“With stillness that is almost Paradise.
Darkness more clear than noonday holdeth her,
Silence more musical than any song;”
- Christina Rossetti, 1862

#christinaRossetti #preraphaelites #books #poems #elegy

The creation of a new piece of work unfolds in ways most people never imagine. It’s the act of conjuring something from nothing. My Picture, Mystery, is a struggle and triumph on paper.

My work is inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites and the artists of the fin de siècle. Give me a follow if you live these styles.
https://salvadorcastio.com/the-evolution-of-mystery/
#preraphaelites #traditionalartist #penandink #drawing #art

In the summer of 2022, I experienced a fundamental change. Reading The Radical Vision of Edward Burne-Jones finally gave me the clarity and purpose I had been searching for. Inspired by Andrea Wolk Rager’s brilliant reevaluation of Burne-Jones’s oeuvre, I made the decision I had delayed for years: to fully embrace the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic that had enthralled me for years.

Read about my journey in my series, Beauty and Vision. The third and final part is now available. You can read it hear: https://salvadorcastio.com/vision-and-beauty-part-3/
#artist #art #PreRaphaelites #drawing #penandink #blog

« Queen Maeve », 1911

by Joseph Christian Leyendecker (German artist, 1874-1951)
Cover illustration for "Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race" by T. W. Rolleston, 1911

#vintagefantasyart #fantasyart #fantasyillustration #JosephChristianLeyendecker #CelticLegends #IrishLegends #celticmythology #irishmythology #queenMaev #queenmedb #artnouveau #preraphaelites

"The Mandolin," James Smetham, 1866.

Smetham (1821-1889) was a painter of the Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic schools, and very much a follower of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, whose influence can be seen here. This is widely regarded as his masterwork, but even so, many feel that Rossetti may have done part of it. It does include props that Rossetti used, including the mandolin and the swansdown scarf, but exactly how much of a hand he had in this is unknown.

Smetham started out as a portrait painter, but like many of the era, his portrait career was derailed by the advent of photography. He later moved on to landscapes, religious, mythical, literary, and historical paintings, some of which were regarded as strange or visionary in their time. He also did literally thousands of miniatures, the size of postage stamps, in his journals.

He was also a teacher, essayist, art critic, and poet; his letters are noted for being a font of information about his fellow Pre-Raphaelites, John Ruskin, and others. Sadly, he had serious mental health issues that can be seen in his writings and sometimes his art. After a serious breakdown, his last years were spent in seclusion, away from the world.

From a private collection.

#Art #JamesSmetham #PreRaphaelites #WomenInArt #DanteGabrielRossetti