Romanticism
The industrial revolution marks a big
turning point in history, in the 18th century this revolution
brought with it a new way of living, a new market economy based on technology.
Machine power replaced animal power, and machine tools replaced human tools.
Villages transformed into urban centers and people from farms and countryside
moved to take new jobs in the new factories.
Those jobs were still brutal, making
people including children work 14 hour shifts. The working poor lived in
extreme filthiness in areas where smokestacks polluted and darkened the air
with soot.
Whilst the industrial revolution had
it’s positive impact, there were those who looked back at the past. Seeing it
as a romantic period where people were not commodified and destroyed.
The Romantic Movement exalted the imagination above all else and elevated the individual in the sense that the human being was no longer part of a machinery but instead was now capable of expressing his own true nature, ideals and dreams. This involved a strong reaction against the Industrial Revolution and exploitation of nature, and a belief that one's own spirit and exaltation of the senses could lead to better society and a richer life.
The Romantic Movement exalted the imagination above all else and elevated the individual in the sense that the human being was no longer part of a machinery but instead was now capable of expressing his own true nature, ideals and dreams. This involved a strong reaction against the Industrial Revolution and exploitation of nature, and a belief that one's own spirit and exaltation of the senses could lead to better society and a richer life.
The artists of the Romantic period wanted to inspire an
emotional response in those that viewed their art.
Fishermen at Sea, by JMW Turner, 1794
Fascinated by ‘the mood of nature’
and its ever changing effects, Turner used to sketch the clouds, sky and the
nature around him. He was even more fascinated by the power of the ocean and
also said that he had once asked to be lashed to the mast of a ship to
experience the drama of a mighty sea storm.
Romantics believed that nature held
evidence of God’s existence, that God was embodied in it.
Turner saw light as a divine emanation and used it in paintings in a way to evoke that truth.
Turner saw light as a divine emanation and used it in paintings in a way to evoke that truth.
Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, by Caspar David Freidrich, 1818
The German artist David Friedrich was
a Romantic artist who represented a perfect example of quality and class. This
is a quintessential Romantic painting which conveys both the massive, infinite
potential on man and the mysterious grandeur of nature.
In this painting, the man has climbed
high and conquered so much, only to see the infinite possibilities still out
there before him. The fog is ubiquitous and is hiding what lies beyond.
Romanticism, 26/02/2013, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism
Paul
Brians, 11/3/1998, http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/romanticism.html
Industrian Revolution, 22/02/2012, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
