Did some of those artists paint nude women? Yes, but damned few and in the scheme of things, those nude paintings were in a classical style and completely unsexual in nature.
Were there a few paintings based on "pagan" themes? Even fewer than the nudes and in the vast majority ( 98%,or thereabouts) of these every single person is wearing clothes !
The Pre-Rapaelite Brotherhood was formed in 1848, when a great revival of the KING ARTHUR legend and the flowering of chivalry was in high swing in London. An extremely large portion of this group's painting deal with that legend and chivalry motifs.
The next two grouping of thematic painting are religious works ( CHRISTIAN ! )and everyday life in England.
Yes, Ruskin championed the Pre-Raphaelites, he also went on attack against those who were trashing Turner; for which he deserves high praise indeed.
You really overgeneralized some of your propositions and could use a wee bit of help sorting out the others. FREEPmail me if you want to continue the discussion. :-)
FYI..............patronage has, until relatively recently ( by people and the church; not governments ) has been the norm. There's no real conspiracy there; though yes, bias and the patron's ideas ( especially by the catholic church ) were fully expected to be reflected in the painting, play, what have you. Those who pay the piper get to choose the sing; as it were.
The Order of the Garter is NOT doled out to nobodies such as painters or playwrite! There are only ever 24 of then and the King and the Prince of Wales; that's it. Yes, some have been politicians, but they also have to be Earls, Barons, or at the least, knights. And in the 19th century, the rules were even more strict.
Now had you concentrated more on the Bloomsbury Group ( which included quite a few painters and writers ), you would have been on firmer ground. They and the Fabians lead down the proverbial primrose path;so to speak.
You’re disconnected from a bigger more inclusive pattern which didn’t begin with the Bloomsbury Group, Cambridge Apostles, Fabians...there’s been many prior which gets passed down by some. The Royal Garter was but one example, just as the Nobel was but one example...the bestowing of titles, mansions, cash, land, was also a part of the prize-giving or graft. Granted I went through the centuries fast but this is a post and not a book.
RE: sp. errors...sorry, write fast due to time restraints..
The Secret Society of Dilettanti 1734 - Prince Charles is an hononory member - benefactor Dashwood - see link above.
“Ribald and profane, the Society nurtured a lively curiosity for ancient erotica, piqued by the sensational finds of sexually explicit art in Herculaneum and Pompeii. They made a subversive contribution to the interpretation of ancient mythology and religion with A Discourse on the Worship of Priapus, which drew from reports of a phallic cult in southern Italy. Designed both to inform and to titillate, this daring treatise argued that all art is rooted in religion, and all religion in sexuality. The exhibition Grecian Taste and Roman Spirit includes what scandalized critics termed “obscene” artifacts, installed in an intimate, dimly lit gallery evoking the “museo segreto,” or a cabinet of erotic curiosities”. ...
http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Society_of_Dilettanti.html
I wish there was more time in the day. I believe when you start digging you’ll find a common thread throughout. Take care.