The Victorian Nude
Sexuality, Morality and Art
Alison A. Smith(Author)
Manchester University Press
Published on 24. October 1996
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-7190-4402-1 (ISBN)
Description
Controversy surrounding nudity in art is as strong now as it was during the 19th century. Selected Victorian paintings of the nude are still hidden from public view. In this work, the author unravels the background to this situation and reveals the paradox of the nude as an object of public moral outrage. The text reveals how images of the nude were used at all levels of Victorian culture, from high-art paintings to photographs and popular entertainments. It questions whether these were a valid form of representation or, in fact, pornography. The nude was considered to be the most prestigious and pure form of art, whilst at the same time was vilified by the state because of its incitement to unregulated sexual activity. The book includes discussion on the work of Lord Leighton, Burne-Jones, Rosetti, Millais, Watts, Waterhouse, Henrietta Rae and Anna Lea Merritt.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Manchester
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
88 illustrations, 8 colour
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 170 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-7190-4402-1 (9780719044021)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
The story of the nude; the nude in popular culture and society; a widening audience for the nude; the nude at public exhibition, 1866-1870; the nude in the later Victorian period, 1871-1885; the new moralism and the case against the nude.