VICTORIAN ART

MELINDA K. TORIBIO

The second half of the 19th century has been called the positivist age and one of the most fascinating periods in our history. It has been an age of faith in the positive consequences of what can be achieved through the close observation of the natural and human realms.

The spirit of 19th century England could be personified through Queen Victoria and it's known as the Victorian era. It is covering the eclectic period of 64-year reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. British Empire became the most powerful, and England the most modern, and wealthy country in the World.

Leader of Victorian classical painting, Frederick Leighton (1830 – 1896) created historical and mythological scenes influenced by the Nazarenes and the Italian Renaissance. Talented and hard-working, Leighton created art in many mediums, fluently spoke five languages, and believed that sincerity bred success. Although he did not study at the Royal Academy, he was its president for almost 20 years. His focus shifted from historical to mythological subjects at the same time the public became interested in Greek culture, cementing his popularity

Flaming June ,C. 1895Frederick Leighton

The Painter’s Honeymoon, 1864

by Frederick Leighton

Acclaimed Victorian artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836 – 1912) was born in Holland, lived in London and was known for highly detailed, idealistic scenes of ancient Greece and Rome. Alma-Tadema’s 400 paintings were filled with striking figures, architectural precision and realistically textured marble, metals and silks. His popularity faded when the Victorian era ended, but his work made a comeback in the 20th century, influencing set design in blockbusters such as “Ben Hur” and “The Ten Commandments.”

A Dedication to Bacchus, 1889

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

The Roses of Heliogabalus

The Roses of Heliogabalus

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

John William Godward was a Victorian Neo-classicist, and therefore a follower in theory of Frederic Leighton. However, he is more closely

allied stylistically to Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, with whom he shared a penchant for

the rendering of Classical architecture, in particular, static landscape features

constructed from marble.

In The Tepidarium (1913)

The vast majority of Godward's extant images feature women in Classical dress, posed against these landscape features, though there are some semi-nude and fully nude figures included in his oeuvre (a notable example being In The Tepidarium (1913), a title shared with a controversial Alma-Tadema painting of the same subject that resides in the Lady Lever Art Gallery). The titles reflect Godward's source of inspiration: Classical civilization, most notably that of Ancient Rome (again a subject binding Godward closely to Alma-Tadema artistically), though Ancient Greece sometimes features, thus providing artistic ties, albeit of a more limited extent, with Leighton.

Dolce far Niente (1904)John William Godward

The Tease 1901John William Godward

Works Cited:

http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?startat=/gallery.asp&CID=4959FAB9A3B0496B900397840C74A03A&txtSearch=Graeffleton

http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/c19th/victorian.htm

http://www.johnwilliamgodward.org/The-Tease-1901.html