The document summarizes the key characteristics and themes of Romanticism between 1790-1850. Some of the main ideas include: (1) Romanticism emerged as a reaction against Enlightenment rationalism and classicism, emphasizing emotion, individualism, and nature; (2) Artists were seen as romantic heroes and geniuses who stood apart from society as critics; (3) Nature was glorified for its beauty but also its terrifying power over humanity; (4) The supernatural, dreams, and the subconscious mind were explored through art and literature.

2. The Spirit of the Age (1790-1850)
e A sense of a shared vision among the
Romantics.
e Early support of the French Revolution.
e Rise of the individual à alienation.
e Dehumanization of industrialization.
§ Radical poetics / politics à an obsession
with violent change.

4. Enlightenment
Society is good, curbing
violent impulses!
Civilization corrupts!
Romanticis
m
Early
19c
A Growing Distrust of Reason
e The essence of human experience is subjective
and emotional.
e Human knowledge is a puny thing compared to
other great historical forces.
e “Individual rights” are dangerous efforts at
selfishness à the community is more important.

5. The Romantic Movement
e Began in the 1790s and peaked in the 1820s.
e Mostly in Northern Europe, especially in Britain
and Germany.
e A reaction against classicism.
e The “Romantic Hero:”
Ø Greatest example was Lord
Byron
Ø Tremendously popular among
the European reading public.
Ø Youth imitated his haughtiness
and rebelliousness.

6. Characteristics of
Romanticism
The Engaged & Enraged
Artist:
§ The artist apart from society.
§ The artist as social critic/revolutionary.
§ The artist as genius.

7. Wandering
Above the
Sea of Fog
Caspar David
Friedrich,
1818

9. Characteristics of
Romanticism
The Individual/ The Dreamer:
§ Individuals have unique, endless
potential.
§ Self-realization comes through art
Ø Artists are the true philosophers.

10. The Dreamer
Gaspar David Friedrich, 1835

11. Solitary Tree
Caspar David Friedrich, 1823

13. Characteristics of Romanticism
Glorification of Nature:
§ Peaceful, restorative qualities [an
escape from industrialization and
the dehumanization it creates].
§ Awesome, powerful, horrifying
aspects of nature.
Ø Indifferent to the fate of humans.
Ø Overwhelming power of nature.

14. An Avalanche in the Alps
Philip James de Loutherbourg, 1803

15. The Deluge
Francis Danby, 1840

16. Tree of Crows
Caspar David Friedrich, 1822

17. Shipwreck – Joseph Turner, 1805

18. The Raft of the Medusa
Théodore Géricault, 1819

20. Isaac Newton – William Blake, 1795

22. Rain, Steam, and Speed
Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1844

23. Rain,
Steam,
& Speed
(details)

24. The Slave Ship
Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1842

25. The
Slave
Ship
(details)

27. Flatford Mill – John Constable, 1817

28. The Corn
Field
John
Constable,
1826

29. The Hay Wain - John Constable, 1821

31. Characteristics of
Romanticism
Revival of Past Styles:
§ Gothic & Romanesque revival.
§ “Neo-Gothic” architectural style.
§ Medieval ruins were a favorite
theme for art and poetry.

32. Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Ground
John Constable, 1825

33. Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows
John Constable, 1831

34. Eldena Ruin
Gaspar David Friedrich, 1825

35. Winter Landscape with Church
Gaspar David Friedrich, 1811

37. Characteristics of Romanticism
The Supernatural:
§ Ghosts, fairies, witches, demons.
§ The shadows of the mind—dreams &
madness.
§ The romantics rejected materialism
in pursuit of spiritual self-awareness.
§ They yearned for the unknown and
the unknowable.

38. Abbey in an Oak Forest
Caspar David Friedrich, 1809-1810

39. Mad Woman
With a
Mania
of Envy
Theodore
Gericault,
1822-1823

40. Pity - William Blake, 1795

41. The Great
Red
Dragon and
the Woman
Clothed
with the Sun
William Blake,
1808-1810

42. Nightmare (The Incubus)
Henry Fuseli, 1781

43. Saturn
Devours
His Son
Francisco
Goya,
1819-1823

45. Greece on the
Ruins of
Missolonghi
Eugène
Delacroix, 1827

46. Liberty Leading the People
Eugène Delacroix, 1830

47. Detail of the
Musket Bearer
Delacoix,
himself

48. Napoleon
at the
St. Bernard
Pass
David,
1803

49. The Shooting of May 3, 1808
Francisco Goya, 1815

51. Characteristics of
Romanticism
Exoticism:
§ The sexy “other.”
§ A sense of escape from reality.
§ A psychological/moral justification
of imperialism?

52. Grand Canal, Venice
Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1835

53. The Fanatics of Tangiers
Eugène Delacroix, 1837-1838

54. The Sultan of Morocco and His Entourage
Eugène Delacroix, 1845

55. Women of Algiers in Their Apartment
Eugène Delacroix, 1834

56. The Turkish Bath
Jean Auguste Ingres, 1852-1863

57. The Royal Pavillion at Brighton
John Nash, 1815-1823

59. God as the Architect - William Blake,
1794

60. The Cathedral
Gaspar David
Friedrich,
1818

61. The Cathedral
(details)
Gaspar David
Friedrich,
1818

63. The Political Implications
e Romanticism could reinforce the greatest
themes of political liberalism or political
conservatism.
e Contributed to growing nationalist
movements.
Ø The concepts of the Volk and the
Volkgeist.
Ø The uniqueness of cultures was
emphasized.