The Victorians: British Painting, 1837-1901
Faced with the industrial growth and intellectual challenges of the modern era, painters of Victorian Britain responded with images of contemporary realism and past idealism. The rich velvets, wet leaves, or disastrous storms of the works of Turner, Whistler, and Millais can be seen in all their glory inThe Victorians: British Painting 1837-1901,catalogue to the exhibition organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Written by Malcolm Warner, curator at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, with contributions by Anne Helmreich and Charles Brock, the catalogue offers examples of work not often seen by American museum-goers. While the book is not lavishly produced, neither thin paper nor inconsistent reproduction quality can repress the richness of the paintings themselves. These luscious colors and languid figures can soften the hardest heart.