author
Frederic George Stephens
1827–1907
Best known as an art critic and a close associate of the Pre-Raphaelites, he helped shape how Victorian art was seen and discussed. Though he trained as a painter, his lasting mark came through sharp-eyed writing on British artists and exhibitions.
2 Audiobooks
Gibraltar and Its Sieges, with a Description of Its Natural Features.
by Frederic George Stephens
Sir Edwin Landseer
by Frederic George Stephens
About the author
Born in 1827, Frederic George Stephens was part of the circle that formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, though he became known less for painting than for criticism and art writing. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools, where he met artists including John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt, and he remained closely tied to the movement as it developed.
After some early attempts at painting, Stephens turned mainly to journalism and criticism. He wrote for The Germ, the short-lived Pre-Raphaelite magazine, and later became an influential art critic for The Athenaeum. His reviews and essays helped introduce readers to Victorian art and to artists who are now central figures in British art history.
He also wrote biographical and historical studies of artists, building a reputation as a careful observer of art and exhibitions. For listeners interested in the world around the Pre-Raphaelites, Stephens offers a valuable point of view from someone who was there at the beginning and spent decades interpreting the art of his time.