J.M. Collinson Paintings

James Collinson was a British artist and an original member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which was founded in 1848. He was born on May 9, 1825, in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and was initially trained as a painter of religious subjects.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was formed by a group of young artists who rejected the contemporary academic art standards and sought a return to the abundant detail, intense colors, and complex compositions of Quattrocento Italian and Flemish art. Other founding members included William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The group's philosophy was expressed in their journal 'The Germ.'

Collinson's association with the Brotherhood was relatively brief. He was engaged to marry Christina Rossetti, the sister of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, but the engagement was broken off in 1850. This event, coupled with his religious reversion to Catholicism (which was at odds with the predominantly High Anglican Brotherhood), led to his departure from the group.

After leaving the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Collinson continued to paint, though he never achieved the same level of fame as some of his former peers. His works from this period are often characterized by their devout religious themes and can be seen as part of the 19th-century revival of religious art.

James Collinson died on January 24, 1881. His body of work is not large, but it is significant for its contribution to the early Pre-Raphaelite movement. His paintings are held in various collections, including the Tate Gallery in London.