The Romantic period in literature and art began in the late 1700s and extended into the early 1800s. This era saw the rise of nation-states, increased social mobility, and people moving to cities alongside new technologies. Romanticism emphasized individualism, imagination, and idealization of childhood, families, love, nature, and the past. Key characteristics included expressive brush strokes, bold colors, a focus on light and middle-class subjects engaged in leisure activities like reading. Realism depicted ordinary people and events realistically without glorification, using accurate colors and neat brush strokes. Romantic paintings emphasized nature, freedom, and strong emotions through detailed renderings and calm color palettes showing the beauty and mood of nature

1. Romantic Period
Essence Perry

2. Romantic Movement
Romanticism is a period, movement,
or style in literature, music, and other
arts starting in the late 1700s into the
early 1800s, a time when the modern
culture in which we now live was first
taking form. The Romantic era is the
historical period of literature in which
modern readers most begin to see
themselves and their own conflicts
and desires.

3. Outcomes of Romantic Period
● The rise of nation-states
● Increasing geographic
● Social mobility
● People moving to cities
● New technologies
● Power
● Individualism
● Imaginative
● Idealization of childhood
● Families, love, nature, and the past

4. Impressionism:
In afternoon tea, Bracquemond used a
painting style of quick, visible brush strokes.
She put bold colors, and an emphasis on the
play of natural light between trees.
Brocquemond’s subject for her painting was
as much of the modernized woman( woman
reading), as the nature and landscape behind
her. Like other impressionists, she focused on
middle class people doing leisurely activities,
such as reading and eating. As you look at
the painting you see blending colors, and
blurry lines in the painting signature of
impressionist paintings.
Marie Bracquemond
Afternoon Tea

5. Realism
Realism depicts the world, its events, and
people as they really are. There is no
personification of people as mythological
beings, no one is glorified, no
romanticizing anyone or any animals. In
Bonheur's painting ordinary herders and
animals became the subjects of her
painting, she wasn’t glorying anything but
ordinary, middle class. The painting style
itself is very practical and realistic, the
colors are completely accurate with neat
even brush strokes.
Ploughing in Nevers
Rosa Bonheur

6. Romanticism
In Waterhouse, Waterhouse emphasises
wind, and it’s force. The painting also
gives off a strong emotion of freedom and
peacefulness, by the calm colors and
images of nature. Waterhouse focused on
nature over society and cities, by putting
the woman in a meadow with mountains in
the background. The painting itself is
highly detailed and shows the texture and
shape of every object, from the flowers to
her hair. This painting clearly shows the
beauty of nature and a calming mood,
clear trait of romanticism.
Windswept
John William Waterhouse