Romanticism Key Ideas

Innocence of Childhood

Valued children's natural goodness, spontaneity, and freedom from adult constraints, as championed by Rousseau.

Sensitive, Doomed Artist

Celebrated the artist rejected by a cruel world, prioritizing beauty and wisdom, like the poet Thomas Chatterton.

Innocence of Childhood

Valued children's natural goodness, spontaneity, and freedom from adult constraints, as championed by Rousseau.

Sensitive, Doomed Artist

Celebrated the artist rejected by a cruel world, prioritizing beauty and wisdom, like the poet Thomas Chatterton.

Agony of Passionate Love

Focused on dramatic, emotional expression of love over rational considerations, exemplified by Goethe's 'The Sorrows of Young Werther.'

Power of Irrationality

Showed fascination with the irrational and limits of reason, as captured in Goya's 'The Sleep of Reason Brings out Monsters.'

Nature Against Industry

Championed the natural world over industrialization, preferring nature to factories, as seen in Wordsworth's poetry.

Finding the Sublime in Nature

Sought spiritual experiences in nature, viewing it as grand and awe-inspiring, highlighted in Thomas Cole's paintings of Niagara Falls.

Nostalgia for the Medieval

Revived medieval aesthetics, symbolizing a longing for a pre-industrial past, reflected in Pugin's design for the British Parliament building.

Idle Observer

Admired non-practicality and observation, celebrating the ability to find beauty in everyday life, embodied by Baudelaire's flâneur.

Escaping Civilization

Critiqued civilization, seeking refuge in the natural world, as shown by Gauguin's voyage to Tahiti.