James Collinson (9 May 1825 – 24 January 1881) was a Victorian painter who was a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood from 1848 to 1850.

Life

He was born at Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and was the son of a bookseller. He entered the Royal Academy Schools, and was a fellow-student of Holman Hunt, and

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...

. Collinson was a devout Christian who was attracted to the devotional and high church aspects of Pre-Raphaelitism. A convert to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, Collinson reverted to high

Anglicanism Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

in order to marry

Christina Rossetti Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English writer of romantic, devotional and children's poems, including " Goblin Market" and "Remember". She also wrote the words of two Christmas carols well known in Bri ...

, but his conscience forced his return to Catholicism and the ending of the engagement. When Millais' painting ''

Christ in the House of his Parents ''Christ in the House of His Parents'' (1849–50) is a painting by John Everett Millais depicting the Holy Family in Saint Joseph's carpentry workshop. The painting was extremely controversial when first exhibited, prompting many negative revi ...

'' was accused of

blasphemy Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religio ...

, Collinson resigned from the Brotherhood in the belief that it was bringing the Christian religion into disrepute. During his period as a Pre-Raphaelite, Collinson contributed a long devotional poem to '' The Germ'' and produced a number of religious works, most importantly '' The Renunciation of St. Elizabeth of Hungary'' (1850). After his resignation Collinson trained for the priesthood at a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

college, but did not complete his studies. In 1858, he married Eliza Wheeler, one of the sisters-in-law of the painter John Rogers Herbert, an early influence on the Pre-Raphaelites. Returning to his artistic career he painted a number of secular

genre painting Genre painting (or petit genre), a form of genre art, depicts aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities. One common definition of a genre scene is that it shows figures to whom no identity can be attached ...

s, the best-known of which are ''To Let'' and ''For Sale'', both of which lightheartedly depict pretty women in situations that suggest moral temptation. He was secretary of the

Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

from 1861 to 1870. In the latter part of his life he lived in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period o ...

, where he painted '' The Holy Family'' (1878). He died in April 1881.

Gallery

File:James Collinson - The Sisters.jpg, '' The Sisters'' (c. 1860) File:James Collinson (1825-1881) - The Empty Purse (replica of 'For Sale') - N03201 - National Gallery.jpg, ''The Empty Purse'' (1857) File:James Collinson - Mother and Child by a Stile, with Culver Cliff, Isle of Wight, in the Distance - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Mother and Child by a Stile, with Culver Cliff, Isle of Wight, in the Distance'' (1849) File:James Collinson.jpg, ''The Renunciation of

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...

'' (1850) File:Too Hot Met DP888828.jpg, '' Too Hot'', print after Collinson, from ''Illustrated London News'' (February 28, 1863).

References

;Attribution *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collinson, James 1825 births 1881 deaths Academics of the Royal College of Art 19th-century English painters English male painters Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism English Roman Catholics Pre-Raphaelite painters People from Mansfield Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools Catholic painters 19th-century English male artists

Life

Gallery

See also

References

External links