Fairies in Victorian Art [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Christopher Wood (Author)

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.

Product Description
This volume presents a fascinating world of fantasy, magic and the supernatural written by England's leading expert on Victorian art. It looks at the Victorian fascination with fairies as seen through their paintings by artists such as Richard Dadd, Richard Doyle and John Simmons.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Antique Collectors' Club; illustrated edition edition (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851493360
• ISBN-13: 978-1851493364
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #756,481 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fairies in Victorian Art, May 13, 2002

By	April Gallo (NYC, NY United States) - See all my reviews

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.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful overview of 19th century fairy painting!, January 1, 2001

By	Frances Rawnsley (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Adrft in magic on faery wings . . ., October 19, 2008

By	Marian Copenhaver "Marian Copenhaver" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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 . . .