BRITISH AESTHETICISM
BRITISH AESTHETICISM

Summary/Abstract: Aestheticism was a counter-movement to the Victorian industrialism in mid-19th century. It has its roots in the Pre-Raphaelite movement and poets have been frequently labelled with both terms. Its central tenet is the cult of Beauty and the theory argued that the primary function of art was to elevate aesthetic standards, tossing off the idea initiated by Ruskin and Arnold that art should serve a higher moral or societal purpose. Artists draw inspiration from the past, either Hellenic, medieval or Renaissance and their symbolism. British Aestheticism is characterized by its heavy use of symbols, sensuality, suggestion rather than declaration, and synesthetic effects. Decadence and early symbolism are both linked with the late age of artistic development. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Walter Pater, and Oscar Wilde are all significant figures in British aestheticism.

• Details
• Contents