Art of the Romantic Era
1800-1900
Characteristics
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Emphasis on the search for free expression of personal feelings
A revolt against convention and authority
Formal perfection was no longer the top priority
Used aspects of Classical form when it served its purpose, but not at the
expense of personal expression
• Reflected Rousseau’s Social Contract
– Emphasized individualism
– People should be guided by natural instincts
– Humans are inherently good
• Subjects included nature, poetic/literary references, violence/shocking
events
• The public became the source of patronage for artists
– Selling of works of art
– Fees for exhibitions
– Public taste often influenced artists
Theodore Gericault
• 1791-1824
• French
• The Raft of the Medusa
– Inspired by the sinking of the ship, Medusa, off the
coast of West Africa
– A handful of survivors remained
– Gericault dramatized scenes aboard the raft
• Expressions of despair, hunger, thirst, struggle
• Achieved through color, twisting diagonal lines, and faces
and gestures of subjects
• https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2735/4051322369_ec3b88c281
_z.jpg
Eugene Delacroix
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1798-1863
French
Known as a revolutionary
Described as a “barbarian” and a “savage with a paintbrush”
Came from a wealthy family, was well-educated, and had many famous
friends (Balzac, Victor Hugo, George Sand, Chopin)
• Liberty Leading the People
– Recalls the Revolution of 1830 (Charles X was overthrown
– Liberty portrayed as an allegorical goddess leading France over the barricades
• Symbolizes the energy and action necessary to gain freedom and retain it
• Figures around her represent the various classes of people that make up a nation
– Utilizes Baroque techniques
• Forms melt into each other
• Contrasting light and dark used for dramatic effect
• http://uploads4.wikiart.org/images/eugene-delacroix/the-liberty-leading-the-people1830.jpg
Marie-Guillemine Benoist
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1768-1826
French
Studied with Jacques-Louis David
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Known for portraits, including Napoleon’s
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http://www.mrodenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Benoise-Portrait-of-Napoleon-1809.jpg
Portrait of a Negress
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Under his influence, painted historical subjects
Also used mythological subjects
Known for feminist point of view
Portrays a regal woman looking out from the canvas
Notable use of colors and contrast
Slavery had become abolished six years prior, and this painting became a symbol of emancipation and
women’s rights
http://www.histoire-image.org/photo/anim/anim0605_portrait.jpg
L'Innocence Entre la Vertu et le Vice (Innocence Between Virtue and Vice)
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Reveals Benoist’s feminist interest
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Vice is represented as a man instead of a woman, as was more traditional
http://www.fineart-china.com/upload1/file-admin/images/new24/Marie-Guillemine%20Benoist-377687.jpg
Francisco Goya
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1746-1828
Spanish
Painted a wide range of subjects
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Disasters of War
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Meticulous portraits
Scenes of violence
Used painting to focus attention on moral issues
Set of prints
Showed the mutilation and desecration that took place during the French invasion of Spain in 1808
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Prado_-_Los_Desastres_de_la_Guerra_-_No._03__Lo_mismo.jpg
http://uk.phaidon.com/resource/ins-goya-disasters-of-war-1.jpg
The Third of May
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Portrays the execution of Spanish loyalists by the French
It is said that Goya witnessed the execution, then wen back at night to sketch the corpses
Lighting adds drama by drawing attention to victim in the center
Upraised arms of the victim symbolize the sacrifice of life for liberty
http://test.classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/114/flashcards/322114/png/goya-third-of-may.png
J.M.W. Turner
• 1775-1851
• English
• Known for loose brushstrokes and a high degree of
abstraction
• Used rapid brush techniques to create the spirit of the
object rather than a photographic likeness
• Rain, Steam, and Speed: The Great Western Railway
– http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Ra
in_Steam_and_Speed_the_Great_Western_Railway.jpg