Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones is renowned as the leading painter, designer and book
illustrator of the Aesthetic Movement, characterized as the second generation of
Pre-Raphaelites, and a pivotal figure in late 19th century British art.
A relative latecomer to the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Burne-Jones studied at Oxford
where he first discovered the movement which, in 1856, prompted him to seek out Rossetti, by
whom his style was influenced; however, the Pre-Raphaelite group had begun to wane four
years earlier. Burne-Jones was impacted by classical and Renaissance art during visits to Italy
in 1859 and 1862 and, although his primary themes deal with romance, chivalry, courtly love,
the pursuit of beauty and battles between good and evil, his painting style has Renaissance
features. However, Burne-Jones' painting has a mysterious and distinctly detached quality
unique to his work.
As a partner in Morris and Company with his friend William Morris, Burne-Jones
designed stained glass, tapestries and tiles which appear as decorative elements in his
increasingly stylized paintings of the same period. Beginning in 1865, his work became more
reminiscent of the High Renaissance painters, taking on a decidedly formal and decorative
style.
Although he often worked on paintings for several years, Burne-Jones was both prolific
and, during a forty year career, was sought after for commissions, producing numerous large
paintings, stained glass designs and manuscript illustrations respected both in England and in
Europe.
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