19th Century Romanticism The movement began in England, Germany and France and later spread at a phenomenal speed. There were three main components to Romanticism: Religion, Nationalism, and Literature. According to Romantic Art, 2003, the two movements that fought their way to the top in the 19th century were Classicism and Thriving all over the globe, Romanticism made its mark on the history of art. Romanticism. The major difference between the two movements is the focus on nature and the reason behind it. Classicism focuses on nature and how to understand it with reason and thought. Romanticism however, focuses on nature and how to understand it spiritually.
The Romantic Art movement lasted from about 1815-1848 and more specifically focused on individualism, imagination, irrationalism, emotions and the triumph of emotions over reason and senses over intellect. Some artists’ work even focused on the mysterious, the occult, the diseased and even satanic, which ties into the religious component of romanticism. In most paintings, the artists would portray their religious interest in the form of symbols, such as cathedrals or crosses and created the mood or attitude towards religion by conducting the color scheme to elicit an emotional response from the viewer. In artistic terms, to try and elicit an emotional response by the viewer is called Expressionism, which is a movement within a movement; romanticism.
During the romantic era, art was not the only idea stirring in society. Poetry and literature were coming into play at an unprecedented speed. William Blake was an English painter, engraver, and a poet. His work is known to suggest novel ideas about Christianity. (William Blake, 2007) Also, it is said that some of Blake’s unfinished work was inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. (Blake, 2007) Blake is an eccentric case in the time of romanticism. He falls under religion and literature for the era. His inspirations drawn from Dante’s Divine Comedy and his romantic poetry make him one of the most notable romantics in history.
As stated before, romanticism had three main points of interest; religion, nationalism and literature. While William Blake is indeed a prime example of romanticism in the 19th century, there is another who is quite notable also, but for another reason. Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze was a German-born American artist who usually painted pictures of the members of his society. He is what modern day society would refer to as a romantic nationalist. The focus of his work was the portrayal of his fellow members of the nation he called home, The United States. Most common folk may not know him by his name, but should recognize possibly his most well known piece of art, Washington Crossing the Delaware. Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze is what society refers to as a Romantic Nationalist.
There was another major movement, as stated before, that was occurring at the same time as Romanticism: Classicism. The classical approach to art centers on order, harmony, rationality, and mainly form. Classical also had a more objective outlook on nature than romanticism did. Romanticism was more subjective and focused intensely on feelings, emotions, sensations, and most often disturbing and darker passions in the arts. Classical art was more defined in that the edges of the figures in the paintings or sculptures were hard and very precise. Unlike classical art, the romanticists slurred the edges and focused more on the subject of their work, rather than the portrayal of it. Their edges were very smooth and soft. These two movements were not centralized in any one country or region; they spread globally and are still recognized in the artistic society today.
Although classicism and romanticism were closely related, there were other artistic movements during the 19th century that deserve the same attention. Symbolism was a reaction against the naturalism and realism that had developed over the course of the century. Symbolism favored spirituality, the imagination, and dreams. Like the other art movements, symbolism was found in literature also. Poetry seemed to be a major method of expressing different movements. Symbolists believed that art should aim to capture more absolute truths. Those truths could only be found through indirect methods. Remnants of the symbolist movement can be found in all areas of media, such as music, literature, visual art, and also theater.
There are also other movements occurring around the same time, but there are so many to distinguish between. All movements are just as important as the next. With all the artistic movements, it is hard to say how the world and society would be without the movements. They have all helped the world clarify the small details of each day of their lives. Small details that would not have been noticed if they had never been introduced to it in the first place.
Romanticism changed the world’s view of art and instilled the images of a good example of itself. The world is a different place with that basic understanding. Art is an ever-changing subject. New talent is found everyday and new skills and methods show up on the art map every day. The Romantic Era succeeded in the sense that it opened the eyes of the world to the world of art. Works Cited John Constable-Olga's Gallery. Web. 21 Oct. 2009. History: 19th Century Romanticism in Europe. Cyber Essays. Web. 22 Oct. 2009. . Romantic Art. HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2003. Web. 23 Oct. 2009. http://weuropeanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/romantic_art#ixzz0UaQHa890. William Blake. 1999. Web. 31 Oct. 2009. http://www.huntfor.com/absoluteig/blake.htm. Brion, Marcel. Art of the Romantic Era. New York: Praeger, Print. Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. 1999. Web. 31 Oct. 2009. http://www.huntfor.com/absoluteig/leutze.htm.