The Arts Society Southport are longstanding partners of The Atkinson and support the annual Young Artist of the Year competition and Poetry & Creative Writing competition. The Arts Society network brings arts education and culture to over 64,000 members, bringing people together through a shared curiosity for the arts. Their members contribute to and preserve our artistic heritage through volunteering and grants.
If you are interested in becoming a member please visit their website: theartssocietysouthport.org.uk
In 1848 seven young men – mostly artists – formed a secret brotherhood, bent on reforming British art. They were determined to paint with that attention to nature and vivid colour which (they believed) had prevailed in the Middle Ages, before Raphael and the Renaissance initiated a fatal decline. Once the secret of the brotherhood was exposed, their work aroused fierce criticism. They were championed however by John Ruskin, a 30-year-old critic whose observations of art and nature had already made him an influential figure. Ruskin’s association with the Pre-Raphaelites left his personal life in disorder, but brought the crusading artists the recognition which they still enjoy today.
