A GUIDE TO ROMANTICISM, REALISM, AND

EXPRESSIONISM IN ART

Art will always be interesting. Whether it’s to look

at, study, or simply admire and be surrounded by it, art
plays a very important role in the way our culture is
shaped and defined. Art is expressed and interpreted by
different people in different ways; whether it be a
student studying a degree, a mother of four walking
past a gallery on her way to work, or an emerging artist
creating a new piece in their studio - the experience of
art is different for all.

Because art can range widely and vary so much between different styles and
mediums, it’s always good to know what art forms are available and how they
differ from other styles. Throughout history there have been numerous art
movements and styles, all expressed differently by the artists who used them as
inspiration for their works. This article will look at the three movements of
romanticism, realism, and expressionism in art.

Romanticism

Dating around the early 19th century, romanticism aimed to steer away from its
previous classicism styles. Forming part libertarian and egalitarian ideals of the
French Revolution, romanticism aimed to provide art that had a glimpse of the
ideal. This form of art looked at ways that it could represent and emphasise the
emotional, spiritual, and unattainable ideal of forms.

Artworks of romanticism would often portray a scene or person, adding features

to the image to make it appear closer to the notion of perfection. Images painted in
this style will often be close to realism, but with colours distorted to make the
painting more beautiful. For example, a glimmering sunset portraying a
picturesque scene may be painted with extra golden tones and be brighter in its
final form than what would have appeared in reality. This style focused quite a bit
of emphasis on the senses and emotions over reason and intellect. Famous painters
of romanticism often worked to provide an image that represented
a feeling towards the Earth and life, rather than the exact way it would appear to
the naked human eye.
Popular romantic artists and artworks

This particular art style was explored by many artists.

Over the years, their art grew in popularity and to this day
romanticism still draws a crowd at major art galleries
around the world.

Some of the most famous works and artists of romanticism include:

1. ●     The Hay Wain (1821) - John Constable

Depicting an image of water, horse and cart, and building along the water’s
edge, this piece is one of great importance to this style of art. Although it
appears to be a simple enough painting, the style, shape, and colours of the
clouds and sky amongst the almost glowing yellowing of the trees shows the
true style of romanticism.

2. ●     Gothic Cathedral by the Water (1813) - Karl Friedrich Schinkel

This painting often takes people’s breath away. Showing a backlit cathedral
along the edge of the water, with workers on the opposite side of the water
going about their daily business, Schinkel has managed to perfectly portray
how the sun can make even the dark side of a building look attractive and
intriguing. Added to this the way the clouds are formed and shaped in the sky
with ease and sense of movement, this piece truly stands out amongst some of
the most famous romanticism pieces of all time.

3. ●     Memory of Mortefontaine (1864) - Jean-Baptiste Carot

One of the main attempts of Carot in this painting was to reflect the image
as though it was a blurry photograph. He attempted this rather well, and
although still a beautiful scene, the image has been romanticised due to the
speckles of light reflecting across the image, which almost appear to be
fairytale-like. The light reflection on the water creates a pleasant scene.
Although the painting is mostly realist, the fact that other paint effects have
been incorporated into the image makes this style a work of romanticism.
Being one of the most popular pieces of romantic art in the world, it’s not hard
to see why.

Colin Parker’s oil based paintings turn the outbacks striking natural scenery into an
elevated image of romantic beauty with his use of bright colours. Romanticism
blurred with Australian contemporary art, we’ve never seen the Outback sky look
so colourful.

Realism

Just as the name suggests, realism is art that depicts the real authenticity of a
subject matter. Idealism is revoked in this style, and the focus is more on the real
and actual and not the artist’s imagined reality. Realism dates back as early as the
1400s and many historical pieces are realist in nature. Historical paintings,
portraits, and landscapes of early years were all painted with realistic principles,
however the term wasn’t used until the 1840s by French novelist, Champfleury.

Gustave
Courbet "Self Portrait (The Desperate Man)"

Artists working within the realism form were free to discover and portray real
scenes of landscapes and people. Many artists of the time ventured to find scenes
of landscapes and depict them through their paintings to offer viewers a chance to
see what the place of choice really looked like. Painting human subjects aimed to
depict a person’s true looks and show the ‘real them’. Some of the most favoured
subjects by realist artists were scenes of rural and urban working life, street life,
cafes, nightclubs, the human form, and nudity. During the peak era of realism -
unsurprisingly - many upper and middle class patrons were shocked by the subject
matter of some of the artists. In France and Victorian art of England, therefore,
realism was not completely embraced.

Popular realist artists and artworks

With an abundance of realist artists in the world, it’s hard to narrow down a
selection of some of the most popular. Here are just a few:
 1. ●     Self Portrait (The Desperate Man) (1843-45) - Gustave Courbet
As the title explains, this self portrait by Courbet shows a desperate man,
painted as close to reality as possible. This work excels in realism, and many
have commented on how you can almost feel the desperation in the eyes of
Courbet in this painting. Courbet was dedicated to painting only what he saw,
and completely rejected the style of romanticism that existed prior to realism’s
popularity. Courbet was also recognised for his other artworks such as The
Wave, The Origin of the World (L’Origine du Monde), and The Source.

2. ●     The Doctor (1891) - Luke Fildes

This painting was originally commissioned by Sir Henry Tate in 1890, and
Fildes was allowed to paint anything of his own accord. Fildes decided to
depict a harrowing scene of the time his first son had passed away. The image
shows a doctor overlooking the child laid across two dining chairs, while
Fildes and his wife overlook in the background with sadness. Although a dark
image and quite disheartening, this painting is a true reflection of realism.

German born Australian artist Falk Kautzner represents the Australian landscape

with such realism you’d think they were works of photography. His paintings
portray the Australian beaches with striking realism so successful you can almost
smell the seawater.

Expressionism

Expressionism is generally considered to

have originated in Northern Europe, in
particular Germany. Expressionist artworks
first began to appear across Germany and
were thought to have been a reaction to the
ever increasing unattachment to the real
world by society, and the loss of
authenticity and spirituality by the human
race. From Germany, this style of art began
to increase and spread throughout Europe
and the rest of the world.

Expressionism saw artists expressing their work from within themselves, and
wasn’t limited to the realist art principles of the external. The way this style of art
was assessed generally came down to how the artist was successfully able to depict
their own feelings within the artwork as opposed to the assessment of the
composition. This style of art will often show large swirls, swaying, and
exaggerated brushstrokes. These strokes were intended to represent the swirling
turmoil of society, and the human race and its reaction to the modern world.

Popular expressionist artists and artworks

1. ●     The Scream (1893) - Edvard Munch

Perhaps one of the most famous artworks of all time, The Scream depicts an
image of Munch walking across a bridge overlooking Oslo. He stated that the
sky had turned a bright red, and his fear and anxiety of his surroundings and
the changes happening around him were the main inspiration for this artwork.

2. ●The Starry Night (1889) - Vincent Van Gogh

Not all expressionist artworks depict anger, fear, and anxiety. The emotions
can range right through to intensity, passion, and love. The Starry Night by
Van Gogh shows large and over exaggerated swirls of colour, ranging from
beautiful yellows to dark blue hues. This painting shows Van Gogh’s inner
emotions spread out across a city landscape.

Watch and listen to the video “The Starry Night (1889) by Vincent Van Gogh“ via
Google Classroom.

link: https://youtu.be/dipFMJckZOM