Frank Dicksee (1853-1928) was a prominent English painter often associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Dicksee was from an artistic family; his father, brother, and sister were all artists as well. He was born and raised in London and attended the Royal Academy beginning in 1870. He immediately began to exhibit at the RA, winning a gold medal in 1875. Dicksee became a serious mover-and-shaker in the Academy and was eventually elected President in 1924 and knighted the following year.Dicksee's subject matter comprised mostly of romantic scenes of knights and their ladies. I like his art because it appeals to the chivalrous image, of which I am fond.
I haven't read this anywhere, so take this analysis with a grain of salt, but: I sense in the Pre-Raphaelites a growing English nationalism. Leaving aside Greco-Roman motifs for Arthurian or Shakespearean ones strikes me as an action well-fitting for Pax Britannica.
Hmm.
Just speculation, mind you.
Romeo and Juliet. As you can probably tell, I'm a romantic at heart. That's why genre scenes like this one are so appealing.
La Belle Dame Sans Merci, which is French for 'The beautiful lady without pity.' This is the name of a 15th Century poem by Alain Chartier. John Keats picked up on the same theme in 1819, telling the tale of a knight bewitched by a lady that he aids, leading to his doom.
Chivalry. A gallant knight sheaths his sword after dispatching a lady's captor -- an inspirational image to office drones everywhere.
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