He focuses on the line, and the color of his work is very often golden-orange. The detail and excessive realism of the Pre-Raphaelites are uncharacteristic for Burne-Jones. His characters are very static, their faces are detached, and their poses are more reminiscent of graceful poses of statues. There are almost no dynamics in the paintings, only contemplation.