Victorian era art and its characteristics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era

     The Victorian era of the United Kingdom was the period of Queen Victoria’s reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on the 22nd of January 1901. The reign was a long period of prosperity for British people as the profits were gained from both the overseas British Empire and industrial improvements at home. In the middle of the Victorian era, the United Kingdom reached its economic apex due to its large industrial capacity and strong trade agreements. However, the prosperity of the economy was not the only remarkable aspect of the nation in this period; the art of the Victorian era was also remarkable due to its distinctive characteristic. Victorian art was produced by many artists whose focus was on the popularity of England’s high fashion and modern elegance, which was inspired by the British Empire’s growth. Furthermore, the depiction of aristocratic functions and events in bold colors vividly expressed the emotional energy and excitement of upper class's luxurious life style.

    When I was skimming through the various works from the Victorian era, what struck me most was the unique style of the period, which is best characterized as highly ornate, lavish and naturalistic. Victorian style in art was pushed by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group formed in 1848 in London by artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Milliais and William Holman Hunt. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood rejected the pervasive Italian Renaissance art styles and sought a return to genuine art that was painted directly from nature. 

http://painting.about.com/od/figuresportraits/ig/Millais-Paintings/Tate-Millais-Ophelia.htm

“Ophelia” was painted by Millais between 1851 and 1852. This painting exemplifies of all the characteristics of the early Victorian style. The painting is meticulously done, and is decorated with intense, saturated colors. The model depicted in the scene was Elizabeth Siddall and she was an English artists' modle, especially for the Raphaelite Brotherhood. She married one of Millais's fellow Pre-Raphaelites, Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1860, almost nine years after the famed piece was completed. 

http://painting.about.com/od/figuresportraits/ig/Millais-Paintings/Tate-Millais-Mariana.htm

The subject of this painting comes from the poem Mariana by Tennyson (1830), which was inspired by Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure. The woman depicted, Mariana, was rejected by her fiancé after her dowry was lost, and lived a solitary life as consequence. This painting also portrayed the main stream Victorian style in the arts. The use of intensified colors and highly detailed chamber and its accommodations caught my eye immediately. My favorite part is the woman's dress, as I have a penchant for velvet fabrics and Millais perfectly depicts the details of the material. I also noticed the leaves on the desk and floor, which tie in nicely with one of the tenants of the Victorian style: naturalism.
      Just about twenty years after Millais painted the epitomes of Victorian art works. Impressionism arose and quickly came about. So please follow up, and I will show you the essence of Impressionism and its influence on modern arts next week.