Great painters: 6 impressive paintings by John Everett Millais

These are the most beautiful paintings of Sir John Everett Millais (8 june 1829- 13 august 1896) in my humble opinion, of course. He was an English painter, illustrator and a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

6 A Huguenot, on St. Bartholomew's Day, Refusing to Shield Himself from Danger by Wearing the Roman Catholic Badge (1852) 

This beautiful painting depicts two lovers separated by their religious views. The girl is trying to get her lover wear a white armband as a referring to the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre when French Protestants escaped the city by wearing white armbands.

5 Autumn Leaves (1856)

This painting depicts four girls collecting fallen leaves in a garden and trying to make a bonfire. 

4 Isabella (1849) 

This painting portrais Isabella from John Keats’s poem Isabella, or the Pot of Basil describing the moment at which Isabella’s brothers realize that she is in love with Lorenzo and plan to kill him.

3 The Blind Girl (1856) 

This amazing painting depicts two beggar girls, one of whom is a blind musician. A lot of critics have interpreted this picture to be an allegory of the senses because of the contrasting experience both sisters seem to have. The blind sister feels the warmth of the sun on her face and touches the grass while the sighted sister looks at a beautiful double rainbow on the sky.

2  Cherry Ripe (1879) 

A graphic depiction of the Cherry Ripe song showing a girl who sells cherries. The song has the following refrain:

Cherry ripe, cherry ripe,
Ripe I cry,
Full and fair ones
Come and buy.
Cherry ripe, cherry ripe,
Ripe I cry,
Full and fair ones
Come and buy.

1 Ophelia (1851-52) 

This is probably one of the most beautiful paintings I have ever seen. It depicts Ophelia, the character from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, singing before she drowns in a river in Denmark. The artist used model Elizabeth Siddal who spent hours in a bathtub during winter. Apparently she almost died of hypothermia when the oil lamps under the tub went out. She caught a severe cold and was sick for a long time. I will ask you to click the photo and zoom on the girl’s face to see how realistic this painting is.