In memory of Richard Dadd: ten of his best, and thoughts about his life and work. Would we have been any better towards him even now?
Pre-Raphaelite
In 1864, he was transferred to the newly-built Broadmoor Asylum. Despite that disruption, he continued to paint.
In which Dadd becomes a nineteenth-century Bosch on some seriously psychotropic drugs. It is a masterpiece like no other.
A couple of watercolours give some insight into those around him, and pose a perplexing puzzle. He ended the 1850s with another masterpiece based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
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A new hypertext combining Tennyson’s poetry and superb paintings from those associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Free to download.
He painted a series of narratives drawn from the Bible and other sources, and 32 watercolours of ‘Passions’ over this period.
Are these beautiful paintings of women and children just eye-candy for middle-class Victorian women?
An extended tour of the Middle East proves exhausting, but results in two outstanding paintings. Then Dadd’s world falls apart.
One famous painting of Hypatia, based on Queen Victoria’s favourite novel, and a handful of others – a fascinating glimpse of a promising artist.
The Eclectic Light Company 