Material Inspirations: The Interests of the Art Object in the Nineteenth Century and After.

Ranging from William Blake to John Ruskin, Siegel presents us with instances in which the lack of access to the physical original provided a powerful source of creative and literary inspiration. Recovering and highlighting such mediations add fuel to the revisionist argument against the rise of artistic autonomy and formalism, as Siegel questions narratives that privilege the "fantasy of direct, unmediated, entirely personal encounters" with art (148). In part III, "Things, Personally", Siegel analyzes responses by Ruskin and Pater to artistic display. [Extracted from the article]