A Clickinks Introduction to Victorian Art

The Victorian era in England, lasting from 1837 to 1901, was characterized by a flourishing of art and architecture. The Gothic Revival school of architecture had immense influence, challenging the "Classical" style favored by previous generations. Female artists and artists from Australia also rose to prominence in the art scene in Victorian England. One of the greatest architectural feats of the era was the Crystal Palace, built to house the first World’s Fair Exhibition in 1851. Famous painters of the Victorian era included John Millais and Lord Leighton, both associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood of artists.

The Sculpture and Gothic Architecture of Somerset House, Australia House and Fleet Street

Architecture in the Victorian era was dominated by the Neo-Gothic or Gothic Revival style. Architects took their inspiration from the Gothic cathedrals of the medieval era, like Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The Gothic Revival began with church architecture, but quickly spread to government and residential buildings. The Neo-Gothic movement in architecture was accompanied by a renewed cultural interest in the art, literature, and perceived conservative Christian values of the medieval era.

The Gothic Revival style followed on the heels of the Neo-Classical style, exemplified by London’s Somerset House. Somerset House, designed by Sir William Chambers, was built on the former site of a Tudor palace at the end of the 18^th century and currently houses an art museum and ice skating rink. Buildings on the nearby Fleet Street demonstrate the Neo-Gothic style of architecture and sculpture. A later example of Neo-Gothic is Australia House, designed by A. Marshal Mackenzie and Son and built in the early 20^th century to house the Australian High Commission.

The Building of the New Somerset House

Australia House History

Female Victorian Artists

The Victorian era saw many great female artists, some studying at the most prestigious art academies of the day. The Royal Academy of Arts, located at Burlington House since 1867, was taking in 13 female students a year by 1869. The South Kensington School focused on training students to teach art. It also had many female students, including illustrators Lady Butler and Kate Greenaway.

Lady Butler both painted and illustrated. She specialized in military and equestrian subjects. Evelyn de Morgan, one of the first female students at the Slade School, specialized in mythological subjects. Rosa Bonheur was a French artist specializing in painting animals whose work was extremely popular in Victorian England.

Women Painters and Illustrators

Burlington House

Australian Artists in Britain

Artists from Australia also had success in the art world of Victorian London. Painter Rupert Bunny studied in France, and most of his paintings were of Parisian life. He studied at Calderon's art school in London during the 1880s. He gained international admiration for his work in the Victorian Era.

Another Australian artist, John Longstaff, was an acclaimed portraitist. After winning numerous prizes for his art in his native Victoria, Longstaff moved London in the 1880s. He continued to have a successful career painting portraits in London. He was a society favorite around the turn of the 20^th century, with portrait subjects including King Edward VIII, Queen Victoria’s son.

Rupert Bunny Biography

John Longstaff Biography

The Great Exhibition of 1851

The Great Exhibition of 1851, held at London’s Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, was the first World’s Fair, an international public exhibition of arts, design, technology, and tourism. It was organized by Queen Victoria and attended by a staggering six million people. The Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton, was a huge glass and cast iron structure built especially for the exhibition. The building burnt down in 1936.

The Great Exhibition of 1851 featured decorative arts from around the world, including stained glass, jewelry, and traditional arts from India and China. The Crystal Palace itself had a significant influence on architects of the day. Other exhibits included the 105 carat Koh-i-Noor diamond and the photography of Mathew B. Brady. Attendees included Charles Darwin, Lewis Carroll, and Charlotte Bronte.

Great Exhibition Introduction

The Crystal Palace, or The Great Exhibition of 1851: An Overview

John Millais

One of the most prominent Victorian painters was John Millais. He co-founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood with fellow artists William Holman Hunt and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of affiliated painters, poets, and art critics inspired by the art of the early Renaissance. The group valued nature, personal expression, and romanticism.

John Millais’ paintings were often controversial, touching on religious and social issues of the day. In his 1850 painting Christ in the House of His Parents, Millais portrayed the Holy Family with what some felt was shocking realism. Millais painted in a diversity of genres, including landscapes, historical themes, and portraits of children. He also worked as an illustrator for books and magazines.

Sir John Everett Millais: An Overview

John Millais Biography

Lord Leighton

Another artist associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, Lord Leighton was both a painter and a sculptor. Leighton studied art abroad, in Germany, Italy, and France. He favored historical, mythological, and biblical themes. Leighton designed the tomb of Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Lord Leighton became president of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1878. His house is currently an art museum open to the public, called Leighton House. The collection includes a large body of Leighton’s work, as well as that of his contemporaries, including John Millais and Edward Burne-Jones. The house also features the Arab Hall, exhibiting architectural accents and decorative arts created by many leading Victorian artists.

Lord Leighton Biography

Leighton House Museum

Other Victorian Artists

John William Waterhouse

George Frederick Watts

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

The artists and architects in the late 19^th century have had a lasting influence. Works of art from this period continue to delight, inspire. Often times images of these great works are printed at home in full color on photo paper for school assignments.

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