Review by Choice Review
These 14 essays were adapted from a 1996 symposium held in London in conjunction with the Royal Academy's Leighton exhibition. Twentieth-century critics have dismissed the prominent Victorian artist and president of the Royal Academy as a reactionary academic. Even after the general reappraisal of Victorian art that began in the 1960s, Leighton has received critical hostility, despite his growing popular appeal as indicated by the exhibition's large attendance and the iconic status now accorded Flaming June. Utilizing a broad range of methodologies, the present revisionist essays argue that Leighton was far more progressive and complex than previously thought. For instance, in his art he emphasized formal qualities and "beauty" over narrative content and historical accuracy, and he moved in avant-garde as well as establishment circles. Leighton's paintings, since their creation frequently labeled "effeminate," are examined (inconclusively) for homoerotic subtexts, and his idealized figures, with their ambiguities of gender, are discussed in terms of recent critical debates on the body. An acute sensitivity in Leighton to self-presentation and artistic identity is also revealed. A fascinating alternative to received Francocentric views of the development of modernism and essential reading for those interested in Victorian art and aestheticism. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. E. M. Lee University of Oklahoma
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
This volume comprises 14 scholarly papers, many of which are an outgrowth of a conference convened by the editors at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Leighton (1830-96), a president of the Royal Academy of Arts, is a difficult artist to assess and a highly controversial one; during his lifetime reviewers attacked his work as flamboyant and effeminate and as "empty pomp." The contributors attempt to examine his work from a variety of angles under three main headings: his use of aesthetic elements from antiquity; his use of Renaissance elements, notably costumes and settings; and his relation to modernity in his many activities. The last of these headings seems to be the most difficult perspective to assess. The volume does provide a very useful and extremely important examination of Leighton's work in the context of his age and some interesting sidelights into his home, his interest in music, and his promotion of new painting. This beautiful volume will necessarily appeal to the specialist.ÄMartin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Library Journal Review
