Aestheticism and Gothic/Roman Revival

Aestheticism Stress on beauty for beautys sake Philosophical discourse on the importanc of the classical perception of beauty Plato said that there is an ideal of beauty Aristotle said that the beautiful mimics reality.

Aestheticism Cont. Turn of the century - Advances of psychology really make the idea of reality complicated. Is reality what one sees or what one feels? A lot of art was innovative and original (like Impressionism) introducing new ideas about beauty and reality BUT…….

Aestheticism Cont. There was also a movement of painters and poets who were called the Pre-Raphaelites At first, they studied/reflected traditional notions of beauty -- then they began to play with or pervert these notions in a decadent way

Pre-Raphaelites Instead of being truly innovative, returned to the Greek and Arthurian subject matter Painted in the tradition of the early Renaissance with its sensuous use of color and more idealized (Platonic) depict of the human form

Raphael

Architecture and Decorative Arts Decorative arts were extremely popular due to Gilded Age wealth and imperial occupation of Asian countries (giving new forms/materials from which to decorate) Gothic and Romanesque Revival mixed classical influence with this decoration

Leonardo da Vinci - The Last Supper

Neo-Classicism (18th Ct.) Oath of Horatii - David

Blessed Damozel DR Rossetti

Merlin - Burne-Jones

Hope Burne Jones

Atlas - Bourne-Jones

Ophelia - Callais

Anunciation - DR Rossetti

Oscar Wilde Idea of the allegorical detail The argument for and against ideal beauty Indulgence in the decadence of the sensual life represented by flowers, riches, gold, idyllic and idealistic heroes and situations, etc.

Waterhouse - Lady of Shallott

William Morris

Louis Tiffany

Vienna is to come Art Deco Emphasis on new aesthetic different from 19th Century Secession Movement/Gustav Klimt You can see the use of pattern/decoration/decadent/sensual subject matter…more to come...

Gothic Revival Architecture A mix of the broken arches, long verticals and arts and crafts decoration

Interior

Frank Furness - Penn. Academy of Fine Arts ( s)

Interiors

Romanesque Revival Thick, exposed stone Lower buildings Giant arches An old look Use of multiple colors (especially in roofs) new to the period

Ames Gate Lodge - HH Richardson

Trinity Church - HH Richardson

Olana - WM Hunt Hudson Valley, NY

Victorian House Style

Shingle Style Architecture 1860s and 1880s (concurrent with Gothic and Romanesque style) A reaction against aestheticism/decoration Tight surfaces, subtlety, stateliness Use of some mixed materials, but usually or an organic or natural look (especially wood) Almost exclusively a New England thing!

Main Artists McKim, Mead and White (note: they also did a lot of European Revival works, such as the Boston Public Library) William Morris Hunt (who also did some Newport Mansions of the Gilded Age) Peabody and Stearns Henry Hobson Richardson (of Romanesque Revival)

Bell House - Rhode Island McKim Mead and White

Newport Casino - McKim, Mead and White

Back of Newport Casino

Newport Casino - Detail

McKim, Mead and White, Rhode Island Lowe House

Kragsyde - Peabody and Stearns Manchester, MA

Griswold House - WM Hunt (1862)

Henry Hobson Richardson - Stoughton House Cambridge, MA

Details - Stoughton House

McKim, Mead and White - Watts Sherman House

Bell House - McKim, Mead and White

FL Wright….to be cont.