The glossary of terms has been created to support the understanding of terms used within the Pre-Raphaelite resource. Please contact us if you would like us to add or amend a term.
A rough drawing or painting intended to explore compositional elements of an artwork. A nineteenth-century artist may typically make many sketches before reaching a finalised ‘study’ stage. The Pre-Raphaelites used the term to refer to a loose version of the overall design. In Ford Madox Brown’s diary he often mentions working on oil sketches by which he means a less finished version of the final painting in which he could experiment with light and colour.
Symbolism
Late 19th century art movement. The term was first used to describe poetry in the publication of the Symbolist Manifesto by Jean Moréas (1856-1910). The Symbolist art movement began in France and spread throughout Europe, drawing upon mythological, religious and literary subjects and using symbols to allude to hidden meaning. Often deliberately obscure with an interest in the mystical, decadent, psychological and erotic.