Preferences and Perspectives - The Romantic Era

 Romantic vs. Realist

The romantic style of painting was developed in the 1800s, often depicting scenes of nature, showing the earth's power and beauty in one. The subjects were often gorgeous waterfalls, breathtaking views, violent storms, shipwrecks lost to the waves, etc. The idea of it was to produce a sense of emotion from the observer. However, nature scenes were not the only subjects of romantic style painting. If a scene could gather emotion from the viewer, then it could be painted during this era. Whether this is fear, joy, or awe, the main goal of the romantic style paintings was to get an emotional response. Those who painted storms often tried to produce fear from the onlooker because the artist believed "all that imprints a feeling of terror, leads to the sublime” (Edmund Burke, 1757). But those who painted tall, vibrant waterfalls are most likely trying to find a sense of calm or even joy in their work. Although different artists have different goals for their work, they all still have one thing in common, they are trying to make the viewer feel a different way. 

The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli 

One example of a romantic style painting is The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli. Fuseli studied in Italy to learn painting, which is where many believe this work was created. This painting shows a distressed woman who appears to be passed out with a hairy monster on top of her. This seems to show the content of her dream, although this is not certain. It could also be showing a demon that is a resident of the spiritual world. The intent of this painting was to strike fear into the observer, and that it did. It was displayed in the London's Royal Academy exhibition in 1782 and caused many visitors to have nightmares of their own. The unique feature of this painting was that it is not based on history. Most of the paintings during this era as well as others was that they are based on people of history or nature. Fuseli thought of this image in his mind, not basing it on real live people. This work shows both horror and sexuality, and often brings discomfort to the viewer. 

The contrast between light and dark colors reminds me of the spiritual world, angels and demons, good and evil, and this painting represents this extremely well. The dark background with the incubus blending in makes the woman sleeping more vibrant. To me, it almost looks like her soul is being taken out of her body. 

This work is painted in a way for texture to appear visible as if it could be touched. The clothing of the sleeping woman has wrinkles, and the hair on the creature can be easily seen. This is typical of the romantic style paintings, as they often depict nature scenes. The painters use this to make their works appear more realistic and more enjoyable to the eye. 

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich, 1818

The painting Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog is a good example of typical paintings during the romantic era. It shows a beautiful yet powerful scene of a man who appears to have conquered a mountain, standing above the fog. This could elicit a feeling of hope from the onlooker because it shows a scene of perseverance and success. In this scene, it also shows the vastness of nature and how small people are in comparison to the world. This work was painted in Hamburger Kunsthalle, using oil on canvas. It is often used by people to represent self reflection as the man stares into the fog abyss. The identity of the man is not known for certain, but it is said to be the artist himself. The old German outfit depicted in the painting is thought to represent the German Nationalist movement, causing it to be banned in 1819 by the German confederation. In 1939 it was hung in Berlin in the gallery of Wilhelm August Luz. 

Pattern is often used in the romantic era of painting, specifically patterns found in nature. Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog is a good example of this because the pattern of the mountains and the fog can be seen. This may allow the viewer to have a sense of familiarity, as many people have seen these patterns in their lives. 

The romantic era of art typically tries to elicit emotion out of the observer, which I usually like. However, when it is trying to produce fear, that is one that I have mixed feelings about. I do not enjoy feeling afraid or seeing a painting, picture, article, etc. that makes me uncomfortable. I enjoy looking at the paintings of landscapes or nature such as in Friedrich's Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, but I do not like getting negative emotions from art unless it is a way to learn from history. I am the type of person that tries to avoid fear and despair when it is not necessary, so when a work's intent is to make me uncomfortable, I try to ignore it.  

Realism was created as a response to romanticism. It shows the middle, working class and what they have to live through just to get by. They are often dark and depressing because that is the truth of how they lived. The artwork was a way of expressing how they felt about their ways of life, and showing the public that not everyone can live like royalty. 

The Gleaners by Jean-François Millet, 1857

Painted in Musée d'Orsay, Paris, The Gleaners by Jean-François Millet portrays working people, gleaning what appears to be grain on someone else's land. To make his painting more authentic, Millet spent almost a decade researching the process of gleaning. This work was "admired by French republicans for its dignified and realistic appreciation of the rural poor" (Visual arts). As it can be seen in the painting, while the women are doing backbreaking hard labor, the owners of the land have horses and other cattle to pull their carriage and have much easier ways of getting their work done. But since the women do not have enough money or a way of getting their own land, they have to resort to gleaning. The painting's intent was to shine a light on the drastic difference between social classes in France. The fact that they are all bent over, not going into the horizon supposedly represents the "glass ceiling" and that where a person is born is where they have to stay. 

The colors of this painting, specifically of their clothing, are said to represent the coming freedom. Blue, red, and white are the colors of the French Republic's flag, a huge symbol of the revolution. The background is mostly bland, almost monotone colors, which makes their clothing stick out more. The plain colors also give a sense of boredom and depression to me, which could be the emotion the painter was trying to convey. 

In many of the realist style paintings, the shapes mimic real life scenarios such as gleaning in a field of grain. The shapes are sometimes repetitive such as in the grass and the trees in the background. The repetitiveness could also represent the feeling of repetition in the middle class's life as they have to go to the same job, that they most likely hate, every day, just to make enough money to survive.  

Raft of the Medusa (Scène de Naufrage) by Théodore Géricault, Louvre, 1819

The painting Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault depicts the remaining crew of a ship that is starving and struggling to survive. It is believed to have been completed in Rouen, France, Géricault's hometown. This painting was meant to resemble the wreck of the Medusa, a French Naval freight, that occurred in 1816. The "survivors" on the raft eventually gave in to their hunger and succumb to cannibalism and murder. The reason there were so many men on the raft was because the captain and the higher ranking officers decided to save themselves while leaving the other men to die. This is a great example of realism because it shows how the lower ranking, middle class average people had to live every day. Those who "outranked" them, whether in the military, wealth, status, etc., always got the easy way out, and they were left for dead. 

There is a natural pattern in Raft of the Medusa which can be seen in the waves and the sky. It reflects what can be seen in nature and shows what many of us are familiar with. In this case, the patterns are negative because they are stranded at sea, and want to see a change to this pattern, specifically land. This form of pattern is typically negative in these styles of paintings because they are showing the negative side of society.

The realist style of painting brought about awareness and sympathy for the working class, allowing them to be recognized. Because of this, I would love to have either of these paintings in my home. They show the struggle of the common people and bring light to a constant battle between classes. Previously, art would tend to only show the good sides of society, or be a made up scene all together, but in this era it allowed the truth to come out and expose the corruption in the way the government was run. The art helped aid in the revolution and brought necessary change to different locations. 

The romantic style and realist style art may have been popular during the same time period, but they are drastically different. One style shows nature and tries to glorify different scenes, while the other depicts the way life really is, without sugar coating anything. While they both evoked emotion, the realist's goal was to cause change in their way of life and to see equality between classes. I would much prefer to have the realist style in my home because it represents something more than just a painting. It represents hope and a hope for a brighter future. 

Citations

Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, June 17). Wanderer above the Sea of Fog. Wikipedia. Retrieved July 5, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_above_the_Sea_of_Fog

The Gleaners (1857) by Jean-Francois Millet. The Gleaners, Jean-Francois Millet: Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved July 5, 2022, from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/paintings-analysis/gleaners-millet.htm

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). The raft of the Medusa. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 5, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Raft-of-the-Medusa

Romanticism movement overview. The Art Story. (n.d.). Retrieved July 5, 2022, from https://www.theartstory.org/movement/romanticism/