Pre-Raphaelites, Part 3: Rosetti's "Found"

In our continued study of the Pre-Raphaelites, we looked at one of the founding members Dante Gabriel Rossetti's Found. Rosetti said that this was his only attempt at a major painting which embodies all the principles of the Pre-Raphaelite theory (accurate painting from nature of contemporary subjects which carried a moral message.) First I had them look at the painting and get all they could out of it from looking at it.

Then I told them some of the background of the painting. This painting was inspired by William Bell Scott's poem (1837-53) "Rosabell" (later re-titled "Maryanne") which contrasted the wholesomeness of the country with the illness and depravity of the city. According to the Delaware Art Museum's guide, "Found shows the moment in which the young farmer bringing his calf to market in the early light of dawn finds his ex-sweetheart, who has broken with him in order to seek her fortune in the city...has become a worn and ashen-faced" (woman.)

I then invited them to make a picture that tells a story themselves. Fifth Student elected instead to make a copy of the painting. He spent a long time trying to get all of the elements of the picture as well as their colors as accurately as possible.

"It has the man in it. The black dot is the cannon. The red wheels is the wagon in which the lamb is on. The purple is the building and the blue is the sky." -student, age 4

"It is a picture about the game Viva-Pinata. Professor Pestor got out of his lair and he bashed the chewnicorn but then the gardener put in a flaming sword that keeps the Ruffians and Professor Pestor away." -Student, age 11

"It has been in a big war. At the top is the sunset and there is like a sword in the sky. There are broken buildings and their walls. Some of the people are sick. There is a broken cannon in the ground like in the Found picture." -Student, age 7