Art of the Romanticism Era Essay Example

Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement in the history of ideas that originated in late 18th century Western Europe. It stressed strong emotion—which now might include trepidation, awe and horror as esthetic experiences—the individual imagination as a critical authority, which permitted freedom within or even from classical notions of form in art, and overturning of previous social conventions, particularly the position of the aristocracy. There was a strong element of historical and natural inevitability in its ideas, stressing the importance of "nature" in art and language. Romanticism is also noted for its elevation of the achievements of what it perceived as heroic individuals and artists. It followed the Enlightenment period and was in part inspired by a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms from the previous period, as well as seeing itself as the fulfillment of the promise of that age. Romanticism cannot be identified with a single style, technique, or attitude, but Romantic painting is generally characterized by a highly imaginative and subjective approach, emotional intensity, and a dream-like or visionary quality (Romanticism art, 2005).
Artist: Caspar David Friedrich Title: Couple Gazing at the Moon

Date: 1807

Medium: oil on canvas

The artist Caspar David Friedrich utilizes poetic themes in his representations of nature. The artist is not interested in exact replication of a scene as it exists in nature, but rather the artist hopes to represent the supernatural quality of nature. The artist represents two figures shrouded in shadow gazing out into a luminous moon-filled landscape. The artist uses rich color to represent both the landscape and the figural forms choosing subtle gradations of these colors to give forms to the figures and the darkened landscape. The moon is depicted as a sky-filled luminosity rather than a specific radiant ball of light. This expansive iridescent light makes the moon a