Ferdinand Lured by Ariel

John Everett Millais's Ferdinand Lured by Ariel of 1849 was among his earliest Pre-Raphaelite canvases, depicting the spirit Ariel leading Ferdinand toward Miranda in Shakespeare's Tempest. The painting was executed with the meticulous outdoor observation that defined Pre-Raphaelite method — the forest background was painted entirely from nature in Surbiton — while the supernatural figures of Ariel and his attendants display the strange, linear intensity that distinguishes early Millais from academic convention. The work demonstrates the Pre-Raphaelite manifesto in practice: truth to nature, vivid color, and rejection of the 'slosh' of conventional paint handling.

The painting's brilliant greens and careful botanical detail demonstrate the Pre-Raphaelite commitment to truth to nature. Millais's meticulous technique, painting over a white ground to achieve maximum luminosity, creates a jewel-like surface of unprecedented brightness.