William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt was an English artist who lived from 1827 to 1910. He is most known for his association and co-founding of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood art movement. His art is known for its bright colors, striking contrasts, symbolism, and depth of detail.
Hunt was born in London, England, to a lower middle-class couple. At age 12, he started working as a clerk. At age 17, his parents finally agreed to allow him to pursue an education in art. Hunt’s initial application for the Royal Academy was denied. He was finally allowed entrance in 1843 but decided to rebel against the traditions of the Royal Academy and its founder, artist Joshua Reynolds.
In 1848, Hunt formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood with fellow Royal Academy students and artists, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The movement aspired to return to the rich detail, colors, and composition of art during the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, prior to the classical poses and compositional style that started with Raphael.
Hunt was not very successful during the early years of his career. His art was seen as “clumsy.” It was not until he started painting religious pieces that he started to achieve critical acclaim, most notably after 1853 when he painted “Light of the World”. In the 1850s Hunt traveled to the Holy Land and Egypt to research for his work. He continually revisited the Holy Land again in the 1860s, 1870s, and 1890s. While abroad, he painted many of his most famous works, including “The Scapegoat” and “The Shadow of Death”. He preferred to paint his religious works in the actual setting of the story.
In 1853, Hunt noticed a barmaid working in the establishment near his studio. Her name was Annie Miller, and she was 18 years old. She had come from a poor family, and Hunt educated her and paid her to model for him. He introduced her to several artist friends who also painted Miller, including John Everett Millais. By 1854, Hunt and Miller were engaged, and he left for the Holy Land that same year. When he returned the following year, the relationship became tumultuous. It was called off in 1856. Hunt repainted many of the paintings where he had used Miller’s face, including “The Awakening Conscious” and “Il Dolce Far Niente”, amongst others.
William Holman Hunt was a devout man, and continually aimed to use his art to create religious pieces, or those with a higher moral meaning, while remaining naturalistic in style. He remained loyal to the initial aims of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood for the entirety of his career. Hunt eventually lost his sight and had to stop painting. In 1905 he published an autobiography and in 1910, he died at the age of 83.
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