ROMANTICISM

AUBREY ILLURIMO
BSECE 2-5
HOW
ROMANTICISM
SPREAD
AT T H E E N D O F 1 8 T H C E N T U RY A N D
W E L L I N TO T H E 1 9 TH, R O M A N T I C I S M
Q U I C K LY S P R E A D T H R O U G H O U T
E U R O P E A N D U N I T E D S TAT E S T O
C H A L L E N G E T H E R AT I O N A L I D E A L
H E L D D U R I N G T H E E N L I G H T E N M E N T.
T H E A R T I S T S E M P H A S I Z E D T H AT
S E N S E A N D E M OT I O N S A R E – N OT
S I M P LY R E A S O N A N D O R D E R W E R E
E Q U A L LY I M P O R TA N T M E A N S O F
U N D E R S TA N D I N G A N D E X P E R I E N C I N G
T H E WO R L D.
• O R I G I N AT E D I N G E R M A N Y

• C E L E B R AT E D I N D I V I D U A L
I M A G I N AT I O N

• F U E L E D A V A N T- G A R D E M O V E M E N T S I N
T H E 2 0 TH C E N T U RY

• L I T E R AT U R E , M U S I C , A R T,
ARCHITECTURE

• E M P H A S I Z E D I N D I V I D U A L’ S
C O N N E C T I O N T O N AT U R E A N D A N
I D E A L I Z E D PA S T

• B E I N G E M O T I O N A L LY E N G A G E D W A S
T H E U LT I M AT E A I M O F T H E I R
A RT WO R K
HOW TO IDENTIFY AN
ARTWORK AS A
ROMANTIC ART
MOVEMENT
GLOOMY OR
C L O U DY

The skies are gloomy or

cloudy as a sign of imminent
danger and fear of the
unknown, e.g. Wanderer
above the Sea of Fog by
Caspar David Friedrich.
DA R K A M B I E N C E

A focus on nature –
mystical landscapes with
dark mysterious ambience;
dark in both a literal and
figurative sense, e.g. Der
Heuwagen by John
Constable.
D R A M AT I C

Dramatic scenes of man or

nature, occasionally with
undertones of nature’s
triumph over man, e.g. The
Course of Empire
Destruction 1836 by Cole
Thomas.
PROMINENT AND
OV E RW H E L M I N G
SKY

The sky is prominent and

overwhelming, often taking
over around half of the
painting, e.g.Venice Grand
Canal by Joseph Mallord
William Turner
VISIBLE BRUSH
STROKES

Dramatic scenes (similar to

Baroque art but) painted in
visible brushstrokes, as
typical of the Romantic
style, e.g. Liberty Leading
the People by Eugène
Delacroix.
EXPRESSIVE
FA C E S

Horrific and gothic images,

where faces express feelings
such as intense pain,
anguish, anger or fear, e.g.
Saturn Devouring his Son
by Francisco de Goya
ROMANTIC
ARCHITECTURE
RO M A N T I C I S M I N A R C H I T E C T U R E I S A N
U M B R E L L A T E R M T H AT C O V E R S M A N Y O F
T H E E U R O P E A N 1 9 T H C E N T U RY
' R E V I VA L I S T ' A N D E A S T E R N I N F L U E N C E D
S T Y L E S ; N E O C L A S S I C A L / G R E E K R E V I VA L ,
G OT H I C R E V I VA L , B A RO Q U E R E V I VA L ,
RO M A N E S Q U E R E V I VA L A N D I N D O -
SARACE NI C ARE SOME E XAMPL E S.
G R E E K R E V I VA L
British Museum, London - Robert
Smirk (Architect)

The Romantic period in the arts

kicked off with the excavations and
the rediscovery of ancient ruins from
the Roman and Greek periods of
antiquity. This led to an explosion of
ancient Greco-Roman temple
architecture being revived in new
architectural arrangements. It
celebrated a sense of 'purity' that had,
it was thought, become 'polluted' by
science and rational philosophies.
G OT H I C R E V I VA L
Houses of Parliament, London -
Charles Barry (Architect)
G OT H I C R E V I VA L
Houses of Parliament, London -
AWN Pugin (Interior consultant)
I N D O - S A R AC E N I C
Royal Pavilion, Brighton - John
Nash (Architect)
ROMANTIC MUSIC
• E M OT I O N A L E X P R E S S I O N – T H I S B E C A M E
M O R E I M P O R TA N T T H A N F O R M A L
S T R U C T U R A L C O N S I D E R AT I O N S A S
COMPOSERS REBELLED AGAINST THE
FORMAL RESTRAINT OF THE CLASSICAL
P E R I O D.
• B I G E X PA N S I O N I N S I Z E O F O R C H E S T R A
A N D I N T Y P E S O F I N S T R U M E N T.
• N E W S T R U C T U R E S / F O R M S – R H A P S O D Y,
NOCTURNE, SONG CYCLE
• I N C R E A S I N G LY E L A B O R AT E H A R M O N I C
PROGRESSIONS
• LONGER MELODIES THAN CLASSICAL
PERIOD
• B I G G E R R A N G E O F DY N A M I C S
• LARGER RANGE IN PITCH (COULD BE
V E RY E A S I LY E X P R E S S E D O N T H E P I A N O ) .
• N AT I O N A L I S M I N M U S I C – S O M E
C O M P O S E R S S O U G H T TO U S E T H E I R
C O M P O S I T I O N S T O C E L E B R AT E T H E I R
COUNTRIES E.G. SIBELIUS FINLANDIA
FRANZ LISZT
L U DW I G VA N
B E E T H OV E N
FREDERIC
CHOPIN
P YOT R I LY I C H
T C H A I KOV S K Y
F R A N Z S C H U B E RT
R O B E RT
SCHUMANN