The Romantic Period
1820 – 1870?
General Overview
Romanticism =
• A literary, artistic, and philosophical movement,
characterized chiefly by a reaction against
neoclassicism (The Age of Reason).
Celebration of the
Individual
It is not about a group of
people, but YOU
YOU are special, and it should
be celebrated
Communion with Nature
• For Romantics, nature was
celebrated as a source of delight,
an image of
love, and a model of moral
perfection.
• Nature provided the pattern on
which to base their creative lives.
The Artist as a Visionary Genius
Sublime vs. Beautiful
• Beautiful = delighting the senses or exciting
intellectual or emotional admiration.
Sublime = Inspiring Awe…
Role of the Artist -- contraries:
• Sublime
• Sense of other-worldliness
• Perception is on the
individual’s mind
• Could also have power
which is threatening (a
darkness)
• “Scariness” – unknown
qualities provide an edge
Romantics preferred the
Sublime to the Beautiful,
as a search for spirituality.
• Beautiful
• Much more Earthly
• Rules for what is
beautiful
th
19
c. Metaphor: the Artist’s Mind as a Mirror or Lamp
• Mirror
• 18th c. metaphor for
reflection in art.
• Art that “reflects” has no
“Aha!” factor.
• Lamp
• Romantics perceived the mind as a
“lamp.”
• A lamp does not reflect, it
illuminates.
• Definite “Aha!” factor.
• Art is a means of transcending.
Finally: Romantics believed that all art should possess “Gusto”
Art should offer enthusiastic and vigorous enjoyment or appreciation.
Art should possess over-abundant vitality
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