Aestheticism

1) Why do you think critics labeled Matisse and other artists who made paintings in a similar style as Wild Beasts? Do you agree or disagree? Why? What do you think these "Fauvist" artists were trying to express? The reason why critics labeled Matisse and other artists who made paintings in a similar style as Matisse is due to the fact they had an abstract or semi-abstract style as well as the use of strong or intense colors that were labeled as wild. It also is labeled as Wild Beasts because…

Antiques have a unique place in American society even today. Going even further, they arguably have a different meaning today than they did in the past. Briann G. Greenfield offers an effective evolution of antiques from the early 1900’s onward. She charts the advances in collecting, selling, acquiring and even displaying of antiques. Greenfield even offers several case studies of collectors and dealers within the five chapters of Out of the Attic: Inventing Antiques in the Twentieth-Century…

of correcting our provincialism and healing our loneliness (138). Lewis believes the “literary” and “unliterary” will always fall under the trap of egotism by never being able to put aside preconceptions when approaching the text. Lewis despises aestheticism, status seekers and vigilant critics; seeking to reclaim literature for itself instead. Lewis believes literature allows an individual to grow and see objectively. Literature heals the wound of self-interest and the literary life aids in…

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, the civilization of England mediated around a rebirth of a religious movement that was exclusive to the Puritan age. People lived their lives upon the foundations of moral behavior, where all art was a mere reflection of religion and morality. This notion persisted that art served as a reinforcement of ethics. As religion and morality pursued to restrict art to stand on its own, a group of artists revolted against Victorian beliefs; among them was Oscar…

values. The Sybil Vane encounter reflects how deeply the immoral teachings are planted in the mind of Dorian. After being enthralled by the latter’s beauty and social status, Sybil Vane, a poor but a talented stage actress falls in love with him. She also calls him “Prince Charming” due to his unstained beauty and goes against her family members who do approve her love for Dorian. However, Dorian wants to explore his sensuality and to know about all aspects of life and can’t fathom her love…

October 16, 1854, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, to Sir William Wilde, who worked as an optometrist, a renowned philanthropist and gifted writer, who wrote books on archaeology and folklore. Mothered by poet and journalist, Jane Francesca Elgee who wrote patriotic Irish verses under the name "Speranza". She taught Wilde that he could pretty much do whatever he wanted to and the truth really was not that important when a person really wanted to entertain someone…

“I’m looking for a classic.” People may walk into a record store and say this, in search for a great album. With many genres and albums to choose from, a decision such as this one can be challenging. A few of those genres most often include classic rock, classic jazz, the classics of some famous artist whose prime time is long gone, and classical music including Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and many other names that people can dismissively recite. Similarly, people frequently speak of the great…

When one thinks of the decadent movement of Aestheticism that Oscar Wilde portrays in his novel Dorian Gray, one thinks of an era where beauty, luxury, and royalty flourish. However, this does not suggest that poverty wasn’t also prominent. A major problem of today’s world as it has been in the past, there’s no denying that poverty is a global dilemma that affects millions. Those unfortunate enough to suffer from poverty may experience hunger and homelessness as well. Lacking the basic…

World War 1 (1914-1918) was a torrential era in world history, exploiting entire societies; its people and industrial resources. According to Hunt (2012), soldiers found themselves socializing at times with the enemy and avoiding unnecessary battles, minimizing the already insurmountable casualties while maximizing the number of deadlocks. Moreover, the warfare landscape blurred and destabilized cultural classes, censored front line atrocities, and became a preamble to post-war moral…

Viewing Burtynsky’s work was an unusual experience that made me question my role as a human being on the planet. Most of Burtynsky’s work especially that related to oil brought to the forefront problems that most of us choose to neglect, the deterioration of our environment. My first reaction to his work was disbelief at the unfortunate predicament that faces our civilization. His unique photographs that capture the industrial and modern landscape moved me with the clarity that captures color as…