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After the Pre-Raphaelites: Art and Aestheticism in Victorian England (Issues in Art History Series)

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"A great deal has been written on Aestheticism in Victorian literature. Linda Dowling's bibliography of 1977, 'Aestheticism and Decadence,' lists 599 books and articles, and there is no slackening of interest since that date. Yet the equivalent phenomenon in the visual arts has a minuscule scholarly literature" (from the Introduction by Elizabeth Prettejohn in "After the Pre-Raphaelites"). This recent title edited by Prettejohn brings together contributions by numerous art scholars who address Aestheticism and art criticism in the late-Victorian period, with patricular focus on painting and sculpture. The Introduction by Prettejohn provides an excellent overview of the visual and literary art culture of the nineteenth-century. Other contributors offer new interpretations of important figures such as Swinburne, Pater, and Wilde. Important issues addressed include "art for art's sake" (prevalent in the Aesthetic Movement), morality and art, and the relationship between religion and art. In light of the current debate over the content and morality of the visual arts and literature, this book provides good material for understanding the comparable controversies that existed over a century ago, and how they were addressed. Prettejohn's compilation is a fine addition to the study of the Aesthetic Movement of the nineteenth-century, with fresh and provocative material well-suited for the ongoing study of art criticism. It is touted as being "the first scholarly study of parallel trends in the visual arts," and it upholds that distinction.