The Victorians -Art

Queen Victoria (1837-1901)

The Victorian period (1837-1901) in Britain was one huge industrial and technological change, shocking divisions were between rich and poor, sensational crimes, spectacular entertainments for the masses and a lot of dirt and poverty with diseases was going on.

Life in Victorians was changing faster than ever before, paintings were recorded like the cinema of that day (they show what they live in those times and tell amazing stories). The arts became popular, rich and famous.

Works of art were comissioned by
- The Royalty
-The middle class (wealthy industrialists)
- The academic tradition was supported

When Queen Victoria came to the throne people were at best uneasy and in its worst, terrified by these vast gatherings of humanity, nothing like them has existed before. By the time she died men and women of the age had pined an entirely new way of living, they have invented the modern city.

Oil on Canvas 137,2 x 317, 5cm Israel in Egypt (1867) -Edward Poynter

 Edward Poynter was born in Paris and then moved to Britain with his parents. He was an English neo-classical painter, he made a great impression to Frederick Leighton when he was 17 years old in 1853 in Rome. He was much influenced by his neo-classical ideas. Then returned back to London and continued his studies there.

He became best known for his large historical painting, such as Israel in Egypt -1867 that is found in the Guildhall Art Gallery of London. 

 In this painting the artist is showing three different classes, those that are pushing and pulling with all their force and getting whipped like slaves while delivering, when the others are commanding them to move. On the left side of the painting we see an important figure carried on the throne chair.
All this gives you a mood of people suffering and feeling pain with all their work stress, the angry feeling for slavery for beating them and the high priority class of getting served.

The artist combined Israel in Egypt with history taken from the bible. He took the story from the Old Testment book of Exodus, this is to present the exile of the Israelites against eclectic looking background of classical Egyptian monuments.

I compare the painting of 'Israel in Egypt with the classical background mood of Monarch of the Glen by Edwin Henry Landseer.

Oil on Canvas 1,580 x 1,538. 'The Monarch of  the Glen' (1851) by E.H.Landseer

Sir Edwin.H. Landseer is an English exceptional British animal painter,what he painted here the artist is representing a certain loyalty, with its straight chin and the way the antlers are, show a strong power and integrity. The subtle of the deers tone is very fine and precised, but then looking at the colours of the fog at the background give a dark feeling looks like smoke is coming up from somewhere and the deer seems like it received the victory from escaping from the dark. 

Reference:
L. Picard, n.d. Victorians. [Online] Available at:  <http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/victorians/victorianhome.html> [accessed 28 February 2014]

ergoproxy234u, 2011. The VIctorians (2009) E01 Painting the Town. [Video Online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmP9KL7Io9A> [Accessed 28 February 2014]

A. Shepherd, 2001. Article. Overview of the Victorian Era. [Online] Available at: <http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/Victorians/article.html> [Accessed 28 February 2014]

The Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London, n.d. Israel In Egypt. [Online] Available at: <http://www.expo-orientalisme.be/artworks/en/b_egyptomania-1867_poynter_israel_en_egypte-1.html> [Accessed 28 February 2014]

TVO Channel, 2010. The Arts of Sir Edwin Landseer. [Video Online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY4oq5XR920> [Accessed 28 February 2014]