Romantic Era: Romantic vs Realist

Romantic Style 

In direct response to Neoclassicism, the Romantic style took place in the first half of the 1800s. Paintings from this era were generally more beautiful and mysterious than those of the previous era, but artists still wanted to invoke emotions in their audiences. They wanted it to be known that art was a great and powerful gift from God. 

Above is a painting by Caspar David Friedrich from 1822-1823, simply titled "Mountain Landscape." He lived in Dresden, Germany after 1798, so it can be assumed that he created the painting there. 

Friedrich painted many landscapes, often featuring a person standing and staring out at its beauty. Though it may seem that his paintings came from nature that existed around him, all of them were imaginary. He said once that "the artist should paint not only what he sees before him, but also what he sees within him." It is clear that Friedrich wanted to make a statement with his art, perhaps that we all have something inside us waiting to get out, and that God had gifted him with the ability to express it in a painting. 

The details in Friedrich's "Mountain Landscape" are extraordinary, especially having come from his own imagination. He made splendid use of form, as there seems to be a V, formed by the trees and slopes, that points to the bottom of the girl's feet. Friedrich also used value, from the darkness at the bottom of the picture to the light that sits above it. It is almost as if the girl is sitting in a place of darkness in her mind, looking out at the distant light and wondering at its beauty. The color is yet another element that contributes to the depth of painting, mostly through the greens and oranges that surround the girl, and the orange of her head that attracts attention from the audience. 

This next picture is a drawing by Fransisco Goya, created in 1799 and titled "The sleep of reason produces monsters." Based on the story of Goya's life, he most likely drew it in Madrid, Spain. 

What drew me to this work was originally its title, so haunting and mysterious. The words, etched on the table in the bottom left corner, are telling the audience that evil will always take the place of reason. Goya's idea here is that we lose our reasoning when we fall asleep, and where reason is gone, monsters are produced. It is a dark thought, but it represents the values of the Romantic era, when artists wanted their audience to feel heavy with the truth when observing each work. 

This picture does not have any color, so it relies heavily on value to create the illusion of dark and light. The white of the person and the darkness of the monsters elicits a feeling of fear in the audience. The form of the picture is also pleasing to look at, with the man at the center, the cluster of monsters that grow smaller in the distance, and the blank space at the top left corner. I would also say that texture is another important element to this drawing, as it appears to be coarse to the touch. Perhaps it tells us that the truth can be rough, but it is still the truth. 

Realist Style

Much like the Romantic style was a reaction against Neoclassicism, the Realist style was a reaction against Romanticism. Artists in the era did not want to take their audience's breath away with their paintings. They simply wanted to display the truth as it was, connecting to their viewers and their lives on a personal level. I am not as fond of this art style because I enjoy looking at glorious things; however, it does seem to be beautiful in its own way. 

"The Angelus" (shown above) was painted by Jean-Francois Millet from 1857 to 1859, most likely in Barbizon, France. 

The picture displays to the audience two people who have stopped their potato digging to recite the Angelus, a Catholic prayer. Millet's intention for the painting is not to glorify the prayer, but to reignite a childhood memory. He said in 1865 that "The idea for the Angelus came to me because I remembered that my grandmother, hearing the church bell ringing while we were working in the fields, always made us stop work to say the Angelus prayer for the poor departed." 

One of the strongest elements in "The Angelus" is Millet's use of value. Though there is color in the man and woman, they appear like silhouettes against the peaceful setting of the sun. Millet has also used line to create simplicity in the photo, the most obvious line being the horizon, but then it is followed by straight, visible rows in the field. The third and perhaps most important element in this painting is its space. Everything seems to be placed just right, and though we are drawn to the silhouettes, the space around them has its own beauty that attracts our eyes. 

This painting is titled "Still Life with Cabbage and Clogs," created by Vincent van Gogh in 1881. This most likely happened at the Brussels Academy in Belgium.

There was not much I could find about the artists' intentions for his audience with this painting. I did, however, find a quote from a letter to his brother that says, "Well, Mauve immediately installed me in front of a still life consisting of a couple of old clogs and other objects, and so I could set to work." To me, this sounds like it comes from a young painter, just under 30, who is excited for an opportunity to paint. Perhaps it fits into the Realist era well, because there isn't anything glorious or magnificent about it. It's just life, in the form of vegetables and a plain pair of shoes resting on the table.

The spacing is this painting is pleasing to look at, the mass of objects arranged carefully across the middle of the picture. Van Gogh used value to create shadows, which was an important contribution to the illusion of depth and placement. The colors display simplicity and a feeling of peace, mostly browns with some red, orange, and blue. The brighter colors catch the viewer's eye but somehow remain simple without messing up the overall mood of the painting.

Conclusion

The Romantic style is dramatic, and the Realist style simple. I originally said that I didn't like the Realist style, but once I displayed those two paintings, I felt like changing my mind. The truth is, both styles are strangely beautiful in their own ways and the messages that they carry are equally important. They each hold an entire history of thoughts from the human mind.

Sources

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. "Vincent van Gogh". Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Mar. 2022. Accessed 7 July 2022.

“Caspar David Friedrich.” Artsy, 2022.

“Caspar David Friedrich.” Wikipedia, 11 Apr. 2022.

“Francisco Goya.” Wikipedia, 4 July 2022.

“Goya, The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters.” Khan Academy. Accessed 6 July 2022.

“Jean-François Millet.” National Gallery of Art. Accessed 7 July 2022.

“L’Angélus.” Musée, d’Orsay. Accessed 7 July 2022.

“Still Life with Cabbage and Clogs.” Van Gogh Museum. Accessed 7 July 2022.