Art for Art's Sake

The Victorian period was an age of purpose, and the hard ass of high society believed during that time that art served such a purpose—to convey moral, useful messages. The true artists of the late Victorian period in Britain decided to follow the pursuits of their French and Italian brothers and start a movement in revolt of this meaningless notion- the Aesthetic Movement. The backbone to the movement was the belief that art should be created for pleasure, and the only thing to be expected of it was that it should be beautiful. The main characteristics embedded in the art of the Aesthetic Movement are:

-Suggestion rather than statement,

-Sensuality

-Symbolism

-and Synaesthesia (when words evoke another sense, i.e. “loud shirt”, “bitter wind”, etc.)

Some of the most influential artists of the movement were:

-Oscar Wilde

-Algernon Charles Swinburne

-James McNeill Whistler

-Dante Gabriel Rossetti

-and F.C. Burnand

Oscar Wilde has been named as one of the best representatives of the Aesthetic Movement through his poetry, plays, and literature. The Importance of Being Earnest is arguably one of his best works, though at the time of its production it was less well received because of oppression from the ignorant society that Wilde fought so hard against. Wilde was not only artistically involved in the Aesthetic Movement, but also became devoted to the lifestyle suggested by its ideals. He dressed, acted, and lived very flamboyantly, determined to enjoy life on his terms. His perceived lapse in masculinity was dubbed “dandy”, a man who overly concerns himself with physical appearance and leisurely activities. Jack Worthing (The Importance of Being Earnest) was characterized as a "dandy", and some say that Wilde may have mirrored the character after himself. Along with his other indiscretions, the most critisized of all was Wilde's homosexuality, which eventually landed him in jail and ceased the production of Earnest. Wilde never wrote another play after that.

The Importance of Being Earnest depicted the temptation to escape social duties and moral obligations, and the benefits of doing so. The play portrayed the frivolous and immoral lives of its characters as fun and enticing, and took jabs at the stuffy life of high society. The transparency of the forced propriety of Victorian values is unmistakable, and makes it seem as though leading a double life is perhaps more noble than performing ones duties with a feigned zealousness.

Aesthetes and Decadents

Oscar Wilde Online

The Oscar Wilde Society