Question

Which of the following is NOT a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood?

• A. John Everett Millais
• B. Thomas Woolner
• C. James Collinson
• D. Matthew Arnold

Answer 1

Answer:

D. Matthew Arnold

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB)

• The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters and poets, founded in 1848.
• Its core members aimed to reform English art by rejecting what they saw as the mechanistic style introduced by the Royal Academy of Arts.
• They sought inspiration from the art of Giotto di Bondone and other Italian artists working before Raphael, hence the name.
• Key tenets included a belief in the importance of detailed observation of nature, a return to the richer and more varied colors of pre-Renaissance art, and a preference for subjects drawn from medieval and early Renaissance literature and history.

Key Members of the PRB

• Poets: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Christina Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti.
• Painters: William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Ford Madox Brown (though not an official founding member, he was closely associated), Edward Burne-Jones, and William Bell Scott.
• Sculptor: Thomas Woolner.

Matthew Arnold's Position

• Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) was a prominent English poet and cultural critic.
• While Arnold was a contemporary and engaged with many of the same literary and artistic currents of the Victorian era, he was not a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
• His critical work, such as The Study of Celtic Literature and essays on poetry, focused on themes of culture, society, and the role of the poet, often with a more classical and less romanticized approach than the PRB.
• He is more closely associated with the broader Victorian literary movement, which included a range of styles and sensibilities.

Competitive Exam Relevance

• Questions on the PRB often test the knowledge of its founding members, its artistic and literary aims, and its key figures.
• Candidates should be able to identify individuals associated with the movement and distinguish them from contemporaries with different artistic affiliations.
• Understanding the historical context, such as the year of its founding and its opposition to prevailing academic styles, is crucial.
• Distinguishing between poets, painters, and other artists within the Brotherhood is also a common exam tactic.