William Holman Hunt

William Holman Hunt was one of the major artistic talents of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, founded in 1848. Hunt's work was always characterised by great seriousness of purpose - he was the only member of that group to remain committed to its principles - and his paintings include many of its most beautiful and powerful images. By any standards Holman Hunt is one of the major British artists of the nineteenth century, and this catalogue raisonee provides the detailed treatment he merits. An illuminating introduction assesses Hunt's life and artistic practice, and devotes a section to his aims, philosophy and religious beliefs. His talent for portraying the natural world with great intensity, his dramatisation of moments of deep emotion, and his extraordinary effects of light and colour make his oeuvre immediately accessible. But his mature paintings incorporate symbolism that cannot be fully understood without detailed knowledge. The catalogue entries thoroughly explore this, drawing extensively on the artist's own writings and correspondence, much of it unpublished. The main catalogue is divided into two chronologically arranged sections, oils and works on paper. B