Paper

Student Artwork Guide

Dark thoughts

Arthur Hughes

Name Class Date
Arthur Hughes, Dark thoughts. 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. 12, 2026

Dark thoughts — Arthur Hughes Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Dark thoughts — 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-dark-thoughts-8DP2VE-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Phthalo Green #242013

    Catalogued palette

    • #242013
    • #4E412C
    • #070704
    • #8A775F
    Main colour name
    Phthalo Green
    Intensity
    Monochromatic How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Serene How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Balanced Harmony How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Deep_shadow How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Muted 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 this painting 2.6%
    17. 17 Caedmon's Awakening 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 16 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. 12, 2026

    Dark thoughts — 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-dark-thoughts-8DP2VE-en/

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Dark thoughts

    originaluniqueart.com/en/art/download/arthur-hughes-dark-thoughts-8DP2VE-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Hughes, Arthur. Dark thoughts. n.d., https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/arthur-hughes-dark-thoughts-8DP2VE-en/
    APA
    Hughes, Arthur (n.d.). Dark thoughts [Painting]. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/arthur-hughes-dark-thoughts-8DP2VE-en/
    Chicago
    Arthur Hughes. Dark thoughts. n.d. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/arthur-hughes-dark-thoughts-8DP2VE-en/
    Harvard
    Hughes, Arthur (n.d.) Dark thoughts. Available at: https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/arthur-hughes-dark-thoughts-8DP2VE-en/

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Sept. 12, 2026

    Dark thoughts — Arthur Hughes Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Dark thoughts — 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: scenes, colour. 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. 12, 2026

    Dark thoughts — Arthur Hughes Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    Why is the copyright status of "Dark thoughts" what it is?

    "Dark thoughts" by Arthur Hughes is in the public domain - its copyright has expired. Copyright duration runs from the artist's death, which occurred in 1915.

    Can I order an oil reproduction of "Dark thoughts"?

    "Dark thoughts" is available as a hand-painted oil reproduction on linen canvas. The order can be placed on this page, with a choice of sizes.

    Is "Dark thoughts" available as a fine art print?

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

    Do the colors of "Dark thoughts" appear strong or soft?

    "Dark thoughts" by Arthur Hughes shows a monochromatic color intensity.

    Is there a slideshow for "Dark thoughts" by Arthur Hughes?

    The diaporama of "Dark thoughts" can be watched on the artwork's Diaporama page.

    How do I preview a reproduction of "Dark thoughts" by Arthur Hughes?

    The Preview page of "Dark thoughts" lets you preview the artwork before ordering.

    Who created "Dark thoughts"?

    "Dark thoughts" is attributed to Arthur Hughes.