Victorian Period Test

1. Documentary
Questions
Alejandra Escobar M.
Laura Sofía Rodriguez M.
María Camila Prieto C.

2. 1. Do you think religion radically
influenced John Martin`s works?

3. 2. Which symbols can you
identify in Henry Fuseli’s painting
“Nightmare”?

4. 3. Where does Beardsley’s
paintings come from?
(inspiration, period of time, etc.)

5. 4. Which position did the society
have towards the Church?

6. 5. Make an analysis of Brown`s work
“The Doubt: can this dry bones live?”

7. Documentary Answers

8.  Yes, John Martin came from a very
devoted family, regardless of the
situation, God was their guide, sword
and protection. On Sundays they took
him twice to pray; this shows how the
family pressure towards God influenced
all of his works. For example, his
apocalyptic view and the way he
portrayed it along his writings.
Answer 1:

9.  The Female: she is the main focus of the painting, her
bright colors are made in order to contrast the darkness
of the room and of the rest of elements that are in it.
She´s laying in a very unnatural position, but it
expresses the simplicity of the female kind.
 The Demon: It is the source of the woman`s nightmare.
It’s considered to be a mythological specie
characterized for disturbing women in their sleep;
whether it impregnated them or acted as their alter ego.
 The Horse: The real cause of horror. Its head coming
through the curtain is possibly the desire of traveling
through the night, the one creature that directly stares
at the female, and leads the Demon disturb her sleep
and soul.
Answer 2:

10.  Aubrey Beardsley’s paintings were influenced
by Japanese woodcuts, it emphasized the
grotesque, the decadent and the erotic.
 He was one of the most important artists of
Art Nouveau.
 It was characterized for the use of dark ink
and paintings in black and white.
 His most famous erotic illustrations
concerned themes of history and mythology;
these include his illustrations for Oscar
Wilde's play Salome, which eventually
premiered in Paris in 1896.
Answer 3:

11.  In the 19th century, there was still a great fear
and suspicion about the Anglican Church.
Nevertheless, some people (specially artists)
began to bring several ideas that were
considered to be “unusual” because they
were forbidden or inexistent topics by that
time. They talked about death, reincarnation,
devil and apocalyptic events. The new
scientific discoveries threatened religion as
well. For example, with the discovery of
fossils, they found out that the Earth had
been created long time ago, different from
what the Church had said.
Answer 4:

12.  The painting “The Doubt: can this dry
bones live?” by Brown has different
symbols in it. It depicts a woman lying on
a gravestone staring at some bones that
have come to the surface. The name
written on the gravestone is John
Faithful. On top of the skull, there’s a
blue butterfly resting, this symbolizes
“the resurrection” The title is a quotation
of Ezekiel, which describes God showing
him the valley of dry bones.
Answer 5: