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William Rossetti's Art Criticism: The Search for Truth in Victorian Art »

Authors: Julie L'Enfant
ISBN-13: 9780761812906, ISBN-10: 0761812903
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: University Press of America
Date Published: December 1998
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Julie L'Enfant

Book Synopsis

William Rossetti's Art Criticism examines the art criticism of William Michael Rossetti, an underrated member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and places it within the context of Victorian Culture. Drawing on many reviews never published in book form, this study establishes Rossetti as a major art critic and valuable source of information on the Victorian world.

Booknews

A broad survey of the approximately 400 published articles of British art critic William Rosetti (1829-1919). After a brief account of Rosetti's background and education, the author assesses Rosetti's contribution to the Pre-Raphaelite movement, the evolution of his aesthetic after his exposure to French art, and the meaning of his collection of Japanese art, among other topics. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

	List of Illustrations
	Preface
Ch. 1	Introduction to the Art Criticism of William Rossetti	1
	Family Background and Education	2
	The Role of Art Critic	5
Ch. 2	Rossetti as Pre-Raphaelite Critic	19
	Pre-Raphaelite Practice, 1848-49	25
	William Rossetti and the Germ, 1850	30
	The Critical Fracas, 1850	34
	The Bigger Picture: Reviews for the Critic, 1850	40
	Wider Circulation: Early Spectator Reviews	47
	Illustrations	91
Ch. 3	In Search of Style: The British School, 1855-1862	101
	The Universal Exposition in Paris, 1855	102
	Lessons from Paris: "Realism" and "Naturalism"	116
	"Exhibition Mania": 1856 and 1857	122
	Rossetti's Concept of "Style"	129
	The 1862 International Exhibition, London	134
	Illustrations	155
Ch. 4	Critical Authority: William Rossetti and Japonism	159
	Rossetti's Periodical Reviewing in the 1860s	160
	Greater Expectations: "Success in Art"	164
	The Introduction of Japanese Art to England	169
	Rossetti's Reviews of Japanese Art	171
	William Rossetti's Collection of Japanese Art	176
	William Rossetti and James McNeill Whistler	179
	Illustrations	203
Ch. 5	Rossetti and Revivalism	211
	History Painting	212
	The Classical Revival	216
	Medievalism	234
	Pre-Raphaelitism and the Spirit of the Past	244
	Illustrations	283
Ch. 6	Conclusion: William Rossetti and "Aesthetic Realism"	295
	The Condition of Art, 1874-1878: Academy Reviews	298
	The Deficiencies of Aestheticism: Final Reviews	306
	Elective Affinities: William Rossetti's Contribution to Art Criticism	316
	Illustrations	337
	Bibliography	343
	Index	367