The Influence of the Art for Art's Sake Movement upon English Law, 1780-1959.

This paper analyses the responses of the English legal system to the radically changing relationship between the arts and conventional morality during the period 1780 to 1959. The art for art's sake movement is identified as being a significant catalyst in the process whereby the arts became removed from traditional moral constraints and the response of the courts in their application of the common law of obscene libel is considered in light of this influence. The replacement of the common law of obscenity by the Obscene Publications Act in 1959 concludes the discussion, the inclusion of a public good defence marking a crucial turning point in this area of law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]