Romanticism vs. Realism

 

Romanticism vs. Realism

       Romanticism and Realism both came about in the 1900’s and they were greatly influenced by the Industrial Revolution.  Romanticism artists set out to try to portray their emotional connection to the world around them. While Realism artists wanted to create scenes of the world around them with great accuracy.

Romanticism

        Romanticism paintings were often created out of pure fantasies. Artists wanted to show emotion and feelings within their works. They also were free to express themselves in any way they wanted and were able to use their imaginations. In the beginning of Romanticism, the paintings focused on seascapes or landscapes and included people and animals. They also included Gothic aspects and figures from Greek or Roman mythology and a world of dreams. They show intimacy, spirituality, and color.

        French Romantic paintings can be characterized by there loose, flowing brushstrokes and vibrant colors. Sculptures of this style used exaggerated poses and groups that showed great emotion. The emphasis was on unregulated passion. They also portrayed horrible tragedies and injustices.

Morning (1821)

        Caspar David Friedrich was born in 1774 and studied in Copenhagen. He was a landscape painter of the nineteenth-century German Romantic movement. He is known for his paintings that show silhouettes of people or figures against the morning mists, trees, Gothic ruins, and night skies. The Painting above is called morning and was painted in 1821. It is in the Lower Saxony State Museum, in Hanover Germany. Caspar liked to paint landscapes that made you think. This painting would be considered of the Romantic style not only because it is of a landscape but also because of its mist or fog that is depicted. To me it also seems almost like he is trying to show the beauty that God has created. His use of the colors in the background along with the mist create a feeling of awe. I would like to have this painting in my home. It seems to bring a feeling of peace.   

The Ninth Wave (1850) – Ivan Aivazovsky

        Ivan Aivazovsky was a Russian Painter who was born in 1817 and was considered a Master of Marine art. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts and was appointed the Russian Navy’s chief painter. The painting above was painted in 1850 and is in the Russian Museum, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This is a Romantic style painting due to the fact that it is a landscape piece. Aivazovsky used vibrant and rich colors to bring about feeling and a connection to the sea.  While it is a beautiful painting, it shows how rough the sea can be and presents us with the idea of fear and the unknown. It seems to show God’s power in his creation of such beauty and turmoil. I wouldn’t mind having this painting in my home. I like the colors and I think it would go quite good with my color scheme. 

Young Ladies of the Village (1851-52)

        Gustave Courbet was a French painter of Realism during the mid-19^th century. He wants his paintings to show a true picture of reality, even if that meant the reality was pain or blemishes. Gustave championed for the peasants and country folk of his hometown.  The painting above, Young Ladies of the Village, was painted in 1851-52 and is now located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting is of Courbet’s three sisters walking through a small valley neat their village. One of the young women offers alms to a young cow herder. Although the painting did make it in the Salon, it was criticized as being tasteless and clumsy. We can tell that this piece of work is Realism because it merges life and art together. It tells the truth of what was happening at that point in time. It shows middle class people doing ordinary activities along side of livestock and a dog. While this is a great painting and shows a great deal of detail with rich colors, I do not think I would want this painting in my house. I wouldn’t mind it if it was but, it would not be my first choice. 

Woman Baking Bread (1854)

        Jean-Francois Millett was a French painter and a founder of the Barbizon School in France. He is noted for his many scenes of peasant farmers. The painting, Woman Baking Bread, depicts a woman working in her home baking bread. It was painted in 1854 and it is located at Kroller-Muller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands. While this paint was not one that was well known it caught my eye as an excellent representation of Realism. It does a great job of depicting real life which was one of the main goals of Realism. It shows an ordinary and probably daily activity at the time. The color of red coming from the fire gives me a sense of warmth and a feeling of almost being able to smell the bread cooking. There is not theatrics, it is just a simple painting of a woman baking bread. I would not mind having this in my home. Something about it is soothing and comforting.

References:

Romanticism in France, Khan Academy

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/romanticism/romanticism-in-france/a/romanticism-in-france?modal=1

Caspardavidfriedrich.org, Casper David Fredrich, The Complete Works

https://www.caspardavidfriedrich.org/

Beginner’s Guide to Realism, Khan Academy

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/avant-garde-france/realism/a/a-beginners-guide-to-realism

By artist, unknown. Romanticism vs Realism, June 25, 2021

https://www.artst.org/romanticism-vs-realism/#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20between%20Romanticism,scenes%20that%20were%20pure%20fantasy.