John RUSKIN

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 423.

- art critic by profession

- liked Pre-Raphaelites, thought they had sth to say

- is very critical of Academic Painting

à once the public opinion accepts their style, the Brotherhood collapses itself

à stormy & short history of the Brotherhood

à their program- “RAPHAEL” is a key-word

that's way they're called PRE- Raphaelites

à realistic paintings

à many religious paintings- but were painted against conventions

à many of their works refer to literature

à nature is an important theme as well

à for Rossetti- women are the main theme

MANIFESTO

* be personal

* be original

* be perfect

* study nature & turn it into art

Pre- Raphaelites as POETS:

• Rossetti Dante

- human body & soul is an unity

- “House of life”- Youth/ Mature Age (2 parts)

• Christina Rossetti

- devoted Christian

- confession poetry

- human body & soul is an unity

~ reading their poetry you know it was written by painters- so many details, etc.

WYKŁAD 12

Aestheticism

· Late 1880s and beginning of 1890s

· Trend in culture, literature and philosophy

· Discipline of philosophical studies

· What is art?

· Way of dressing, interior decoration

· Also a way of lifestyle

Predecessor: Pre-Raphaelite – details done very meticulously, obsessed with the vision of a painting precision, obsession with beauty of art

Art is important, art is saving, you can live for/through art. Poet is like a priest.

Poetry is sth sacred.

Matthew Arnold – theoretician of literature, poet, critics. Bible like a book of poetry. Poetry is Bible.

Substituting God with art.

Audrey Beardsley (drawing black&white) – daring illustrations of Oscar Wild's texts

“The Yellow Book” (a literary and artistic magazine) – scandalous, official magazine of asthethics, published between 1894-97

Walter Pater – critic of art and literature,

“The study of the lustory of renaissance” –a technical book (portraits, architecture)

Our attitude to art is subjective. The criticism of art is also subjective.

Oscar Wilde – an extremely talented literary man, eccentric (e.g. for his way of clothing), wrote poems, but he was most successful as a playwright, had a wife and plenty of man lovers, bisexual (trial – in jail he wrote good works, all his works disappeared from the theatres)

Plays:

· “A Woman of No Importance”

· “An Ideal Husband”

· “The importance of Being Earnest”

· “Lady Windermere's Fan”

His death was the end of aestheticism.

Aestheticsm:

· Art was elevated to the status of religion

· Thinking of art and literature in terms of form/execution (how you write not what you write)

· Fiction/novel can also be art (if it is well-written)

Rudgard Kipling – 1907 – nobel prize 1^st Englishman, writer, poet, patriot,

· Novel “Kim” – about India

· 1st writer to establish copy rights

· In many poems the protagonist is a a soldier

· Life of simple values (love for the country, duty, responsibility)

· “If” – famous poem about being loyal, faithful

· Stories for children

· Art for the empire sake. Not for the sake of propaganda.

· What and how you write is important.

WYKŁAD 13