'In an utilitarian age, of all other times, it is a matter of grave importance that fairy tales should be respected.' Charles Dickens The golden age of fairy painting lasted between 1840-1870 when fairies found expression in most of the Victorian arts - paintings, illustration, literature, theatre, ballet and music. The Victorians wanted desperately to believe in fairies because they represented a way to escape the intolerable reality of living in an unromantic, materialistic and scientific age. Fairy painting had a strong literary background. The books of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen perfected the Victorian consciousness. The works of Shakespeare were an even more important source, in particular The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Another influence was the Victorian obsession with the supernatural, spiritualism and the unseen world. It was in this atmosphere that Fairy painting flourished. Between the artist and his public there was a zone of common ground, an area
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
At first glance, it would seem that the depiction of airies in art was a relatively minor aspect of Victorian culture. But this book demonstrates the diverse ways in which fairies could be expressed on canvas. These depictions permitted what is here described as an unromantic, materialistic, and scientific society to escape into the world of magic, ghosts, "spiritualism, and psychology." More to the point, they allowed repressed subjects such as nudity and eroticism to be dealt with in a socially acceptable manner. A skilled and prolific writer on Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian art, Wood examines the origins of fairy painting in the works of William Blake and discusses the influence of theater and literature, in particular Shakespeare's use of fairies in The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream. We are then given samples of work by the leading Victorian fairy painters and a discussion of lesser fairy painters and illustrators. Throughout, the prose is clear, to the point, and informative. The uniformly beautiful reproductions show the superb technical skill of the painters, and it is fascinating to see how they imagined this "other world." Recommended for any art library. Martin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, CT
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Fairies in Victorian Art,
By April Gallo (NYC, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fairies in Victorian Art (Hardcover)
I thought this book had a very complete selection of Victorian fairy paintings, however, the reproduction quality of the paintings was not good. By comparison, the reproduction quality in Jeremy Maas' Victorian Fairy Painting was far superior, but there were less paintings. Having been involved in the publishing and printing of fine art books for years, I was unable to keep this book knowing that the compromised reproduction quality did not justify the "fine art" book price. If you have a critical eye and would prefer to go for quality of reproduction, rather than quanity of paintings, I would recommend the Maas book.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful overview of 19th century fairy painting!,
This review is from: Fairies in Victorian Art (Hardcover)
This is the second of only two books that I'm aware of that cover the phenomenon of Victorian fairy painting (the other being the exhibition catalogue Victorian Fairy Painting by Jeremy Maas). Wood covers artists such as John Anster Fitzgerald, Richard Dadd and Richard Doyle, and includes many illustrations (in colour) of works that haven't been reproduced before. My favourite is Frank Cadogan Cowper's Titania Sleeping. I'd recommend investing in this book if you are a fan of 19th century Victorian art.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Adrft in magic on faery wings . . .,
By
This review is from: Fairies in Victorian Art (Hardcover)
This lovely book is filled with marvelous, evocative paintings that capture the British Victorian love of the Fae. Yet it is also finely balanced with subtle, accurate & moving historical threads depicting the tapestry of the times and the moving drama of the painters' lives . . . lives that often expose their excruciating conflicts--sometimes quite literally maddening conflicts--between Saturnian religiosity & Dionysian flights of creativity. This book is a magical caravan journey, to be taken over and over again . . .
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