The Victorian era embraced a plethora of contrasting artistic movements, from Classicism and Neoclassicism, to Romanticism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism.

Classicism concentrated on the accurate and somewhat subjective depiction of an everyday, visible world, and was therefore seen as the opposite of Romanticism, since this latter aimed to illustrate impulsive expression of emotion over reason, often demonstrated in dramatic scenes of vibrant colours.

The late 19^th century saw the introduction of the Impressionist art movement, which viewed subjects as transitory and sought to capture corresponding effects of colour and light. Post-Impressionism developed as a response to the limitations of Impressionism. In the midst of these movements, the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood was formed to recapture a style of art that preceded Raphael’s during the Renaissance, drawing on symbolism and works of poetry for inspiration.

The overall result is that Victorian art can be seen to offer a full spectrum of artistic styles, movements and developments, not to mention the invention of photography and new technologies in architecture that paved the way to the modern world.