The works of one of the last pre-Raphaelites impress not only with their rich variety, as they include painting, tapestry, and stained glass, but also with their unique, mysterious beauty.
Born in the industrial city of Birmingham, Burne-Jones witnessed the strong development of 19th-century Britain, its heavy industry, and flourishing materialism. His response to this was otherworldly beauty. He dedicated his life to the ideal of Beauty and sought to convey it into everyday life.
“I have no political convictions, no party, and no special hope; only this is true: that beauty is very beautiful, that it softens, comforts, inspires, excites, and uplifts, and never disappoints.”
He was born with a great artistic gift, so that without formal artistic education, he drew quickly and skillfully already in high school.
After an artistic journey to France with his close friend William Morris, with whom he shared the same views and interests, he left his theology studies behind. He went to Oxford University to dedicate himself to art. After Oxford, he moved to London where his mentor was the founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Italian Renaissance masters significantly influenced the shaping of his talent.
His first major success came with an exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1877 when he presented his works The Days of Creation (1870 – 1876), The Beguiling of Merlin (1872 – 1877), and Venus’s Mirror (1875). From then until his death, he was increasingly considered a great English painter.
Inspired by classical and medieval myths, Burne-Jones became part of a chivalric revival. His works are imbued with the idea of the quest for the Holy Grail and vividly and convincingly bring us depictions of Arthurian legends. One of his last great works, Love and the Pilgrim (1896 – 1897), beautifully depicts the challenges of the quest, its thorny path, and the angel who guides, heals, and liberates – Love. The Perseus cycle, with its colors, gloomy background The dynamic forms incredibly convey the dangers of the hero’s journey, the magnitude of his task, and bravery in battling the monster Medusa. The artistic vividness is a result not only of his mastery but also of his knowledge and understanding of symbolism.
Therefore, his works suggest that the artist has access to an invisible dimension and the ability to present it to those living in this material world. The sense of present wonder and admiration has further enriched his works with a depth that continues to enchant.
Burne-Jones, also known as the last Pre-Raphaelite, is a bridge between the Victorian and modern times. He has made a lasting impression on symbolist painters, influencing Munch, Klimt, and the early Picasso. His design aided in shaping the Art Nouveau movement. But above all, he revived the wisdom of ancient legends, allowing us to experience and evolve through that connection with eternal reality.
Perseus and the Sea Nymphs (1877), the third of ten paintings, is a sublime example of his skill. Perseus Series. 152.8 × 126.4 cm. Southampton City Art Gallery. Southampton
In the series of paintings Perseus, Edward Burne-Jones depicts key elements of the Greek myth of the hero Perseus. Under the strong influence of Thomas Malory’s book, The Death of King Arthur, in his artistic creation, he was often preoccupied with medieval ideals of chivalry and courtly love. Therefore, by choosing Perseus as a theme, he was able to unite the main artistic ideals of his creation.
Perseus, the son of Danae and Zeus, for the hospitality given to him and his mother, was given by King Polydectes an almost impossible task – to bring him the head of the dreadful Medusa who turned people to stone with her terrifying gaze. In preparing for the feat, he was aided by the goddess of wisdom Athena, who gave him a shield/mirror in which he could see Medusa’s reflection without being petrified, and the messenger of the gods Hermes, who armed him with a sharp sickle. The painting depicts a scene from the myth where nymphs present him with Hades’ helmet, which made him invisible. Wearing golden, winged sandals and a magical bag that could shrink and enlarge, he was tasked with bringing back Medusa’s head. The myth revolves around the power of Medusa’s head which he overcomes, thus becoming a hero. On his way back from the task, he accomplishes several heroic deeds and meets the beautiful Andromeda whom he saves from a sea monster…
The Sinister Head (1877). Perseus Cycle. 155 × 130 cm. Staatsgalerie Stuttgart
The last painting from the Perseus cycle, named The Sinister Head, depicts Perseus and Andromeda in a beautiful garden filled with fruit-bearing trees. Reflecting on the dangers and trials he faced on his heroic journey, Perseus shows Andromeda the reflection of Medusa’s head. The idyllic setting and warm colors confirm the happy ending of the story and provide a welcome contrast to the heavy, dark tone of the previous paintings.
The Golden Stairs, an oil painting on canvas, is the first of Burne-Jones’s large-scale works. Painted in a Renaissance style, the piece was inspired by one of his trips to Italy. “The Golden Stairs” (1880). 269 x 117 cm. Tate Gallery. London
The Golden Stairs represent a departure from his usual thematic circle where he creates poetic-mystical compositions inspired by mythology, the Bible, legends, and literary sources. The painting has no mythological or literary source, but there is an evident connection between the painting and music. The artist contemplated naming it “Music on the Stairs / Royal Music / Royal Wedding,” but settled on “The Golden Stairs.” A musical theme runs through many of his works, serving to introduce moods and symbolic elements that give the paintings a touch of the inexpressible otherworldly.
The painted instruments evoke music, as do the harmonious movements of young girls with angelic faces, who descend the winding staircase as if in a dream. The staircase seems to play the role of a musical scale: ethereal barefoot female figures of equal height alternate in Renaissance dresses of silver and gold tones. It’s as if, with their trumpets and harps, they descend into the earthly world to announce something. Or to publish what complements the vertical composition of the painting. The beautiful and harmonious relationship that exists between the characters, their movements, and the architecture also evokes a beautiful and harmonious tone, forming a masterfully rounded whole woven from the harmony of white, gold, and silver colors.
The painting exudes a poetic beauty and as the ultimate expression of aestheticism, it is identified with the Aesthetic Movement, or artistic revival that was at its peak at that time. The movement “chose three emblems, not by chance and not without reflection, but intentionally, of course, and those are: Purity, Beauty, and Permanence.” (The Aesthetic Movement in England, Walter Hamilton). Central to this is a love for the beautiful, with an emphasis on “achieving that beauty in art with which nature abounds.”
The Golden Stairs is one of Burne-Jones’s greatest achievements in which the vision of the ideal of beauty as order and harmony is portrayed timelessly.