‘ART for Art’s Sake’ was the mantra of the Aesthetic Art Movement of the 1880s.
Proponents championed beauty, avoiding the restrictive notions of conformity, morality and sentimentality of earlier Victorian taste. These artists sought to simplify design in their works, making it more streamlined and elegant.
They built on the foundations of the Arts and Crafts Movement, a period of exceptional creativity in Britain. As with Arts and Crafts, Aestheticism touched all aspects of the Arts. Music, literature, fashion, interiors and the visual arts all contributed to this new art movement.
As Victorian morality gave way to more sensual representations of the human form, classically trained artists found themselves with ample opportunity for creative self expression. One such Englishman was Frederic Leighton.
Born into a privileged and wealthy family of physicians, Leighton was expected to take his artistic training and career as seriously as though he were training to be a doctor.

“My parents surrounded me with every facility to le