Kelmscott Manor

While looking up websites on William Morris' estates Red House and Kelmscott Manor today in order to make a whining post about why it is that the Americanized Arts and Crafts movement seems to completely eliminate the factor of the medieval from the equation alltogether, (there...I just made my point in one sentence) I found the most beautiful online gift shop of Morris items on the Kelmscott website!

Granted, I cannot afford a thing on that site, especially not with the value of the almighty dollar right now, but it's still lovely to look at.

Check it out!

A short post today

Do you play guitar? Do you love the Pre-Raphaelites?

Buy a Luna Guitar, and get the best of both worlds.

Seriously...if I could afford one of these, I'd so get one. I've been meaning to learn guitar for a while...a few years ago, a friend taught me to play "Greensleeves" and playing the guitar is such a meditative experience, unlike any other instrument I've tried. Because of this, the melding of P.R. art and the guitar isn't quite as outlandish as it seems.

Fantasy Artists Love Pre-Raphaelites

Here's another post making an observation about a modern cultural genre that seems to love the Pre-Raphaelites still. I am referring to fantasy art, or specifically, fantasy/sci fi dust jacket art.

I'll be honest and tell you that I judge books by their covers. In my opinion, *for the most part* (there are always exceptions) if a book is excellent enough to catch a publisher's eye, they'll take the time to have an appealing illustration on the cover. And along the same vein, nothing turns me off faster to a book than to have a cover that blatantly rips off a specific Pre-Raphaelite artwork without giving it full credit. I should make it clear that many artists give small nods to Pre-Raphaelite style or influence in their art, and I absolutely love that. And as another caveat, perhaps the artists of these covers do acknowledge the Pre-Raphaelite influence in liner notes somewhere. But here are a couple of examples of the nail-on-a-chalkboard covers:

Guenevere: Queen of the Summer Country. Actually a pretty good book. But....


...The Bridesmaid by Millais. If you're going to do an illustration this close to the original, why not just reproduce the original on the cover?


I started out with a mild example, but here's the illustration that really frustrated me when I first saw it.

A Clash of Kings cover illustration. Come on now....change the outfits slightly, and it's a blatant copy of...
The Accolade by Leighton

with touches of....

Miriamne Leaving The Judgement Seat of Herod by Waterhouse (the stairs, gold and white lion, reclining figure on a throne in the background)

Some people may find this kind of homage to be a totally respectful modern interpretation of the Pre-Raphaelites. But frankly, I feel it's unfair to the original artists. It's little better than making an exact copy of the original and passing it off as one's own.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are artists at work today whose art very clearly shows the influence of Pre-Raphaelite techniques and moods, but are completely new compositions. Examples of these are...
Elegy for Darkness: The Lady of Shalott by Giancola


and many artworks by the amazing Kinuko Craft (my personal favorite living artist)


So what do you think? Am I being too harsh on those artists who use specific Pre-Raphaelite art as a launching point for their compositions? Or do you agree?

Singers Love the Lady of Shalott

Why do so many singers love the Lady of Shalott? Several months ago I got it into my head to try to recreate the famous Waterhouse artwork in a photographic self-portrait (I haven't yet tried it), and searched the internet to see if any other photographer/model had done so, with no luck. I did, however, discover that several musicians have interpreted the artwork for their CD covers or music videos.

A few examples?

Of course, there's Loreena McKennitt, who has been my favorite singer for 14 years, and through whom I discovered the Pre-Raphaelites in the first place. She sings a version of the Tennyson poem.



Enya as the Lady of Shalott


A Fine Frenzy as the Lady of Shalott (a bit more of a stretch, but...boat, white dress?)


Emily Ovenden of the group Celtic Legend, in her music video "The Boatman"


And Patti Rothberg on the cover of her album "Candleabra Cadabra" (album title is cleverly written in the place where Waterhouse wrote the Lady's name on the boat)


I keep seeing new examples of singers using the Lady of Shalott as inspiration, so I'm sure there are more out there. Perhaps it's the fact that the Lady herself was a singer, with her voice as the only means by which her art could be expressed to others when she was trapped in the tower. Perhaps those musicians who use the Waterhouse art as a model don't even give it that much thought. But it is deliciously ironic.

A Welcome, and The Perfect Valentine's Gift for a Pre-Raphaelite Lover

Welcome to the first post of my new blog! Although there are a couple of absolutely remarkable blogs on the topic of the Pre-Raphaelite and Arts & Crafts movements out there, (namely, The Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood and Earthly Paradise) I have rediscovered a long-term passion for these remarkable men and women and felt the need to create my own corner of the internet devoted to them. I by no means consider myself an expert, just a fellow afficionado.

I have many exciting blog posts up my sleeves, but I wanted to start with a seasonal suggestion. A few months back, my mother, who runs an Amazon.com bookseller's account, gave me a copy of a lovely little book that would make an idea gift for any beloved with a love for the Pre-Raphaelites. The book is called Love: Penhaligon's Scented Treasury of Verse and Prose (yes, it's really scented with rose oil) and it is full of beautiful classic love poetry. Not all of the illustrations in the book are Pre-Raphaelite, but a majority are, and the author seems to especially love John William Waterhouse. It's a charming little book, and a wonderful way to tell someone you love them.