Paper

Student Artwork Guide

Caedmon's Awakening

Arthur Hughes

Name Class Date
Arthur Hughes, Caedmon's Awakening. Public domain.

The facts

Artist
Arthur Hughes originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/arthur-hughes/
Artist’s dates
1832 – 1915
Movement
Pre-Raphaelites British painters returning to bright colour and sharp detail, rejecting everything taught after Raphael.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Arthur Hughes died in 1915; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1985.

Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Sept. 13, 2026

Caedmon's Awakening — Arthur Hughes Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Caedmon's Awakening — Arthur Hughes

When might this have been painted?

  1. 1830
  2. 1840
  3. 1850
  4. 1860
  5. 1870
  6. 1880
  7. 1890
  8. 1900
  9. 1910

Row above: the year. Row below: the artist's age in that year.

Shaded: the lifetime of Arthur Hughes (1832–1915)

First works: up to 1856 Main working years: 1856–1872 Late works: from 1872

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell.

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/arthur-hughes-caedmon-s-awakening-8DP2VB-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Gray #878f6e

    Catalogued palette

    • #878F6E
    • #1799C2
    • #455D53
    • #CCC39B
    Main colour name
    Gray
    Intensity
    Balanced How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Gentle How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Discordant Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Brilliant How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Balanced Soft How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Arthur Hughes over the last twelve months — 7 countries in all.

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 69.7%
    2. 2 United States of America 12.1%
    3. 3 Laos 6.1%
    4. 4 Spain 3.0%
    5. 5 Italy 3.0%
    6. 6 Japan 3.0%
    7. 7 Singapore 3.0%

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Arthur Hughes

    1. 1 La Belle Dame Sans Merci, 1861 10.5%
    2. 2 A Music Party, 1861 7.9%
    3. 3 Phyllis 7.9%
    4. 4 The Eve of St Agnes, 1856 5.3%
    5. 5 April Love, 1855 5.3%
    6. 6 The Pained Heart (aka Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more'')'', 1867 5.3%
    7. 7 A Birthday Picnic 5.3%
    8. 8 Benedick in the Arbor 5.3%
    9. 9 Godrevy Light 5.3%
    10. 10 Wonderland (later version), 1912 2.6%
    11. 11 Overthrowing of the Rusty Knight, 1894 2.6%
    12. 12 Good Night (later version), 1865 2.6%
    13. 13 The Sailing Signal Gun 2.6%
    14. 14 The Knight Of The Sun 2.6%
    15. 15 Mrs. Grant Duff and Adrian 2.6%
    16. 16 Dark thoughts 2.6%
    17. 17 Caedmon's Awakening this painting 2.6%
    18. 18 Asleep in the Woods 2.6%
    19. 19 The Door of Mercy 2.6%
    20. 20 The Lady of Shalott 1 2.6%

    Together these works take 86.7% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 118 works by this artist, of which 25 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 17 of them, with 2.6% of that attention.

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Sept. 13, 2026

    Caedmon's Awakening — Arthur Hughes Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Arthur Hughes

    Born in Pimlico, United Kingdom

    early life and training

    arthur hughes, a british painter and illustrator associated with the pre-raphaelite brotherhood, was born in london on january 27, 1832. in 1846, he entered the art school at somerset house, where his first master was alfred stevens. later, he attended the royal academy schools, where he met john everett millais and holman hunt, becoming a part of the pre-raphaelite group of painters.

    notable works and style

    hughes' first picture, musidora, was exhibited at the royal academy when he was just 17. he continued to contribute to the royal academy and later to the grosvenor and new gallery exhibitions almost annually. his best-known works include april love and the long engagement, which depict troubled couples contemplating the transience of love and beauty, inspired by john everett millais's earlier "couple" paintings.

    personal life and legacy

    in 1855, hughes married tryphena foord, who was his model for april love. he died in kew green, london, on december 22, 1915, leaving behind approximately 700 known paintings and drawings, along with over 750 book illustrations. his daughter, emily, had to destroy his preparatory sketches and private papers due to a shortage of space after her mother's death in 1921.

    artistic style and influences

    magical, glowing coloring and delicate draughtsmanship characterize hughes' works. he was also influenced by the writer george macdonald, for whom he illustrated some books, and produced numerous illustrations for norman macleod's monthly magazine, good words.

    view more of arthur hughes' artworks on AllPaintingsStore

    read more about arthur hughes on wikipedia

    explore the timeline of art movements to understand the context of pre-raphaelite art

    key works and exhibitions

    - april love, 1855 (exhibited at grosvenor gallery) - the long engagement, 1862 (exhibited at new gallery) - musidora, 1849 (exhibited at the royal academy)

    notable museums and collections

    - toledo museum of art (features hughes' ophelia) - victoria and albert museum (holds several of hughes' illustrations)

    Where to read more

    • The artist Arthur Hughes originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/arthur-hughes/
    • Similar works More works to compare originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/arthur-hughes-caedmon-s-awakening-8DP2VB-en/

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Caedmon's Awakening

    originaluniqueart.com/en/art/download/arthur-hughes-caedmon-s-awakening-8DP2VB-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Hughes, Arthur. Caedmon's Awakening. n.d., https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/arthur-hughes-caedmon-s-awakening-8DP2VB-en/
    APA
    Hughes, Arthur (n.d.). Caedmon's Awakening [Painting]. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/arthur-hughes-caedmon-s-awakening-8DP2VB-en/
    Chicago
    Arthur Hughes. Caedmon's Awakening. n.d. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/arthur-hughes-caedmon-s-awakening-8DP2VB-en/
    Harvard
    Hughes, Arthur (n.d.) Caedmon's Awakening. Available at: https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/arthur-hughes-caedmon-s-awakening-8DP2VB-en/

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Sept. 13, 2026

    Caedmon's Awakening — Arthur Hughes Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Caedmon's Awakening — Arthur Hughes

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. Our catalogue files this work under: myths. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    4. Look back at April Love (1855), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
    5. Pre-Raphaelites: British painters returning to bright colour and sharp detail, rejecting everything taught after Raphael. Where can you see that in this work?

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Sept. 13, 2026

    Caedmon's Awakening — Arthur Hughes Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    Who is the author of "Caedmon's Awakening", and in which movement?

    Behind "Caedmon's Awakening" stand Arthur Hughes and the Pre-Raphaelites movement.

    How strong is the contrast in "Caedmon's Awakening" by Arthur Hughes?

    The contrast level of "Caedmon's Awakening" by Arthur Hughes is gentle.

    Are the colors of "Caedmon's Awakening" by Arthur Hughes saturated or muted?

    The palette of "Caedmon's Awakening" is balanced soft in saturation.

    Where can I buy a print of "Caedmon's Awakening" by Arthur Hughes?

    To get a print of "Caedmon's Awakening" by Arthur Hughes, simply order it on this page: a fine art print on cotton canvas or archival canvas paper.

    Where can I buy a hand-painted reproduction of "Caedmon's Awakening" by Arthur Hughes?

    You can order a hand-painted reproduction of "Caedmon's Awakening" by Arthur Hughes directly on this page: a hand-painted oil reproduction on linen canvas, made to order.

    Where can I find artworks similar to "Caedmon's Awakening" by Arthur Hughes?

    The Similars page of "Caedmon's Awakening" by Arthur Hughes presents related artworks.

    Who created "Caedmon's Awakening"?

    "Caedmon's Awakening" is attributed to Arthur Hughes.