1 of 25

Romanticism

1780-1850

Rejected the the rigid formality of Neoclassicism

2 of 25

Gothicism: The interest in the Medieval art and architecture was, similarly, a celebration of Western European creativity. The fairies, witches, demons, and monsters of the medieval imagination reappear in a new genre, the Gothic novel.

Caspar David Friedrich

3 of 25

4 of 25

2. EMOtionalism: As a further reaction to the strict formality and cool rationality of Enlightenment era art, emotion

Francisco Goya

1808

—particularly Gothic horror, amazement, sexual titillation, as well as the tender sentiments of affection, sorrow, and longing—became the subject of Romantic period art of all kinds. It is this sometimes sentimental feature of Romantic poetry that is most foreign to modern tastes. Its tendency to wallow in sorrow, to emphasize longing, and position its narrators as occupying places of lonely alienation occasionally crosses the line into the mawkish and melodramatic. Romantic poetry and novels are characterized by sentimentality and characters in thrall to powerful emotions and in search of sublime experiences.

This depiction of warfare was a drastic departure from convention. In 18th century art, battle and death was represented as a bloodless affair with little emotional impact. Even the great French Romanticists were more concerned with producing a beautiful canvas in the tradition of history paintings, showing the hero in the heroic act, than with creating emotional impact. Goya’s painting, by contrast, presents us with an anti-hero, imbued with true pathos that had not been seen since, perhaps, the ancient Roman sculpture of The Dying Gaul. Goya’s central figure is not perishing heroically in battle, but rather being killed on the side of the road like an animal. Both the landscape and the dress of the men are nondescript, making the painting timeless. This is certainly why the work remains emotionally charged today.

5 of 25

3. Exoticism: The Romantics often symbolized alternative modes of living and thinking—as well as the authenticity and naturalness of those living in pre-civilized states—with images of foreign places

6 of 25

4. Nature vs. Religion: One of the more influential answers during the Romantic era was that nature was the dwelling place of God.

Wanderer Above a Sea of Mist

1818

7 of 25

5. Proto-Psychology/ interest in the Cray: Romantic-era artists were fascinated by madness, grief, and other extreme EMOtional and mental states.

8 of 25

… More…

Emphasis on Individualism, originality and the SUBLIME

9 of 25

William Blake

Mary Shelley - Frankenstein

Oscar Wilde - The picture of Dorian Gray

Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre

Washington Irby - The Legend Sleepy Hollow

Bram Stoker - Dracula

Romanticism in Literature

10 of 25

Penny Dreadful

11 of 25

12 of 25

13 of 25

14 of 25

Caspar David Friedrich

15 of 25

16 of 25

17 of 25

William Blake

"To Generalize is to be an Idiot; To Particularize is the Alone Distinction of Merit"

18 of 25

19 of 25

Etching

http://www.teachertube.com/video/william-blake-illuminated-printing-190413

20 of 25

Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing (1786)

21 of 25

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMwNvzRKX64

22 of 25

Henry Fuseli

23 of 25

24 of 25

Milton Dictating to His Daughter, 1794

25 of 25

Neoclassicism: keyword:REASON		Romanticism: keyword: PASSION
Nature is defined as human nature		Nature is defined as natural environment (woods, mountains, etc)
Society more important than individual		Individual more important than society
Imitation		Originality
Tradition		Experimentation
Rules and order		Freedom
Logic, Reason		Intuition, Imagination, Intuition
Attempted objectivity		Accepted subjectivity
Moral and Classical Themes - Loyalty, Courage, Greek Mythology		Fantasy, Dark Themes, The Sublime
Jacques-Louis David, Jean Aguste Dominique Ingres	Antonio Canova: Cupid & Psyche, 1793	JMW Turner,	Henry Fuseli, Casper David Friedrich