Art is the Solution

Sir Lancelot and Sir Bors outfit Galahad with his spurs Source: Boston Public Library I’ve written many times about my great love of Pre-Raphaelite art. Although it’s not something I know much about, it is a style that I find very attractive on an aesthetic level. If you want to know more about the style, I suggest you read this excellent essay . However, I can tell you that Pre-Raphaelite artists believed art should portray “serious” subjects, such as literature, poetry, mythology, and history. In particular, they drew inspiration from medieval art. Although Edwin Austin Abbey (the artist I’m discussing today) was not a Pre-Raphaelite artist, his work owes much to the Pre-Raphaelite tradition. Abbey, who was a famed illustrator and muralist, employed the same realism tinged with the mystical symbolism that makes Pre-Raphaelite art so appealing. The Quest and the Achievement of the Holy Grail Murals—commissioned by the Boston Public Library (where they can still be seen)—are a good...