Arthur Hughes was born on January 27, 1832, in London, England. At the age of fourteen, he embarked on a lifelong career in fine art and illustration.
In 1850, a series of periodicals titled The Germ: Thoughts Towards Nature in Poetry, Literature, and Art were published. They focused on the art and artists of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. They were poorly received (initially), but reading them led Hughes to meeting preeminent Pre-Raphaelite, John Everett Millais. While never officially considered a member of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Hughes would be forever guided by Millais’s influence.
Hughes married Tryphena Foord, his model for April Love (seen below), in 1855. Fifty years later, art critic John Ruskin said April Love was, “Exquisite in every way; lovely in color, most subtle in the quivering expression of the lips, and sweetness of the tender face, shaken, like a leaf by winds upon its dew, and hesitating back into peace.” They don’t make critiques like that anymore! April Love would later be purchased by the pioneering designer, William Morris.
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