early life and training
arthur hughes, a british painter and illustrator associated with the
pre-raphaelite brotherhood, was born in london on january 27, 1832. in 1846, he entered the art school at somerset house, where his first master was alfred stevens. later, he attended the royal academy schools, where he met john everett millais and holman hunt, becoming a part of the pre-raphaelite group of painters.
notable works and style
hughes' first picture, musidora, was exhibited at the royal academy when he was just 17. he continued to contribute to the royal academy and later to the grosvenor and new gallery exhibitions almost annually. his best-known works include
april love and
the long engagement, which depict troubled couples contemplating the transience of love and beauty, inspired by john everett millais's earlier "couple" paintings.
personal life and legacy
in 1855, hughes married tryphena foord, who was his model for
april love. he died in kew green, london, on december 22, 1915, leaving behind approximately 700 known paintings and drawings, along with over 750 book illustrations. his daughter, emily, had to destroy his preparatory sketches and private papers due to a shortage of space after her mother's death in 1921.
artistic style and influences
magical, glowing coloring and
delicate draughtsmanship characterize hughes' works. he was also influenced by the writer george macdonald, for whom he illustrated some books, and produced numerous illustrations for norman macleod's monthly magazine, good words.
key works and exhibitions
-
april love, 1855 (exhibited at grosvenor gallery) -
the long engagement, 1862 (exhibited at new gallery) - musidora, 1849 (exhibited at the royal academy)
notable museums and collections
-
toledo museum of art (features hughes' ophelia) -
victoria and albert museum (holds several of hughes' illustrations)
