Romanticism

Romanticism

an artistic and intellectual movement (late 18th–mid-19th century) that rejects reason and order in favor of emotion, imagination, and individual experience, reacting against the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism.

• Themes

  • Nature & the Sublime

  • Imagination, Dreams & Nightmares

  • Heroism & Revolution

  • The Dark Side of Humanity

• Key Characteristics

  • Dramatic light and color

  • Emphasis on atmosphere and mood

  • Expressive brushwork

  • Rejection of classical balance and idealization

  • Art as emotional and moral expression

The Sublime

In Romanticism

• Nature is shown as greater than humans

• Humans appear small or isolated

• Used to express emotion, imagination, and spiritual experience

Nature & the Sublime - Theme #1

Thomas Gainsborough – Portrait of Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Gainsborough’s portrait emphasizes emotional immediacy and a natural setting

• loose brushwork

• atmospheric landscape

• emotional presence

• nature as expressive

J. M. W. Turner – The Slave Ship

Inspired by the historical atrocity of enslaved people thrown overboard, Turner uses nature to express moral outrage.

• Violent, overwhelming nature

• Moral condemnation of slavery

• Expressive color and light

• Sublime terror and chaos

Théodore Géricault – The Raft of the Medusa

Based on a contemporary political scandal, the painting depicts shipwreck survivors abandoned by the state.

• Real, recent history

• Extreme human suffering

• Emotional realism

• Political critique

Caspar David Friedrich - Nature & the Sublime - Theme #1

A German Romantic painter known for contemplative landscapes

Abbey in an Oak Forest

A ruined Gothic monastery surrounded by winter trees evokes death, time, and spiritual transcendence.

• Ruins and medieval past

• Melancholy and silence

• Nature as spiritual and eternal

• Human figures diminished by scale

• Sublime atmosphere

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

A solitary figure looks out over a fog-covered landscape, representing inner reflection and the Romantic self.

• Sublime landscape

• Nature as emotional mirror

Subjectivity, Dreams & the Imagination - Theme #2

Henry Fuseli – The Nightmare

A visual exploration of unconscious fears, dreams, and sexuality.

• Dreams and irrationality

• Psychological terror

• Dark imagination

• Rejection of Enlightenment reason

Francisco Goya – The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters

A print from Los Caprichos warning that unchecked irrationality leads to moral chaos.

• Critique of Enlightenment reason

• Satire and darkness

Francisco Goya – Black Paintings

Painted privately on the walls of Goya’s home, reflecting despair, madness, and violence.

• Dark, muted palette

• Psychological horror

• Raw emotional expression

• The dark side of humanity

Heroism, Democracy & Nationalism - Theme #3

Francisco Goya – The Second of May, 1808

Depicts the spontaneous uprising of Madrid’s citizens against Napoleon’s troops.

• Chaos and violence

• Ordinary people as heroes

• Emotional immediacy

Francisco Goya – The Third of May, 1808

Shows the execution of Spanish civilians, focusing on innocence and brutality.

• Strong emotional contrast

• Dramatic lighting

• Moral outrage

Eugène Delacroix – Liberty Leading the People

An allegory of the 1830 Revolution, blending real figures with symbolic Liberty.

• Political Romanticism

• Allegory mixed with realism

François Rude – The Departure of the Volunteers of 1792

A sculptural celebration of revolutionary energy on the Arc de Triomphe.
Collective heroism

• Dramatic movement

• Passion and sacrifice

The Dark Side of Humanity & Exoticism - Theme #4

Eugène Delacroix – Scenes from the Massacre at Chios

Depicts the suffering of Greek civilians under Ottoman rule.Collective heroism

• Human suffering without heroism

• Political empathy

• Emotional intensity

Eugène Delacroix – The Death of Sardanapalus

A chaotic vision of violence, excess, and destruction inspired by ancient legend.

• Violence and sensuality

• Rejection of classical order

• Emotional excess

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux – Ugolino and His Sons

Based on Dante’s Inferno, showing a father driven to madness by starvation.

• Extreme emotional suffering

• Psychological realism

• Twisted bodies and tension

• Horror and despair