Abagail T. Serrano
Art History - Pre Raphaelite
The Pre-Raphaelite movement took place between 1848 to 1890, is the movement I feel most connected to. The movement started as a response to and criticism of the British Royal Academy’s dominance at the time. The Academy promoted a very narrow idea of what art should be historical, idealized, and rooted in Renaissance painting with a strong sense of moral “correctness” attached. The Pre-Raphaelites pushed back against that. They focused on more naturalistic depictions of people and showed things that challenged the prudish morality of the era.
They also focused on craftsmanship and rejected industrial, mechanical art techniques, which helped inspire the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements. These movements, I really enjoy, both for their aesthetics and some of their ideals. Their work often followed puritanical and aesthetic standards but was rich in symbolism and inspired by mythology, religion, and literature, they focused on a lot of detail and care. That focus on storytelling, especially through mythical and religious parables, still feels powerful today. Even though I don’t fully agree with all their ideals I appreciate how they used what they believed in to push the envelope.
What inspires me most about the movement is how it broke away from only telling the “approved” stories and instead focused on more personal, emotional, or overlooked narratives. I love their reference to medieval art and use of symbolism. In my own work, I tend to focus on composition and color, and I’ve directly referenced this movement before—once in a parody homage called Honora, based on Millais’ Ophelia. While a lot of Pre-Raphaelite work has dark or tragic undertones, my own pieces usually don’t—but the influence is still there.
Another example is Rossetti’s Lady Lilith, which I’ve always been drawn to. It was seen as sexual and controversial for its time—she’s self-absorbed, takes up most of the canvas, and her expression and presence break with Victorian-era norms for how women were usually portrayed. In a similar spirit, I included my digital painting My Sunshine, a fantastical self-portrait that includes my partner of three years. It has a softness and intimacy that feels personal, even though it doesn’t have the same dark tone.
Lastly, I shared another piece called The Borda. Out of everything I’ve made, this one aligns most closely with the Pre-Raphaelite movement. It’s based on Italian folklore, and the focus wasn’t on making it traditionally pretty—it was about telling a story. That value, of expressing something beyond what’s considered “acceptable” or expected, really resonates with me.
In general Pre-Raphaelite work is a beautiful fight against the social norms of the time. Expressing different stories, showing some of the ugliness of humanity, and appreciating naturalist ideas are all admirable and while not what I show in my work generally, very important to keep in mind.
Ophelia
John Everett Millais
Oil on canvas
Honora
Abagail T. Serrano
Digital Painting, Photoshop
Lady Lilith
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Oil on canvas
My Sunshine
Abagail T. Serrano
Digital Painting, Procreate
Abagail T. Serrano
Digital painting, Photoshop
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