Sir Edward Burne Jones

Sir Edward Burne Jones by Ash, Russell. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780810931268.

Burne-Jones, the Pre-Raphaelite painter and leader of the Aesthetic Movement is celebrated in this biographical, art and reference title that reproduces many of his works. Born in Birmingham, the son of a craftsman, Burne-Jones showed precocious ability at school. At Oxford University he met William Morris where they established a mutual interest in art. Their first important influence was that of one of the founding fathers of Pre-Raphaelitism, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, with whom in 1857 they painted murals at the Oxford Union. After Oxford his painting career developed and he rapidly established his position as the leader of the Aesthetic Movement. Burne-Jones also worked for Morriss firm, supplying designs for stained glass, tapestries, tiles and other products, including his own illustrations for the celebrated "Kelmscott Chaucer". Travels to Italy while still a student and later in his life exposed him to the influence of Botticelli and other Italian masters. His artistic life was a continual pursuit of beauty, an obsession with battles fought and choices made between good and evil, with chivalry and courtly love, all intricately interwoven with High Victorian ideals. Russell Ashs other books include "The Impressionists and Their Art" and the biographical, art and reference titles "Toulouse Lautrec: The Complete Posters", "Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema" and "James Tissot".