What characterizes the second half of the 19th C., an age of faith in positive consequences, & close observation of natural & human realms.

Victorian art characterized the art of the second half of
the 19th Century.  This was the age of faith in positive consequences, also called the
"positive age." This age of faith in positive consequences
regarding...

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...what can be achieved through the close
observation of the natural and human
realms.

This art flourished
under the reign of Queen Victoria, one of the oldest ruling monarchs in England's
history—she ruled for sixty-four years, from 1837-1901. In light of the industrial
revolution came the idea that science could "solve all human problems" (not such a new
concept), but human progress had been growing as England had become less God-centered
and more human-centered. Victorian art was...

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...shown in the full range of artistic
developments, from the development of photography to the application of new technologies
in architecture.

Painters of
this era were interested in returning to the style of painted that existed before
Raphael. This movement, by painters such as Dante Rossetti and William Holman Hunt (who
"formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood), Arthur Hughes and John William Waterhouse,
wanted to make a statement against industrialization, and so turned
to nature for inspiration. (Waterhouse is known by many as the painter of the famous
"The Lady of Shalott.")

The realism of these paintings is
amazing—looking almost like photographs—utilizing more colors and more detailed
painting.