In vreemde grond geworteld. Prerafaëlitisme in de Nederlandse literatuur en beeldende kunst (1855-1910)

PhD ceremony: Ms. A.C. van Buul, 16.15 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen

Dissertation: In vreemde grond geworteld. Prerafaëlitisme in de Nederlandse literatuur en beeldende kunst (1855-1910)

Promotor(s): prof. M.G. Kemperink

Faculty: Arts

In 1848, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was founded by a group of young English artists and writers. Together, they aimed to renew the arts. At the end of the nineteenth century, Pre-Raphaelitism grew into a broad cultural movement. The term ‘Pre-Raphaelite’ no longer only referred to works of the members of the Brotherhood, but also to other modern English literature, visual and decorative art from the period between 1848 and 1900. This amalgam of English literature and art has had a great impact in The Netherlands.

The first part of Van Buul’s study describes four phases in the Dutch reception of Pre-Raphaelitism. First, from 1855 onwards, Pre-Raphaelitism became a topic of conversation in the art world. Then, in the 1880s, Pre-Raphaelite literature began to play a role in the works and poetics of the poets of the Eighties Movement. In the 1890s, Pre-Raphaelite decorative art came to be a shining example for Dutch community artists. After 1900 the reception finally became less positive and the interest in Pre-Raphaelitism slowly decreased.

The reception-historical overview is followed by five chapters that zoom in on five important Dutch recipients: the writers Frederik van Eeden, Edward B. Koster and P.C. Boutens, and the artists Antoon Derkinderen and Jan Toorop. These chapters extensively describe their dealing with Pre-Raphaelitism in the form of critical reception, creative reception and translation. Together, the chronological overview and the case studies show how Pre-Raphaelitism was transferred to and integrated in Dutch culture during the fin de siècle.