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The Aesthetic Movement
The Aesthetic Movement swept through England in the latter part of the nineteenth century, touching every sphere of the fine and decorative arts and bringing a new freedom to all aspects of design. In architecture, the dogmatism of Gothic gave way to the charm of Queen Anne. In interiors, heavy Victorian forms were replaced by the lighter, fresher Japanese-inspired shapes; in the graphic arts, innovative methods - coupled with a new approach to form - led to the revitalization of illustration and book design. Personified by such colourful figures as James McNeill Whistler, Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley, the movement was held together by the coherence of its philosophy and its adamant faith in elegance and richness. This beautiful and witty book will prove invaluable to enthusiasts of design and architecture and to all those intrigued by the social history of the period.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published June 13, 1996
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March 7, 2014
If looking for an overview of this movement, one could do know wrong by starting here. Much of what I read, I was already familiar with, but It was good to find in detail other things that I wasn't. This books examines the art and people of this movement who with a passion pushed forward their ideas and designs to a mass audience. It contains many beautiful posters, photographs, paintings, architectural and interior drawings and uses quotes by people from this period.
We come to think of the 1960s as an age of revolutionary change, but so many changes politically and technologically came from and not long after this period too. So many of the artists here set themselves apart from norms and convention, prominently featuring Whistler and Wilde. This detailed account of the movement explores various themes, such as the influence of Japanese art, the sleeping woman and representation, nature, and fashionable interior design.
Here you will find the usual suspects, Whistler, Wilde, Ruskin, Morris, Crane, Alma-Tadema, Tiffany, but good to see Kate Greenaway, Gustave Doré, Margaret Cameron, Edward Burne-Jones, E.W.Godwin, Ellen Terry, Gilbert and Sullivan and Simeon Solomon. Using various sources, in particular the letters that people wrote, one can hear the voices of that age. It features too the work of critics in newspapers and magazines and is also amusing at times. In reference to Swinbourne:
"However, the latter's drunken delight in sliding naked down the bannisters of the staircase in pursuit of Simeon Solomon 'dancing all over the studio like a wild cat' was, Rosesetti declared, 'enough to drive me crazy' ". Wild indeed!
We come to think of the 1960s as an age of revolutionary change, but so many changes politically and technologically came from and not long after this period too. So many of the artists here set themselves apart from norms and convention, prominently featuring Whistler and Wilde. This detailed account of the movement explores various themes, such as the influence of Japanese art, the sleeping woman and representation, nature, and fashionable interior design.
Here you will find the usual suspects, Whistler, Wilde, Ruskin, Morris, Crane, Alma-Tadema, Tiffany, but good to see Kate Greenaway, Gustave Doré, Margaret Cameron, Edward Burne-Jones, E.W.Godwin, Ellen Terry, Gilbert and Sullivan and Simeon Solomon. Using various sources, in particular the letters that people wrote, one can hear the voices of that age. It features too the work of critics in newspapers and magazines and is also amusing at times. In reference to Swinbourne:
"However, the latter's drunken delight in sliding naked down the bannisters of the staircase in pursuit of Simeon Solomon 'dancing all over the studio like a wild cat' was, Rosesetti declared, 'enough to drive me crazy' ". Wild indeed!
Displaying 1 of 1 review