April Love (Hughes painting)

Infobox Painting

---

backcolor=#FBF5DF
painting_alignment=right
image_size=250px
title= April Love
artist= Arthur Hughes
year= 1855-1856
type=Oil on canvas
height=
width=
height_inch= 35
width_inch = 19.5
diameter_cm =
diameter_inch =
city= London
museum= Tate Britain

"April Love" is a painting by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Arthur Hughes which was created between 1855 and 1856. It was first exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1856. [http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/hughes/paintings/2.html April Love, Arthur Hughes] at the Victorian Web. Accessed 24 March 2007.]

At its first showing Hughes accompanied the painting with an extract from Tennyson's poem "The Miller's Daughter":

:Love is hurt with jar and fret,
:Love is made a vague regret,
:Eyes with idle tears are set,
:Idle habit links us yet;
:What is Love? For we forget.
:Ah no, no.

Originally acquired by William Morris, the painting was purchased by the Tate Gallery, London (now Tate Britain) in 1909 and has remained in the Tate collection to the present day. [http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=6954 April Love] - Entry at Tate.org.uk. Accessed 24 March 2007.]

The painting depicts a young couple at a moment of emotional crisis. The male figure is barely visible, his head bent over the young woman's left hand. The woman is looking down at fallen blossoms, suggesting the end of spring, and of early love.

The model for the principal figure was Tryphena Ford, who Hughes married in 1855. [http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=r&p=a&a=i&ID=820 Arthur Hughes - Biography] on Humanities.web. Accessed 24 March 2007.]

References