Ford Madox Brown

Like other Pre-Raphaelite painters, Ford Madox Brown was more concerned with vibrant colors and minute details than he was with the lauded, academic painting techniques of late 19th century Europe. Born in France of British nationality, Brown had little artistic training until later in life when he lived for some time in Belgium. Though never officially a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Brown was associated with artists who were, such as John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt, and his bright color palette and emphasis on line rather than form allows art historians to categorize him within the movement. His most notable painting, Work, however, does not align with the Pre-Raphaelites historical and literary subject matter. Work instead displays contemporary class discrepancy in Victorian England and prompted Brown to open and run a soup kitchen while exhibiting it. Brown was hard-pressed to find patrons throughout his career but found enough to keep working.