Victorian Painting Author:Lionel Lambourne This is a comprehensive survey of one of the most fertile and varied eras in the history of painting. It embraces not just the United Kingdom but also the British-speaking countries linked to Britain by cultural ties of empire and emigration, such as the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Africa. Long regarded as a backwater of sentiment and... more » outmoded academic convention that was bypassed by the mainstream of development in Western art, Victorian painting is now enjoyed in its own right. Unfettered by old prejudices, Lionel Lambourne presents a vivid panorama of an age of unparalleled energy and creativity. Wealth, optimism, education and self-confidence created a huge demand for art and a remarkable array of talent emerged to meet it. Producing works in a wide variety of styles, subjects and media, many artists became rich celebrities, while the profession as a whole enjoyed unprecedented public esteem. The author tackles this protean subject by dividing it into themes which reflect its richness and variety. Chapters are devoted to such topics as mural/history painting, the nude, the portrait, sporting painting, genre scenes and women painters; to social themes such as the fallen woman, social realism, travel and emigration; to movements such as the Pre-Raphaelites. Written with a light touch, full of anecdotes, and with 600 colour illustrations, this study should be entertaining and informative. It should also be a valuable reference work, for in addition to many famous and well-loved images, it presents work by lesser-known artists and explores the byways as well as highways of Victorian art, demonstrating the sheer range and depth of talent that that age produced.« less