Definition of Romanticism

 The Romantic movement began in the 1760's and continued until midway through the 1800's, but the movement has also been revitalised in various forms such as Neo-Romanticism, which took place primarily between the 1860's and the Second World War. Romanticism often draws upon the Classical and Neo-Classical movements, and it was often the case that artists were considered Romantics by others though being self-proclaimed Classicists. Delacroix was one such artist, and Goethe also had a similar distaste for being called a Romantic. Degas, however, differentiated between the two by saying “a Classicist is a Romantic who has arrived.” The statement itself implies that one movement crosses over with the other and they share some defining qualities; for this reason, Romanticism as a movement in of itself is difficult to differentiate. Romanticism cannot be defined by any thematic or stylistic criteria, but rather by its focus on the internal and the individual. Baudelaire states that “Romanticism lies not at all in the choice of subject or in exact truth, but rather in a way of feeling.” And individual emotion is something that can be seen as integral to the movement. Some of the most innovative paintings of this age were those that incorporated the sublime, whereby the intent was to overwhelm the observer with what they were looking at and the emotions that followed. Romantic art of the time was, as a result of this, highly emotional, and Jean Clay describes the effect as follows; “emotion … breaks down all defences and propels the artist outside himself, causing him to break the rules and exceed the limits of artistic practice.” So Clay states that the sublime also has an effect on the artist. This importance of the emotions of the individual are present in some of the most celebrated Romantic pieces, such as Gericault's 'Raft of the Medusa' and Delacroix's 'Liberty Leading the People.' We cannot say for certain that all Romantic artists executed their pieces in a particular way, but some of the most popular features include naturalistic detail, purified contours, restrained depth and illusionism.

Romanticism is at the root of what we now call Modernism, and some state that Modernism did not begin at the beginning of the 20^th Century as often thought, but in the 1800's. The Church's patronage and the power of the crown were diminishing around this time, and thus art was set against a radically different social backdrop than before. Art did not have to revolve around religion, and this in cohesion with the work of Kant and other philosophers bolstered a society that allowed artists to produce work that matched their own interests. Influences became subtler and each artist began to build a repertoire of personal processes and themes that previously could not have occurred. The movement was largely international, often with emphasis on France, England and Germany, and this is another reason why Romanticism cannot be defined simply – due to the very nature of the movement, there was an incredible variation of pieces being produced. However, the theme of the power of the individual was consistent. Even after the 1800's, Romanticism was present, and Neo-Romanticism saw a resurgence in the particular styles of painting employed during the original movement. It may have perhaps been so difficult to define Romanticism because the artists at the time were constantly surrounded by the environment that was continually creating Romanticism, and in hindsight we may find it easier to differentiate the movement from others. Neo-Romanticism also proves helpful to gain insight into what the movement really signified, and we can see that there are some recurring motifs.

Romanticism resembles Classicism and Neo-Classicism, and the similar use of illusionism can be what makes it difficult to set the movements apart, but Romanticism is unique in that it uses a similar style to represent the internal and emotional life of an individual, as supposed to representing mythology or Bible parables. It often makes use of the macabre and psychological, such as with Goyer, or even the political, as with Delacroix and Gericault. Romanticism taps into the connection between human beings and nature, and most importantly our connection to ourselves.

Bibliography:

- 'Romanticism' by Jean Clay

- 'The Last Romantics' by essay writers MaryAnne Stevens, JGP Delaney, Lindsay Errington, Benedict Read, Alan Powers and David Fraser Jenkins.

- 'The Romantic Spirit In German Art 1790 – 1990' by Thames and Hudson