Over the course of many centuries, painting has developed and changed in parallel with mankind. This type of art has always been, is, and will be an ideal way to express your feelings. Today, thanks to romanticism paintings, you can feel the spirit of that particular era.
Romanticism is one of the most impressive movements in painting, originated in France in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Many well-known paintings were painted in this style.
History and development of romanticism in painting
It’s no secret that painting reflects what is happening around us. Not a single style or genre of this art came around for no special reason. Romanticism also did not appear by chance, but thanks to two important factors:
- Industrial Revolution;
- The French Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution, which occurred in most Western European countries in the 18th century, took place under the sign of classicism. Scientific and technological progress began to alienate man from nature. The material world began to come to the fore instead of the spiritual.
Another important factor in the development of romanticism is the Great French Revolution, which began in 1789. Overnight, the old feudal order was destroyed, and social relations underwent significant changes. Society’s demand for spiritual renewal was obvious. Heroes leading the people to freedom were more relevant than ever.
Romanticism arose on these contradictions between the material and spiritual, romance and pragmatism, rationalism and empiricism, as well as absolute monarchy and republic. Its rapid development continued until 1848 when the revolutionary movement swept across Europe.
Goals of Romanticism
The Age of Enlightenment, which preceded Romanticism, established the idea that the path to understanding this world lies exclusively through science and reason. The Romantics tried to challenge this idea by trying to understand the world around them using imagination, intuition, and emotion. Gradually, in the process of polemics, the goals of romanticism were formed:
- illustration of spiritual human values;
- demonstration of the picture through the prism of the highest and strongest feelings of human character.
The style also emphasizes the identification of man and nature.
Features, signs, and traits of Romanticism in art
As you know, truth is born in dialogue. In an effort to prove that they were right, romantic painters endowed the new style with the following signs and features:
- idealization of the Ancient World and the dominance of mythological themes as symbols of heroic victories;
- lyrical vision of the world;
- extreme interest in ethnic topics, which was relevant in light of the intensification of national liberation movements of various European peoples;
- play of light and shadow to enhance expressiveness;
- lack of rationalism.
A characteristic feature of romanticism was the desire of artists to express an emotional reaction to the personal lives of the heroes of their paintings.
Conclusion
Romanticism is a very subtle style where every little detail is important. The person who is the epicenter of the entire work can experience various emotions through which greater meanings are revealed that affect not just one person but, on the contrary, the whole society.
