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SIR JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS (1829-1896)

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 460 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SIR See also:JOHN See also:EVERETT See also:MILLAIS (1829-1896)  , See also:English painter, was See also:born at See also:Southampton on the 8th of See also:June 1829, the son of See also:John See also:William See also:Millais, who belonged to an old See also:Norman See also:family settled in See also:Jersey for many generations, and Emily See also:Mary, nee Evamy, the widow of a Mr See also:Hodgkinson . After his See also:birth the family returned to Jersey, where the boy soon began to See also:sketch . At the See also:age of eight he See also:drew his maternal grandfather . He went to school for a See also:short See also:time, but showed no inclination for study, and was afterwards educated entirely by his See also:mother . In 1835 the family removed to See also:Dinan in See also:Brittany, where he sketched the See also:French See also:officers, to their See also:great amusement, and in 1837, on the family's return to Jersey, he was taught See also:drawing by a Mr Bissel . In 1838 he came to See also:London, and on the strong recommendation of See also:Sir See also:Martin See also:Archer See also:Shee, P.R.A., his future was decided . He was sent at once to Sass's school, and entered the See also:Academy See also:schools in 184o . He won a See also:silver See also:medal from the Society of Arts in 1839, and carried off all the prizes at the Royal Academy . He was popular amongst the students, and was called " the See also:child," because he wore his boyish See also:costume till See also:long after the usual age . In 184o and the immediately succeeding years he made the acquaintance of See also:Wordsworth and other interesting and useful See also:people . He was at this time See also:painting small pictures, &c., for a dealer named See also:Thomas, and defraying a great See also:part of the See also:household expenses in See also:Gower See also:Street, where his family lived . In 1846 he exhibited " See also:Pizarro seizing the Inca of See also:Peru " at the Royal Academy, and in 1847 "• Elgiva seized by the Soldiers of See also:Odo." In the latter See also:year he competed unsuccessfully at the See also:exhibition of designs for the decoration of the Houses of See also:Parliament, sending a very large picture of " The Widow's See also:Mite," which was afterwards cut up .

In the beginning of 1848 he and W . See also:

Holman See also:Hunt, dissatisfied with the theory and practice of See also:British See also:art, which had sunk to its lowest and most conventional level, initiated what is known as the Pre-Raphaelite See also:movement, and were joined by See also:Dante See also:Gabriel See also:Rossetti, and afterwards by five others, altogether forming the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood . Rossetti was then engaged, under the technical guidance of Hunt, upon llis picture of " The Girlhood of Mary Virgin," which, with Hunt's " See also:Light of the See also:World " and Millais's " See also:Christ in the See also:House of His Parents," forms what has been called the trilogy of Pre-Raphaelite art . According to Millais, the Pre-Raphaelites had but one See also:idea—" to See also:present on See also:canvas what they saw in Nature." Millais's first picture on his new principles was a banquet See also:scene from See also:Keats's " See also:Isabella " (1849), and contains all the characteristics of Pre-Raphaelite See also:work, including See also:minute See also:imitation of nature down to the smallest detail, and the study of all persons and See also:objects directly from the originals . The See also:tale was told with dramatic force, and the expression of the heads was excellent . His next important picture, " Christ in the House of His Parents," or " The See also:Carpenter's See also:Shop " (185o), represented a supposed incident in the childhood of our See also:Lord treated in a simply realistic manner, and drew down upon him a See also:storm of abuse from nearly all quarters, religious and See also:artistic . The See also:rest of his more strictly Pre-Raphaelite pictures—" The Return of the See also:Dove to the See also:Ark," " The Woodman's Daughter " and the " See also:Mariana " of 1851, " The Huguenot " and " Ophelia " of 1852, " The Proscribed Royalist " and " The See also:Order of See also:Release " of 1853—met with less opposition, and established his reputation with the public . Indeed, this may be said to have been accomplished by the " Huguenot " and " Ophelia," the refined sentiment and exquisite See also:execution of which appealed to nearly all who were unprejudiced . The public were also greatly influenced by the splendid See also:champion-See also:ship of See also:Ruskin, who, in letters to The Times, and in a pamphlet called " Pre-Raphaelitism," enthusiastically espoused the cause of the Brotherhood . In 1851 Millais, who had refused to read See also:Modern Painters, where the supposed principles of the See also:Brother-See also:hood were first recommended, became acquainted with Ruskin, and in 1853 went to See also:Scotland with him and Mrs Ruskin, the latter of whom sat for the woman in " The Order of Release." He made several designs for Ruskin, and painted his portrait . In 1855 Millais exhibited " The See also:Rescue," a scene from a See also:fire, which drew great See also:attention, from the frantic expression of the mother and the brilliant painting of the glare . In the See also:Paris Exhibition of this year he was represented by " The Order of Release," " Ophelia " and " The Return of the Dove." This was also the year of his See also:marriage with Mrs Ruskin (Euphemia See also:Chalmers, daughter of Mr See also:George See also:Gray of Bowerswell, See also:Perth), who had obtained a See also:decree of the nullity of her previous marriage .

The newly-wedded couple went to live at Annat See also:

Lodge, near Bowers-well, where " Autumn Leaves," described by Ruskin as " the first instance of a perfect See also:twilight," was painted . This and " See also:Peace Concluded " were singled out for See also:special praise by Ruskin in his notes on the Academy Exhibition of 1856, which contained, with other See also:works by Millais, the picture of " A See also:Blind Girl," with a beautiful background of Icklesham and its See also:common . The See also:principal pictures of 1857 were " Sir Isumbras at the See also:Ford," and " The See also:Escape of a Heretic," both of which were violently attacked by Ruskin, who was kinder to the " See also:Apple-blossoms " and Vale of Rest " of 1859, extolling the See also:power of their painting, but still insisting on the degeneracy of the artist . The " See also:Black Brunswicker " of 186o was in See also:motive very like the " Huguenot," but it was less refined in expression, and a great See also:deal broader in execution, and may be said to See also:mark the end of the See also:period of transition from his minute Pre-Raphaeiite manner to the masterly freedom of his mature See also:style . From 186o to 1869 the invention of Millais was much employed in See also:illustration, especially of See also:Trollope's novels, beginning with Framley Parsonage in the Cornhill See also:Magazine . He made altogether eighty-seven drawings for Trollope, and was the cleverest and one of the most prolific of the See also:book illustrators of the 'sixties . He contributed to See also:Moxon's illustrated edition of See also:Tennyson's Poems, and made occasional drawings for Once a See also:Week, the Illustrated London See also:News, See also:Good Words, and other See also:periodicals and books . In 1863 he was elected a Royal Academician . The most important pictures of this and the next few years were " The See also:Eve of St See also:Agnes," remarkable for the painting of moonlight, " See also:Romans leaving See also:Britain " (1865), " See also:Jephthah " (1867), " Rosalind and Celia " (1868), " A See also:Flood," and " The Boyhood of See also:Raleigh " (1870) . All these were executed in a very broad and masterly manner . In many of his pictures of this period, such as " The Boyhood of Raleigh," his See also:children were his See also:models, and formed the subject of many more, like " My First See also:Sermon," " My Second Sermon," " Sleeping," " Awake," " Sisters," " The First See also:Minuet," and " The See also:Wolf's Den." He now painted many single figures with more or less sentiment, like " Stella," " Vanessa," and " The Gambler's Wife," with occasionally a more important See also:composition, like " Pilgrims to St See also:Paul's," and " Victory, 0 Lord " (exhibited 1871), representing See also:Aaron and Hur holding up See also:Moses' hands (Exod. xvii . 12) .

Phoenix-squares

With it was exhibited the first and most popular of his pure landscapes, called " Chill See also:

October," which was followed at intervals by several others remarkable for literal • truth to nature and See also:fine execution . They were all from Perth-See also:shire, where he generally spent the autumn, and included " Scotch Firs " and " See also:Winter See also:Fuel " (painted in 1874), " Over the Hills and Far away," and " The Fringe of the See also:Moor " (1875) and " The See also:Sound of Many See also:Waters " (1876) . A later See also:series was painted in the neighbourhood of Murthly, a See also:village in the See also:parish of Little See also:Dunkeld, See also:Perthshire, where he rented a house and See also:shooting from 1881 to 1891 . It was to painting nature and the world around him that he principally devoted himself for the last twenty-five years of his See also:life, abandoning imaginative or didactic themes . To this period belong a number of pictures of children, with See also:fancy titles, like " See also:Cherry Ripe," " Little See also:Miss Muffet," " Bubbles," and others well known by reproductions in black and See also:white and in See also:colour for the illustrated papers; and also some charming studies of girlhood, like " Sweetest eyes were ever seen," and " See also:Cinderella." Amongst his more serious pictures were " The Princes in the See also:Tower " (1878), " The Princess See also:Elizabeth " (1879), two pictures from See also:Scott—" Effie Deans " and " The See also:Master of Ravenswood "—painted for Messrs See also:Agnew in 1877 and 1878, and " The See also:North-See also:West Passage," sometimes regarded as his masterpiece, representing an old mariner (painted from See also:Edward John Trelawney, the friend of See also:Byron) listening to some tale of See also:Arctic exploration in a See also:room overlooking the See also:sea and strewn with charts . " A See also:Yeoman of the Guard " (1877) was perhaps his most splendid piece of colour, and was greatly admired at the Paris Exhibition See also:MILLAU of 1878, where it was sent with " Chill October " and three others of his pictures . But perhaps the works of his later years by which he will be most remembered are his portraits—especially his three portraits of See also:Gladstone (1879, 1885 and 1890), and those of John See also:Bright, of Lord Tennyson, and of Lord See also:Beaconsfield, which was See also:left unfinished at his See also:death . He also painted the See also:marquess of See also:Salisbury, Lord See also:Rosebery, the See also:dukes of See also:Devonshire and See also:Argyll, See also:Cardinal See also:Newman, Thomas See also:Carlyle, Sir See also:James See also:Paget, Sir See also:Henry See also:Irving, George See also:Grote, Lord See also:Chief See also:Justice See also:Russell, J . C . See also:Hook, R.A., and himself (Uffizi See also:Gallery, See also:Florence) . He drew See also:Charles See also:Dickens after his death . Amongst his finer portraits of See also:women were those of Mrs Bischoffsheim, the duchess of See also:Westminster, See also:Lady See also:Campbell and Mrs Jopling .

No very serious interruption of his usual life as a prosperous English See also:

gentleman occurred in these years, except the death of his second son, George, in 1878 . In 1875 he went to See also:Holland, one of his few visits to the See also:Continent . In 1879 he left See also:Cromwell See also:Place for a house at See also:Palace See also:Gate, See also:Kensington, which he built, and where he died . In 1885 he was created a See also:baronet, on the See also:suggestion of Mr Gladstone . In 1892 his See also:health began to break down . After a See also:bad attack of See also:influenza he was troubled with a swelling in his See also:throat, which proved to be due to See also:cancer . He suffered much from depression, but worked when he could, and derived much See also:pleasure in painting several pictures, including " St See also:Stephen," " A See also:Disciple," " Speak I Speak 1" (which was bought out of the See also:Chantrey See also:Bequest), and " The Forerunner "—his last exhibited subject-picture . His finely-characterized portraits of Mr John See also:Hare, the actor, and Sir See also:Richard See also:Quain belong also to his last years . In 1895, in consequence of the illness of Lord (then Sir See also:Frederick) See also:Leighton, he was called upon to preside at the See also:annual banquet of the Royal Academy, and on the death of Lord Leighton he was elected to the presidential See also:chair . He died on the 13th of See also:August 1896, and was buried in St Paul's See also:Cathedral . The Winter Exhibition of the Royal Academy in 1898 was devoted to his works . The See also:list of his honours at See also:home and abroad is a long one .

Millais was one of the greatest painters of his time, and did more than any other to infuse a new and healthy life into British art . He had not the See also:

imagination of an idealist, but he could paint what he saw with a force which has seldom been excelled . As a See also:man he was manly, See also:frank and genial, devoted to his art and his family, and very fond of See also:sport, especially See also:hunting, fishing and shooting . He was greatly loved by a very large circle of See also:friends . He was singularly handsome, and had a fine presence . The See also:National Gallery of British Art possesses many of his finest works . He is also represented in the National Gallery, in the National Portrait Gallery, the See also:Victoria and See also:Albert Museum, and in the public galleries at See also:Manchester, See also:Liverpool and See also:Birmingham .

End of Article: SIR JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS (1829-1896)
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