Sir Edward Burne Jones

Rating:
Summary: Medieval Eyes
Review: In death, SIR EDWARD BURNE-JONES became the first artist to have funeral services at Westminster Abbey. In life, he put his Oxford University studies in medieval legend and literature to work in Graham piano decorations, King Arthur theatre sets for the Lyceum, and Theatre of London book illustrations. His first decorative work was a Chaucerean design, and his collaboration with William Morris on the Kelmscott Press Illustrated Chaucer was impressive. "Astrologia" shared his favorite sphere motif with "Days of Creation," "Hope," and such portraits as the "Baronne Deslandes." "Golden Stairs" included his recipe for painting success: musical instruments. "Laus Veneris" had the finest of his tapestry-like surface patterns. "Pan and Psyche" was set in one of his typical landscapes: mysteriously dreamlike, with legendary incidents. "Star of Bethlehem" was a watercolor of his "Adoration of the Magi" tapestry: his original stained glass and tapestry designs tended to show up later in paintings. "Temperantia" pioneered his hallmark elaborately folded and wrinkled draperies. But his art also found lighter moments in caricatures and comic sketches, such as his illustrated "Letters to Kate," daughter of lawyer friend George Lewis. Russell Ash's beautifully illustrated, well-written book makes good 19th-century reading with Timothy Hilton's THE PRE-RAPHAELITES, Lionel Lambourne's VICTORIAN PAINTING, Julian Treuherz's VICTORIAN PAINTING, and Malcolm Warner's THE VICTORIANS.