Arthur Hughes, Artist

Arthur Hughes was not a member of the Pre Raphaelite brotherhood, but he was in sympathy with their aims and painted in that style.  Hughes was born in London in 1832 and studied at the Royal Academy…One of his early paintings was “Ophelia”, a subject also painted by Millais…He became friends with John Millais.  His Ophelia is a beautiful work, of Ophelia with her flowers... but  it does not have the intense and careful details that Millais put into his work where she is shown drowned…

Two of Hughes’ most famous paintings are April Love and the Long Engagement.  They are painted in pre Raphaelite style but are simpler than some of the more elaborate works by other painters.  He worked with Rossetti,  painting Murals in Oxford and he painted on Arthurian themes...such as “Sir Galahad” and “the Brave Geraint”…

His best known paintings are about the delicacy of young love... and the pathos of life. 

The Long Engagement refers to the social customs of Victorian life.  It depicts a young curate and his love, Amy, in woodland... They are longing to marry but most Victorian parents would not allow their daughters to marry until the husband had a well-paid job... so they are doomed to wait and may never marry… They have to restrain their feelings and they are getting older…  The painting is sad and wistful…

Hughes himself married Tryphena Foord, who was his model for April Love - they had quite a long engagement of 5 years… They were happily married and had several children.  In later years, Hughes took to book illustrating and painting landscapes and moved away to an extent form the detailed pre Raphaelite work... He went to live in the suburbs with his wife and children which took him away from his artistic friends.   He died in Kew, in 1915…having left one very famous painting..