Aestheticism and Decadence
Aesthetic Movement
developed last decades
19th century
France - Theophilie Gautier
reflected sense of frustration
uncertainty of the artist
reaction against materialism
need to re-define role of artist
artists withdrew from
political scene
escaped into aesthetic isolation
imported into england
James Mcneil Whistler
even roots of english movement
can be traced back to John Keats
Walter Pater
theorist of Aesthetic Movement in England
art was only means to stop time
only certainty
life should be lived
in the spirit of art
feeling all kinds of sensations
task of artist was to fell sensations
the artist was seen
as the trascriber
not of the world, not of mere fact, but oh his sense of it
Peter's work influenced Oscar Wilde
Main rapresentatives of Decadence
in Italy was D'annunzio
novel il Piacere
Pascoli
Gozzano