Millais

Alfred Lys BaldryProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 48K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Millais by A. L. BaldryAuthor: Baldry, A. L. (Alfred Lys), 1858-1939,Language: English, Class: ND: Fine Arts: Painting, Release Date: Dec 18, 2012

Editor's review

This is a biographical and critical essay on Millais for general readers, an early introductory gallery text. Baldry traces Millais's artistic career in plain prose, focusing on descriptions of subject matter, composition and technique, while also covering the background of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. The writing is concise and the terminology limited, making it suitable for forming a first impression. Its strength is that it places the paintings within the tastes and critical controversies of the era, helping readers understand why Millais was both acclaimed and mocked in his day; its limitation is its brevity—it says little about the intellectual context of the works or their later influence, and its views bear the mark of the period in which it was written. It is best read alongside reproductions of the paintings, as a guide rather than a final verdict; keep your own judgment when encountering evaluative statements. For readers new to Victorian British painting, it is a convenient entry point.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginner readers who want a first look at Millais and Pre-Raphaelite painting
Learners who need simple English art writing for reading practice
Visitors who want quick background knowledge before a related exhibition
Those interested in Victorian artistic taste and critical controversy

Not a good fit for

Researchers who need detailed chronologies, iconographic study and scholarly notes
Readers expecting high-resolution plates and art-book print quality
Those seeking the latest contemporary research and reappraisal

Reading tips

Look up images of the corresponding paintings as you read, comparing text and picture.
Read the discussion of the works first, then go back over the life story; it will flow more smoothly.
Mark the author's evaluative statements separately and compare them with views accepted today.
After finishing, read a general introduction to the Pre-Raphaelites to fill in the movement's background.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this book include illustrations of the paintings?

The Gutenberg edition is mainly text; the plates depend on the specific file and usually cannot match art-book quality. It is best to look up images of the works yourself as you read.

Who was the author, A. L. Baldry?

The available information only gives his dates as 1858–1939 and identifies him as a British art writer. No further biographical details are recorded, and one should not speculate; readers need only regard him as an early popularizing art critic.

Are the book's evaluations still valid today?

Some judgments carry the tastes and limitations of the period in which the book was written, and its attitude toward Millais's later works may differ from contemporary assessments. It is best taken as one view among others, not a final conclusion.

Comments

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About the author

Alfred Lys Baldry Author · British (English) · 1858–1939

Alfred Lys Baldry (1858–1939) was a British art critic and painter. Born in Torquay, Devon, he studied at the University of Oxford and the Royal Academy Schools, and was a pupil of the painter Albert Moore, whose biography he later wrote. Baldry contributed art criticism to periodicals for many years. Three of his works are held in this collection, including Millais, Leighton and Burne-Jones, and he also wrote Three Great Modern Painters: Leighton, Burne-Jones and Whistler. His writing focuses on Victorian British painters and has contributed notably to the study of Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic art. His criticism combines close analysis of works with accounts of painters' lives, making it a useful reference for understanding nineteenth-century British painting.