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Michael

@mdstamper.bsky.social

“In the grass” by Arthur Hughes (British) - Oil on board / 1865 - Sheffield Museums (England) #WomenInArt #art #Hughes #artwork #artText #ArthurHughes #BritishArtist #EnglishArtist #SheffieldMuseums #BlueskyArt #BritishArt #Pre-Raphaelite #PreRaphaelite #PaintingofaWoman #FineArt #OilPainting #1860s

English painter and illustrator Arthur Hughes painted this striking Pre-Raphaelite depiction of young woman reclining in dense green grass, shown close up at half length. Her long copper-red wavy hair fans across the ground and her bosom. She wears a low-cut dark teal bodice with white lace trim and soft, billowing sheer sleeves. Floral bluebells loop her raised left wrist, and she loosely holds another stem near her face. Tiny pink blossoms dot the turf at the top edge. Her pale skin and large blue-gray eyes are rendered with meticulous detail while her hair, the clothing, and individual blades of grass appear crisp with brilliance.

As part of the Pre-Raphaelite circle, Hughes was a painter admired for his tender treatment of youth, nature, and romantic subjects. By 1865, when he painted “In the Grass,” Hughes was in his early thirties, already established as one of the movement’s quieter but most poetic voices. He had trained at the Royal Academy Schools and exhibited early successes praised for their lyrical mood and intricate detail. At this point in his life, Hughes was married to his frequent model and muse Tryphena Foord and raising a young family, balancing the financial demands of illustration with the more precarious rewards of painting.

“In the Grass” reflects his sensitivity to intimate, almost private moments: a figure woven into nature with an emphasis on stillness, texture, and innocence. Unlike his peers Millais or Hunt, Hughes favored gentleness over drama, creating paintings suffused with quiet melancholy and devotion. Though he never reached the fame of the leading Pre-Raphaelites, he had a lasting impact through his consistency of vision. His illustrations for publications influenced Victorian book art for many years, while his paintings oozing delicacy, emotional resonance, and technical care inspired later artists attuned to symbolic and lyrical imagery.

September 12, 2025 at 3:46 AM Everybody can reply

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The Sheffield Honey Company

@sheffieldhoney.bsky.social

Did top of frame (no lifting) inspections on the 18 colonies on the roof top of Weston Park Museum, 1 dead out, 3 failed queens but full of bees, and 14 very strong colonies laying well - happy with that result, it’s a hard site to pamper, supers added above crownboards SheffieldMuseums

March 23, 2025 at 3:47 PM Everybody can reply

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Sheffield Forum

@sheffieldforum.bsky.social

⚽ Sheffield Museums have voiced concerns over a proposed football sculpture, but a compromise may be found...

🔗 FIND OUT MORE: zurl.co/kzKrX

#Sheffield #SheffieldForum #SheffieldMuseums #MillenniumGallery #SHOF #HomeOfFootball #HeadsOrTails #Sculpture #PublicArt

February 3, 2025 at 7:30 PM Everybody can reply