Pre-Raphaelite art, which arose during Queen Victoria's reign, is the most sensual form of Victorian art to date. The works of Dante Rossetti, John Millais, William Hunt (the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood) and followers, such as John William Waterhouse, painted women in all their voluptuous glory. The painting style was born out of resentment towards England's formula-driven Royal Acadamy teachings. The name, "Pre-Raphaelite" originally derived from John Millais and William Hunt who did not accept incongruities in Raphael's work, "Transfiguration". After a bitter arguement at the Royal Academy, fellow students labelled Millais, Hunt, and anybody else who shared their beliefs, Pre-Raphaelites.

Though Dante was the founder of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, he was the first to leave it. Because Dante was not from England, he did not have loyal ties to the concepts behind the movement. Thus, he had nothing to lose by disrupting England's stagnant viewpoint of art. Without his influence, however, it is doubtful whether Pre-Raphaelite art would have become the strong influence that it did.

Pre-Raphaelite women are depicted with full, bee-stung lips, long romantic tresses (commonly painted in shades of red), full thighs and breasts. Pre-Raphaelite art's aim was a return to the true, natural world, as influenced by the Nazarenes.

There are underlying feelings of power behind these women during a time when the patriarachal, laissez-faire style of life was dominate. What made these women ethereal still draws people to visit their lovely visages. Beyond sheer beauty these women represented a celebration of a woman's body. The men who painted them recognized the power these women had and how their suductive qualities were still awake despite a supressed society. I created this page as a tribute to the image of women through art. By doing so, I hope to encourage others to explore the style in which these artists painted.

The women who posed for these paintings were shown as they were in real life. They were placed in natural background settings to follow Nazareen composition. Thus, background settings were painted away from perfect composition, having colour play a high importance in definition and shading, emphasizing strong emotion and inspiring distinct praise and devotion. Pre-Raphaelite art demanded a revisit of expectations in art and design. Therefore, paintings are genuinely brighter than contemporary paintings from the same era. How women were positioned played an extremely important role. No two women could face the same direction (if grouped together). Solo models had to stand in an 'unposed' manner, creating a feel ing of natural movement. Pre-Raphaelite art usually centers on mediaeval lore, religious thought, or poetry. Themes taken from John Keats, William Blake, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Old Testament, and Shakespeare were used. A clear example is in John William Waterhouse's painting, "The Lady of Shallott", taken from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem.

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Though not a part of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, John William Waterhouse painted within the same context. Born in Rome (1849), he gained an appreciation for Italian art at a young age. For many years, however, he did not demonstrate his talent until he began working under his father. Waterhouse's paintings are forms of great story telling. His paintings involve tales of myth and poetry, topics essential to the Pre-Raphaelites. He is able to pinpoint the most dramatic scene by playing with light, expression and gesture, and romantic theme.

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