Art History: Romanticism: (1800 - 1850)

The Romantic Movement spread from art into literature and philosophy. It emphasized
emotional, natural and imaginative approaches. In the visual arts, Romanticism came to
signify the departure from classical forms and an emphasis on emotional and spiritual
themes. Caused by the sudden social changes that occurred during the French Revolution
and the Napoleonic era, Romanticism was formed as a revolution against Neoclassicism
and its emphasis on order, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality. Romanticism
began in Germany and England in the 1770’s, and had spread throughout Europe by the
1820’s. Not long after, its influence had spread overseas to the United States.

The movement focused on imagination, emotion, and freedom by way of subjectivity and
individualism. Artists believed in spontaneity, freedom from boundaries and rules, and
living a solitary life free from societal boundaries. Romantic artists believed that
imagination was superior to reason and beauty. They loved and worshipped nature and
were dedicated to examining human personality and moods. Romantics were inherently
curious, investigating folk cultures, ethnic origins, the medieval era. They admired the
genius and the hero, focusing on one’s passion and inner struggle. Romantics also were
interested in anything exotic, mysterious, remote, occult, and satanic. As a movement that
began as an artistic and intellectual movement that rejected the traditional values of social
structure and religion, it encouraged individualism, emotions, and nature.

Artists held personal spirit and creativity above formal training and saw the artistic
process as a transcendental journey and spiritual awakening. Romantic techniques were
developed to produce associations in the mind of the viewer. These foundations of the
Romantic Movement were influential in the development of Symbolism and later
Expressionism and Surrealism.