John Everett Millais was one of the three initiators of the Pre-Raphaelites, the youngest and most accomplished of the three.
The Pre-Raphaelites were founded in 1848 in order to change the artistic trend of the time and return to the realistic style of the Renaissance, which had a profound impact on later generations.
Born in 1829, Millais showed a great talent for painting at the age of 10, and at the age of 11 he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Arts, where he was the youngest student ever admitted. When he was in college, Millais won a gold medal in an art exhibition, and at the age of 23, he became famous with his mythological work "Ophelia".
Most of Millas's early works were based on fables and myths, and his works were simple, natural, and lyrical.
After becoming famous, Millais began to accept portrait commissions, painted portraits of the Victorian court and many celebrities, and also created some works based on dramatic characters, such as Shakespeare's famous plays "Hamlet" and "Ophelia". Millais's beautiful and delicate style of painting is very suitable for expressing this poignant love story.
In 1896, he was appointed director of the Royal Academy of Arts, but unfortunately died that year. Millais was also the first painter to receive a hereditary knighthood for his outstanding achievements in painting.
Millais also had a happy family life, having eight children, which provided him with small models for his children's works. However, Britain was still very conservative at that time, and Millais's wife had a history of marriage, which made Millais subject to some criticism.