Romanticism was a cultural movement that started

in Europe. It was somewhat of a reaction to the Industrial

Revolution which occurred during the same time period.

The movement affected philosophical thinking, literature,

music, and art.

When was the Romantic style of art popular?

The Romantic Movement started at the end of the

1700's and reached its peak in the early 1800s. It marked

the end of the Baroque movement and was followed

by Realism.

Characteristics of Romantic Art

• Romantic art focused on emotions, feelings, and

moods of all kinds including spirituality, imagination,

mystery, and fervour.

• The subject matter varied widely including landscapes,

religion, revolution, and peaceful beauty. The brushwork

for romantic art became looser and less precise.

Artists and their Paintings During the

Romantic Period

Caspar David Friedrich

He was a landscape painter

of the nineteenth-century German

Romantic movement, of which he is

now considered the most important

painter.

As Romanticism called for,

Friedrich demonstrated devotion to

God through nature, the diminished

strength of man in the larger scale of

life, and great emotion.

The Wanderer Above the Sea and Fog

by Caspar David Friedrich, 1818

In this picture, a manstands at the peak of a rockyprecipice, his back to theviewer as he looks out overthe clouds and the world. Theviewer experiences the awe ofnature and at the same timefeels the insignificance of man.The painting does an excellentjob of conveying the emotionof a moment and the drama of

nature.

Francisco de Goya

He is considered the

“Father of Modern Art.”

Goya moved from jolly

and light-hearted to deeply

pessimistic and searching in his

paintings, drawings, etchings,

and frescoes.

In 1770s, Goya began to

work for Spanish royal court. In

addition to his commissioned

portraits of the nobility, he

created works that criticized the

social and political problems of

his era.

The Third of May 1808

by Francisco Goya

The Third of May

1808 shows a different side of

the Romantic artist, the side of

revolution. In this painting

Francisco Goya is

commemorating the Spanish

resistance to France and the

armies of Napoleon. This

painting has movement,

drama, and emotion typical of

the Romantic Era. It is also

one of the first paintings used

to protest the horrors of war.

Joseph Mallord

William Turner

(JMW Turner)

One of the finest landscape

artists whose works were exhibited

when he was still a teenager.

His work was exhibited when

he was still a teenager. His entire life

was devoted to his art. Unlike many

artists of his era, he was successful

throughout his career.

In 1850 he exhibited for the

last time.

Fishermen at Sea

by JMW Turner, 1794

Turner was fascinated

by the mood of nature, her ever

changing effects. He was

always sketching the clouds,

the sky, and his natural

surroundings. Turner was

particularly fascinated with the

power of the ocean and said

that he had once asked to be

lashed to the mast of a ship in

order to “experience the

drama” of a mighty storm at

sea.

Frederic Edwin Church

He was an American

landscape painter born in

Hartford, Connecticut.

He was known for

painting large panoramic

landscapes, often depicting

dramatic natural phenomena,

with emphasis on light and a

romantic respect for natural

detail.

Aurora Borealis

by Frederic Edwin Church,

1865

In a time before advanced

photography, Romantic

paintings provided ordinary

people a chance to see

natural phenomena they

would never have an

opportunity to witness

themselves.

Thomas Cole

He is regarded as the

founder of the Hudson River

School.

Coles' only student

was Frederic Edwin Church, one

of the leaders of the second

generation of the Hudson River

School.

He specializes

in landscapes.

The Voyage of Life series depicts four stages of a

man’s life and serves as a Christian allegory set in a

Romantic backdrop.

The Voyage of Life

by Thomas Cole,1840

Childhood. The baby exits the dark canal and

begins his new life. The water is calm and smooth, the

surroundings innocent and Edenic. The boy’s guardian

angel grasps the tiller and controls the boat.

Youth. The water is still smooth, the surroudings still peaceful andlush. But now the angel leaves the boy, who eagerly takes the tiller himselfand sets off on his own towards his lofty dreams and ambitions.

It is hard to tell from this image of the painting, but around thebend of the river the water begins to get choppy and rough; journeying tothe castle of his dreams will not be as easy as it now seems.

Manhood. The boy is now a man. The vegetation is gone; the watersare choppy; the skies have darkened. The tiller of the boat is gone; the man isno longer entirely in control, and he prays for help.

The angel still watches over him, but now from afar. The man cannotsee the angel and must have faith that she is there.

Cole wanted to convey the way the dreams and idealism of youthcrash into the “realities of the world.”

The ocean symbolizes the end of the man’s life; he can begin to seeit, and the warmth of the sunset hints of hope in the midst of his trials.

Old Age. The man is now old and the angel returns to his side. His

boat has made it to the ocean. The waters are once more calm. The

light is breaking through the dark clouds. The man’s faith has sustained

him throughout the trials of life and now the beauty of eternity stretches

out before him.

Hudson River School

The Hudson River School was a mid-19th

century American art movement embodied by a group

of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was

influenced by romanticism.

The paintings for which the movement is named depict

the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area, including

the Catskill, Adirondack, and the White Mountains; eventually works by

the second generation of artists associated with the school expanded to

include other locales in New England, the Maritimes, the American

West, and South America.