Preferences and Perspectives - The Romantic Era

Romanticism

Gaining momentum in France and Britain in the early decades of the nineteenth century, Romanticism emerged as a response to the disillusionment with the Enlightenment values in the aftermath of the French Revolution.  Prior to its arrival, Neoclassicism dominated 18th-century European art, having a focus on classical subject matter, an interest in aesthetic austerity, and ideas in line with the Enlightenment, a movement that placed high emphasis on the individual through a more objective lens. Romanticism would, in turn, view and capture (or more so, idealize) the human experience with more emotional undertone.

Morning by Philipp Otto Runge, 1808

Runge's Morning is perfectly symmetrical in the positioning of the cherubs around the soul of the child lying in the centre foreground. The scene is animated by a wide range of color and light contrast. These are used to communicate the recent arrival of the soul, as if it were happening in sync with the sunrise. The scene is illuminated solely with golden light, a color Runge is said to have associated with the Holy Spirit. The beams of the sunrise illuminate a path from the child to the distant blue of the deity at the center of the painting. The trinity is represented at the top of the piece as a three-headed figure surmounted by a star of guidance. This piece reminded me of Boticelli's Birth of Venus, which could have realistically served as inspiration for the painting. The female figure's pose and the painting's overall subject matter of the arrival of a heavenly soul are extremely reminiscent of one another.

Chalk Cliffs on Rügen by Caspar David Friedrich, 1818

Chalk Cliffs on Rügen depicts Friedrich's honeymoon; the woman in the red dress is almost certainly his wife, Caroline. Friedrich himself is the figure in the middle. He has cast off his hat and dropped his cane, and has gotten down on the ground, presumably to peer over the edge of the cliff. The figure on the right is assumed to be his brother, Christian. This piece exhibits many of the hallmarks of early Romantic painting: the overly detailed observation of nature; the dramatic framing that somehow gives the picture the feel of an awe inspiring yet unattainable view, and the allusion of a deeper spiritual meaning behind it all. Trees and cliffs frame the image and help to create contrast with the light of the horizon painted in the distance. This painting can now be found at the Kunst Museum Winterthur in the north of Switzerland.

Realism

The Realism Movement is largely considered the beginning of modern art. This is due to its conviction that everyday life and the modern world were suitable subjects for art. Philosophically, it embraced the progressive aims of modernism by seeking new truths through the reexamination and overturning of traditional systems of values and beliefs. Realism in art essentially refers to composition constructed as plainly and without interpretation as possible. Early adopters of the Realist style tended to incorporate warmer hues and muted color palettes in their works, showing extensive use of soft browns, warm reds, nature tones, black and ivory in their compositions. Detail was crucial, and thus light, shadow and contrast were used as stylistic tools when creating still-life images. 

The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh, April 1885

Five peasants are depicted around the dinner table, the dark room illuminated only by the oil lamp hanging from the beams of the ceiling at the center of the painting. Their expressions appear solemn and tired, and do not seem very happy. In a letter to his brother about the piece, Van Gogh wrote that he wanted people to “get the idea that these folk, who are eating their potatoes by the light of their little lamp, have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in the dish, and so it speaks of MANUAL LABOUR and – that they have thus honestly earned their food”. The melancholy feel of the scene is emphasized by the earthy colors used by Van Gogh; however, such was the life of a peasant. There is no grandeur or color to be expressed in a life of farming and labor, for such things weren't invested in by the peasant class. 

Song of the Lark by Jules Breton, 1884

Jules Breton would portray the field working women of his home village over the course of several years following his father's death, which had served as the catalyst for his return home to Courrieres. In Song of the Lark, a barefoot young peasant woman, sickle in hand, sings as she sets off to work in the fields near Courrières.  For this painting, Breton’s model was a local woman, Marie Bidoul, who stood outdoors in the field at dawn until the artist was satisfied with the captured form. The scene is illuminated by the sunrise on the horizon, and the colors are a bit dark and muddy, perhaps to indicate the sun has only begun to rise. The image evokes a sense of optimism in the viewer, as the farmer seems to be hopefully looking on towards another day of harvest.

Conclusion

While all of these pieces, and both styles are highly impressive to me, my preference would have to be the Romantic style. I really enjoy the Greek and Roman subject matter typical to the style, as well as the stylistic choices such as brighter colors and more highly illuminated scenes. Morning is a piece I would definitely want to own a copy of, in fact I've made the same image you see here my Desktop wallpaper. In art, I really enjoy grandeur, imagination, and pushing the boundaries. I believe the romantic pieces of art are truly representative of this for their time. Not to say that any type of art is un-revolutionary, but I am much more visually awestruck by the pieces from the earlier nineteenth century for sure.

Works Cited

Art History Co. “The Morning: Philipp Otto Runge.” Art History Co, 25 Oct. 2022, https://arthistory.co/philipp-otto-runge-the-morning/. 

Artincontext. “‘Song of the Lark’ Painting by Jules Breton - a Detailed Analysis.” Artincontext.org, 16 May 2022, https://artincontext.org/song-of-the-lark-painting-by-jules-breton/. 

Artincontext. “‘The Potato Eaters’ Van Gogh - Analyzing ‘the Potato Eaters’ Painting.” Artincontext.org, 29 May 2022, https://artincontext.org/the-potato-eaters-van-gogh/. 

Chalk Cliffs on Rugen by Friedrich, https://www.aaronartprints.org/friedrich-chalkcliffsonrugen.php. 

“The Morning [Philipp Otto Runge].” Sartle, 6 June 2022, https://www.sartle.com/artwork/the-morning-philipp-otto-runge. 

“Philipp Otto Runge, Small Morning (1808).” GHDI, https://ghdi.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=2207. 

“Realism Movement Overview.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/realism/. 

“Romanticism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism.