Frederic Leighton, "Flaming June," 1895, oil on canvas, Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico.

The Aesthetic Movement emerged in mid-19th century England as a direct response to the didacticism, moralizing, and conformity of Victorian art and design. Proponents of Aestheticism, known as 'aesthetes,' pursued a new ideal of beauty and self-expression in an effort to elevate taste and create an 'art for art's sake.

The freedom of creative expression and sensuality that Aestheticism promoted exhilarated its adherents, but it also made them the object of ridicule among conservative Victorians. Nonetheless, by rejecting art's traditionally didactic obligations and focusing on self-expression, the Aesthetic movement helped set the stage for 20th-century modern art. 

• The central tenet of Aestheticism was that every element of a work of art was essential to the whole and that art should be a part of everyday life. Aesthetic artists embraced not just the 'fine arts,' but also ceramics, metalwork, fashion, furniture-making, and interior design.

Thomas Jeckyll, "Sunflower andirons," in the Peacock Room, c. 1878-84, iron with gilding, Freer Gallery of Art, USA.

James Abbott McNeill Whistler, "Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Cremorne Lights," 1872, oil on canvas, Tate Britain, England.