By Arria Perrault

with additional discoveries and 3D composition by Rosie Gray and Sudane Erato

Neuschwanstein SchlossThe “real life” castle of Neuschwanstein, from which the Neufreistadt “Schloss” is inspired, is an example of an extensive architectural movement in Europe and around the world, the Gothic Revival. Through new buildings or restorations of ruined old buildings, architects have been inspired by the gothic architecture of the 10th through the 13th centuries in Europe. King Ludwig II of Bavaria was inspired by a restored castle in France and commissioned Neuschwanstein.

Inside Neuschwanstein
All arts influence each other. What happens in architecture will also happen in painting or sculpture. I have tried to find painting movements that were inspired by Middle Age legends and that are somehow contemporary. The artists of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood meet this criteria. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (also known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, mostly men, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. They were particularly fascinated by medieval culture, believing it to possess a spiritual and creative integrity that had been lost in later eras. Their paintings are delicate and colorful. They have a similar look and feel.

Among the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites, I have selected the ones which are related to themes that are also represented in the decoration of Neuschwanstein or related to it in some way. There are themes of the operas of Wagner (Wagner has also inspired the King of Bavaria), Arthurian themes and other Middle Age scenerios and legends.

I have put together paintings in my Pinterest account which can be compared with the original paintings of Neuschwanstein.

Lady of ShalottPre-Raphaelites were also interested with craft. Sir Edward Burne-Jones has made great tapestries that could be used for the ballroom. Other paintings could be used for smaller rooms. As an example, note the case of the legend of the Lady of Shalott (after Tennyson, related to the story of Lancelot). There are three paintings from two painters representing different scenerios of the same story. They could be used in one room. Some paintings could be used in the stairs as decoration. I would also put the two woman stitching a standard in a corridor going to the walkway. The Walkyrie of Hughes is just great and could be displayed somewhere too.

I find that the revival of the medieval spirit in the artworks of the Pre-Raphaelites have a strong similarity with the architecture of Neuschwanstein and the music of Wagner.