Romanticism in painting is a philosophical and cultural movement in the art of Europe and America in the late 18th and first half of the 19th centuries. The basis for the development of the style was sentimentalism in the literature of Germany, the birthplace of romanticism. The direction developed in Russia, France, England, Spain and other European countries.
Story
Despite the early attempts of the pioneers El Greco, Elsheimer and Claude Lorrain, the style we know as Romanticism did not gain strength until almost the end of the 18th century, when the heroic element of neoclassicism assumed a major role in the art of the time. The paintings began to reflect a heroic-romantic ideal based on the novels of the time. This heroic element, combined with revolutionary idealism and emotionality, arose as a result of the French Revolution as a reaction against the restrained academic art.
After the French Revolution of 1789, significant social changes occurred within a few years. Europe was shaken by political crises, revolutions and wars. When leaders met at the Congress of Vienna to plan a plan for reorganizing European affairs after the Napoleonic Wars, it became clear that the peoples' hopes for freedom and equality had not been realized. However, during these 25 years, new ideas were formed that took root in the minds of people in France, Spain, Russia, and Germany.
Respect for the individual, which was already a key element in neoclassical painting, developed and took root. The artists' paintings were distinguished by their emotionality and sensuality in conveying the image of the individual. At the beginning of the 19th century, various styles began to exhibit characteristics of Romanticism. 
Goals
The tenets and goals of Romanticism included:
- A return to nature - exemplified by the emphasis on spontaneity in painting that the paintings demonstrate;
- Belief in the goodness of humanity and the best qualities of the individual;
- Justice for all - the idea was widespread in Russia, France, Spain, England.
A firm belief in the power of feelings and emotions that dominate the mind and intellect.
Peculiarities
Characteristic features of the style:
- The idealization of the past and the dominance of mythological themes became the leading line in the work of the 19th century.
- Refusal of rationalism and dogmas of the past.
- Increased expressiveness through plays of light and color.
- The paintings conveyed a lyrical vision of the world.
- Increasing interest in ethnic topics.
Romantic painters and sculptors tended to express an emotional response to personal life, in contrast to the restraint and universal values promoted by neoclassical art. The 19th century marked the beginning of the development of romanticism in architecture, as evidenced by the exquisite Victorian buildings.
Main representatives
Among the greatest romantic painters of the 19th century were such representatives as I. Fussli, Francisco Goya, Caspar David Friedrich, John Constable, Theodore Gericault, Eugene Delacroix. Romantic art did not supplant the neoclassical style, but functioned as a counterbalance to the dogmatism and rigidity of the latter. 
Romanticism in Russian painting is represented by the works of V. Tropinin, I. Aivazovsky, K. Bryullov, O. Kiprensky. Russian painters sought to convey nature as emotionally as possible.
The preferred genre among the Romantics was landscape. Nature was seen as a mirror of the soul, and in Germany it is also seen as a symbol of freedom and limitlessness. Artists place images of people against the backdrop of a rural area or an urban, seascape. In romanticism in Russia, France, Spain, Germany, the image of a person does not dominate, but complements the plot of the picture. 
Vanitas motifs such as dead trees and overgrown ruins are popular, symbolizing the transience and finite nature of life. Similar motifs existed earlier in Baroque art: artists borrowed the work with light and perspective in similar paintings from Baroque painters.
Goals of Romanticism: The artist demonstrates a subjective view of the objective world, and shows a picture filtered through his sensuality.
In different countries
German Romanticism of the 19th century (1800 - 1850)
In Germany, a younger generation of artists responded to changing times with a process of introspection: they retreated into a world of emotions, inspired by sentimental aspirations for the ideals of past times, most notably the medieval era, which is now seen as a time in which people lived in harmony with themselves. and peace. In this context, Schinkel's paintings, such as the Gothic Cathedral on the Water, are representative and characteristic of the period. 
In their craving for the past, romantic artists were very close to the neoclassicists, except that their historicism criticized the rationalistic dogmas of neoclassicism. Neoclassical artists set the following tasks: they looked to the past to justify their irrationality and emotionality, and preserved the academic traditions of art in conveying reality.
Spanish Romanticism of the 19th century (1810 - 1830)
Francisco de Goya was the undisputed leader of the Romantic art movement in Spain, his paintings show characteristic features: a tendency towards irrationality, fantasy, emotionality. By 1789, he became the official painter of the Spanish royal court. 
In 1814, in honor of the Spanish revolt against French troops in Puerta del Sol, Madrid, and the shooting of unarmed Spaniards suspected of complicity, Goya created one of his greatest masterpieces, The Third of May. Notable works: “Disasters of War”, “Caprichos”, “Nude Macha”.
French romanticism of the 19th century (1815 - 1850)
After the Napoleonic Wars, the French Republic again became a monarchy. This led to a huge push of Romanticism, which had hitherto been held back by the dominance of the Neoclassicals. French artists of the Romantic era did not limit themselves to the landscape genre; they worked in the genre of portrait art. The most prominent representatives of the style are E. Delacroix and T. Gericault. 
Romanticism in England (1820 – 1850)
The theorist and most prominent representative of the style was I. Fusli.
John Constable belonged to the English tradition of Romanticism. This tradition sought a balance between a deep sensitivity to nature and progress in the science of painting and graphics. Constable abandoned the dogmatic depiction of nature; the paintings are recognizable thanks to the use of color spots to convey reality, which brings Constable’s work closer to the art of impressionism. 
The paintings of William Turner, one of the greatest English artists of romanticism, reflect a craving for observing nature as one of the elements of creativity. The mood of his paintings is created not only by what he depicts, but also by the way the artist conveys color and perspective.
Meaning in art
The romantic style of painting of the 19th century and its special features stimulated the emergence of numerous schools, such as: the Barbizon school, plein air landscapes, and the Norwich school of landscape painters. Romanticism in painting influenced the development of aestheticism and symbolism. The most influential painters created the Pre-Raphaelite movement. In Russia and Western Europe, romanticism influenced the development of avant-garde and impressionism.
Romanticism, having replaced the Age of Enlightenment and passing through sentimentalism, established itself in European culture at the end of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries.
This ideological and artistic direction was opposite to classicism and the Enlightenment. And the harbinger of romanticism was sentimentalism. The birthplace of romanticism is Germany.
Philosophy of Romanticism
Romanticism affirmed the cult of nature, feelings and the natural in man. But, you may object, this is also what sentimentalism asserted. So what is the difference between them?
Yes, the protest against lack of spirituality and selfishness is already reflected in sentimentalism. Romanticism expresses this rejection most acutely. Romanticism in general is a more complex and contradictory phenomenon than sentimentalism. If in sentimentalism the ideal is the soul of a common man, which sentimentalists see not only as equal to the soul of an aristocrat, but sometimes higher and nobler, then romanticism is interested not only in virtue, but also in evil, which it even tries to ennoble; he is also interested in the dialectic of good and evil in man (remember the main character of M.Yu. Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time”).
M. Vrubel. Illustration for Lermontov’s novel “Hero of Our Time.” Duel between Pechorin and Grushnitsky
Romantic poets began to use images of angels, especially fallen ones, in their works. For example, interest in the image of a demon: several poems and the poem “Demon” by Lermontov; a cycle of paintings dedicated to the demon by M. Vrubel.
M. Vrubel “The Seated Demon”
The Romantics sought to unravel the mystery of human existence, turning to nature, trusting their religious and poetic feelings. But at the same time, romanticism even tries to rethink religion.
The romantic hero is a complex, passionate personality, with a deep but contradictory inner world - this is a whole universe. M.Yu. Lermontov said so in his novel: “The history of the human soul, even the smallest soul, is perhaps more interesting and useful than the history of an entire people.” The characteristic features of romanticism were an interest in strong and vivid feelings, all-consuming passions, and the secret movements of the soul.
Another feature of romanticism is its interest in folklore, myth, and fairy tales. In Russian romanticism, especially popular genres are the ballad and romantic drama. Thanks to Zhukovsky's translations, Russian readers became acquainted with ballads, I.V. Goethe, F. Schiller, W. Scott, and after that many poets turned to the ballad genre: A.S. Pushkin (“Song of the Prophetic Oleg”, “The Drowned”), M.Yu. Lermontov (“Airship”, “Mermaid”), A.K. Tolstoy and others. And another genre of literature has established itself in Russia, thanks to V. Zhukovsky - elegy.
Romantics were interested in various historical eras, their uniqueness, as well as exotic and mysterious countries and circumstances. The creation of the genre of historical novel is also the merit of romanticism. The founder of the historical novel is W. Scott, but this genre is further developed in the works of F. Cooper, A. Vigny, V. Hugo and others.
And another feature of romanticism (by no means the only one) is the creation of its own, special world, more beautiful and real than reality. The romantic hero lives in this world, passionately defending his freedom and believing that he does not obey the rules of the outside world, but only his own rules.
During the era of romanticism, literature flourished. But, unlike the literature of sentimentalism, this literature did not fence itself off from social and political problems.
I.K. Aivazovsky, I.E. Repin “Pushkin’s Farewell to the Sea” (1877)
Landscape occupies a significant place in the work of the romantics (in all types of art) - first of all, the sea, mountains, sky, stormy elements with which the hero has complex relationships. Nature can be akin to the passionate nature of a romantic hero, but it can also resist him, turn out to be a hostile force with which he is forced to fight.
I. Aivazovsky “The Ninth Wave” (1850). State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg)
In different countries, the fate of romanticism had its own characteristics.
Romanticism in painting
T. Gericault
Many artists from different European countries painted in the style of romanticism. But for a long time, romanticism was in a struggle with classicism. And only after the appearance of Theodore Gericault’s painting “The Raft of the Medusa,” which was considered innovative, adherents of the academic style recognized romanticism as a new artistic direction in art, although the painting was initially received with disapproval. But it was this picture that marked the beginning of French romanticism. In France, the traditions of classicism were strong, and the new direction had to overcome opposition.
T. Gericault “The Raft of the Medusa” (1819). Canvas, oil. 491 x 716 cm. Louvre (Paris)
The plot of the film is the story of the frigate "Medusa", which, due to the incompetence of the captain, crashed off the coast of Senegal in 1816. 140 passengers and crew members tried to escape by landing on the raft. Only on the 12th day they were picked up by the brig Argus, but only 15 people survived. In 1817, two of them, engineer Correard and surgeon Henri Savigny, would write a book about this tragedy.
Theodore Gericault, like many others, was shocked by what happened to Medusa. He talks with eyewitnesses of the event, makes sketches of the executed and dying, and writes hundreds of sketches of the raging sea. And although the painting is distinguished by its monochrome color, its main advantage is the deep psychologism of the situation depicted on the canvas.
Another leader of the romantic trend in European painting was the French painter and graphic artist Eugene Delacroix.
Eugene Delacroix "Self-Portrait" (1837)
His painting “Liberty Leading the People” (1830) was created based on the July Revolution of 1830, which put an end to the Restoration regime of the Bourbon monarchy.
The woman depicted in the center of the picture symbolizes freedom. On her head is a Phrygian cap (a symbol of freedom or revolution), in her right hand is the flag of Republican France, in her left is a gun. The bare chest symbolizes the dedication of the French of that time, who went bare-chested against the enemy. Around Liberty is a worker, a bourgeois, a teenager, who symbolize the unity of the French people during the July Revolution. Some art historians and critics suggest that the artist depicted himself as a man in a top hat to the left of the main character.
O. Kiprensky “Self-portrait” (1828)
Orest Adamovich Kiprensky (1782-1836) - famous Russian artist, graphic artist and painter, master of portraiture.
O. Kiprensky “Portrait of A.S. Pushkin" (1827). Canvas, oil. 63 x 54 cm. State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow)
This is perhaps the most famous portrait of Pushkin, commissioned from the artist by Pushkin’s friend, Delvig. On the canvas, Pushkin is depicted waist-deep, with his arms crossed on his chest. A checkered Scottish plaid is draped over the poet’s right shoulder—it is with this detail that the artist denotes Pushkin’s connection with Byron, the idol of the Romantic era.
K. Bryullov “Self-portrait” (1848)
The work of the Russian artist K. Bryullov is classified as academic, but some of his paintings are the pinnacle of late Russian romanticism, with their sense of tragedy and conflict in life, interest in strong passions, extraordinary themes and situations, and in the destinies of huge human masses.
K. Bryullov “The Last Day of Pompeii” (1830-1833). Canvas, oil. 465.5 x 651 cm. State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg)
Bryullov combined in the picture dramatic action, romantic lighting effects and sculptural, classically perfect plasticity of figures.
The painting depicts the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. e. and the destruction of the city of Pompeii near Naples. “The Last Day of Pompeii” illustrates the romanticism of Russian painting, mixed with idealism, increased interest in plein air and gravitating towards similar historical subjects. The deep psychologism characteristic of romanticism helps to see a personality in each character: respectable and selfless (a group of people in the lower right corner of the picture carrying an elderly man), greedy (a figure in white carrying someone’s property stolen on the sly), loving (the young man on the right side painting, trying to save his beloved), devotee (mother hugging her daughters in the lower left corner of the painting), etc.
The artist's image in the left corner of the painting is a self-portrait of the author.
And here is the artist's brother, Bryullov Alexander Pavlovich, was a representative of romanticism in architecture (although he was also an artist).
A. Bryullov “Self-portrait” (1830)
He created projects for buildings in St. Petersburg and its environs.
The building of the Mikhailovsky Theater was also built according to the design of A. Bryullov.
Orthodox Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the village of Pargolovo (now the territory of St. Petersburg)
Romanticism in music
M. Wodzinskaya “Portrait of F. Chopin” (1835)
Having developed in the 1820s, romanticism in music captured the entire 19th century. and is represented by a whole galaxy of talented composers, of whom it is even difficult to single out one or more, so as not to offend others. Therefore, we will try to name as many names as possible. The most prominent representatives of romanticism in music are Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt, as well as the late romantics Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler (Austria-Hungary); Ludwig van Beethoven (partly), Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner, Anna Maria Weber, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn (Germany); Frederic Chopin (Poland); Niccolo Paganini, Vincenzo Bellini, early Giuseppe Verdi (Italy); A. A. Alyabyev, M. I. Glinka, A. S. Dargomyzhsky, M.A. Balakirev, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, M.P. Mussorgsky, A.P. Borodin, Ts.A. Cui, P. I. Tchaikovsky (Russia).
J. Kriehuber “Portrait of R. Schumann” (1849)
Romantic composers tried to use musical means to express the depth and richness of a person’s inner world. The music becomes more prominent and individual. Song genres are being developed, including ballads.
The main problem of romantic music is the problem of the individual in its conflict with the outside world. The romantic hero is always lonely. The theme of loneliness is the most popular in all romantic art. Very often the thought of a creative personality is associated with it: a person is lonely when he is an extraordinary, gifted person. The artist, poet, musician are favorite heroes in the works of the romantics (“The Love of a Poet” by Schumann, “Symphony Fantastique” by Berlioz with its subtitle “An Episode from the Life of an Artist”, Liszt’s symphonic poem “Tasso”).
P.I. Chaikovsky
Romantic music, like other types of romantic art, is characterized by a deep interest in the human personality, the predominance of a personal tone in the music. Often musical works had a touch of autobiography, which brought special sincerity to the music. For example, many of Schumann's piano works are connected with the story of his love for Clara Wieck. Wagner emphasized the autobiographical nature of his operas. The music of Chopin, who expressed his longing for his homeland (Poland) in his mazurkas, polonaises, and ballads, can also be called autobiographical. P.I., who deeply loved Russia and Russian nature. Tchaikovsky paints pictures of nature in many of his works, and the cycle of piano pieces “The Seasons” is entirely dedicated to it.
Romanticism in literature
Brothers Grimm: Wilhelm and Jacob
Romanticism first arose in Germany, among the writers and philosophers of the Jena school. This is a group of figures of the romantic movement who gathered in 1796 in the university city of Jena (brothers August Wilhelm and Friedrich Schlegel, Ludwig Tieck, Novalis). They begin to publish the Athenaeum magazine, where they formulate their own aesthetic program of romanticism. Subsequently, German romanticism was distinguished by its interest in fairy-tale and mythological motifs (the works of the brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, Hoffmann).
R. Westall "Portrait of Byron"
A prominent representative of English romanticism is D.G. Byron, who, in the words of A.S. Pushkin was “clothed in dull romanticism and hopeless egoism.” His work is imbued with the pathos of struggle and protest against the modern world, glorifying freedom and individualism.
English romanticism includes the works of Shelley, John Keats, and William Blake.
Prosper Merimee
Romanticism became widespread in other European countries. In France, its representatives are Chateaubriand, J. Stael, Lamartine, Victor Hugo, Alfred de Vigny, Prosper Merimee, George Sand. In Italy - N.U. Foscolo, A. Manzoni. In Poland - Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki and others, in the USA - Washington Irving, Fenimore Cooper, Edgar Allan Poe, Henry Longfellow and others.
Adam Mickiewicz
Romanticism in Russian literature
K. Bryullov “Portrait of V. Zhukovsky”
Romantic poets include K. N. Batyushkov, E. A. Baratynsky, N. M. Yazykov. The early poetry of A. S. Pushkin is within the framework of romanticism. The poetry of M. Yu. Lermontov, who was called the “Russian Byron,” is considered the pinnacle of Russian romanticism.
P. Zabolotsky. “Portrait of M.Yu. Lermontov in the mentique of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment" (1837)
Personality and soul are the main realities of existence for Lermontov, the study of personality and the human soul is the main theme of his works. Exploring the origins of good and evil, Lermontov comes to the conclusion that both good and evil exist not outside a person, but within him. Therefore, it is impossible to hope that a person will change for the better as a result of changing the world. Hence the poet’s almost complete absence of calls to fight for social justice. Lermontov’s main attention is to the human soul and his spiritual path.
The philosophical lyrics of F. I. Tyutchev complete romanticism in Russia.
F. I. Tyutchev (1860-1861). Photo by S. Levitsky
F.I. Tyutchev did not consider himself a poet (he served as a diplomat), but all his poetry is autobiographical and full of philosophical reflections about the world and man in it, about the contradictions that torment the human soul, about the meaning of life and death.
Be silent, hide and hide
And your feelings and dreams -
Let it be in the depths of your soul
They get up and go in
Silently, like stars in the night, -
Admire them - and be silent.
How can the heart express itself?
How can someone else understand you?
Will he understand what you live for?
A spoken thought is a lie.
Exploding, you will disturb the keys, -
Feed on them - and be silent.
Just know how to live within yourself -
There is a whole world in your soul
Mysteriously magical thoughts;
They will be deafened by the outside noise,
Daylight rays will disperse, -
Listen to their singing - and be silent!..
_______________
* Silence! (lat.)
We have already said more than once that an artist, poet or composer does not always work in one particular artistic style. In addition, the artistic style does not always fit into a certain time period. Thus, features of any artistic style can be found at any time. Sometimes it’s fashion (for example, just recently the Empire style has suddenly become popular again), sometimes it’s the artist’s need for just this way of self-expression.
The art of romanticism was formed in polemics with classicism. In the social aspect, the emergence of romanticism is associated with the Great French Revolution of the 18th century; it arises as a reaction of general enthusiasm about its beginning, but also as a deep disappointment in human capabilities in the event of its defeat. Moreover, German romanticism was later considered a bloodless version of the French Revolution.
As an ideological and artistic movement, romanticism manifested itself in the first half of the 19th century. It arises primarily as a literary movement - here the activity of romantics is high and successful. The music of that time is no less significant: vocals, instrumental music, musical theater (opera and ballet) of romanticism still form the basis of the repertoire today. However, in the visual and spatial arts, romanticism manifested itself less clearly both in the number of works created and in their level. Romanticism painting reaches the level of masterpieces in Germany and France, the rest of Europe lags behind. It is not customary to talk about the architecture of romanticism. Only landscape gardening art shows some originality here, and even then the romantics developed here the idea of an English landscape, or natural, park. There is also a place for some neo-Gothic tendencies; the romantics saw their art in the series: Gothic - Baroque - Romanticism. There are many such neo-Gothics in Slavic countries.
Fine art of romanticism
In the 18th century the term "romantic" meant "strange", "fantastic", "picturesque". It is easy to notice that the words “romance”, “romance” (knightly) are etymologically very close.
In the 19th century the term was interpreted as the name of a literary movement that was opposite in its principles to classicism.
In the fine arts, romanticism showed itself interestingly in painting and graphics, less clearly in sculpture. The most consistent school of romanticism developed in France, where there was a persistent struggle against dogmatism and abstract rationalism in official art in the spirit of academic classicism. The founder of the romantic school of painting was Theodore Gericault (1791-1824). He studied with the masters of classicism, but, having retained from classicism the inclination towards generally heroic images, Géricault for the first time expressed in painting the feeling of conflict in the world, the desire for expressive expression of significant events of our time. Already the artist’s first works reveal high emotionality, the “nerve” of the era of the Napoleonic wars, in which there was a lot of bravado (“Officer of the Imperial Guard mounted rangers going on the attack,” “Wounded cuirassier leaving the battlefield”). They are marked by a tragic attitude and a feeling of confusion. The heroes of classicism did not experience such feelings or did not express them publicly and did not aestheticize despondency, confusion, and melancholy. The picturesque canvases of the artists of romanticism are painted dynamically; the coloring is dominated by a dark tone, which is enlivened by intense color accents and rapid impasto strokes.
Gericault creates an incredibly dynamic picture "Running of Free Horses in Rome." Here he surpasses all previous artists in convincingly conveying movement. One of Gericault's main works is the painting "The Raft of Medusa". In it he depicts real facts, but with such force of generalization that contemporaries saw in it not the image of one specific shipwreck, but of all of Europe in despair. And only a few, the most persistent people continue to fight for survival. The artist shows the complex range of human feelings - from gloomy despair to a stormy explosion of hope. The dynamics of this canvas are determined by the diagonal of the composition, the effective sculpting of volumes, and contrasting differences in light and shade.
Gericault managed to prove himself as a master of the portrait genre. Here he also acts as an innovator, defining the figurative specifics of the portrait genre. “Portrait of a Twenty-Year-Old Delacroix” and self-portraits express the idea of a romantic artist as an independent creator, a bright, emotional personality. He lays the foundations for the romantic portrait - later one of the most successful romantic genres.
Gericault also became familiar with the landscape. Traveling around England, he was amazed by its appearance and paid tribute to its beauty by creating many landscape paintings, painted in both oil and watercolor. They are rich in color, subtle in observation, and not averse to social criticism. The artist called them "Large and Small English Suites". How typical for a romantic to call a pictorial cycle a musical term!
Unfortunately, Gericault's life was short, but he laid the foundation for a glorious tradition.
Since the 1820s becomes the head of romantic painters Ferdinand Victor Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863). He was strongly influenced by Gericault, with whom he was friends from his student days. He studied the painting of old masters, especially Rubens. He traveled around England and was fascinated by Constable's paintings. Delacroix had a passionate temperament, powerful creative imagination and high efficiency. From the initial steps in his professional career, Delacroix decisively followed the romantics. The first painting he exhibited was of Dante and Virgil in a boat crossing the Styx (Dante's Boat). The picture is full of tragedy and gloomy pathos. With his next painting, “The Massacre on Chios,” he responded to real events related to the suffering of the Greeks under the Turkish yoke. Here he openly expressed his political position, taking the side of the Greeks in the conflict, with whom he sympathized, while the French government flirted with Turkey.
The painting caused both political and art criticism, especially after Delacroix, under the influence of Constable’s work, rewrote the painting in lighter colors. In response to criticism, the artist creates the canvas “Greece on the Ruins of Missolunga”, in which he again addresses the burning theme of Greece’s struggle for liberation from the Turkish yoke. This painting by Delacroix is more symbolic, a female figure with a raised hand in a gesture of either a curse on the invaders or a call to fight, personifies the entire country. It seems to anticipate the image of Freedom in the artist’s future, most famous work.
In search of new heroes and strong personalities, Delacroix often turns to the literary images of Shakespeare, Goethe, Byron, Scott: “Tasso in the Lunatic Asylum”, “The Death of Sardanapalus”, “The Murder of the Bishop of Liege”; makes lithographs for “Faust” and “Hamlet”, expressing the subtlest shades of the characters’ feelings, which earned Goethe’s praise. Delacroix approaches fiction the same way his predecessors approached Holy Scripture, making it an endless source of subjects for paintings.
In 1830, under the direct impression of the July Revolution, Delacroix painted a large canvas, “Liberty Leading the People” (“Freedom on the Barricades”). Above the realistically depicted figures of participants in the revolutionary struggle, poor, mostly young people inspired by the struggle, hovers a magnificent woman, reminiscent of Veronese’s “geniuses”. She has a banner in her hands, her face is inspired. This is not just an allegory of freedom in the spirit of classicism, it is a high symbol of revolutionary impulse. However, one cannot abandon the living, sensual female figure - she is so attractive. The picture turned out to be complex, charming, and dynamic.
Like a true romantic, Delacroix travels to exotic countries: Algeria, Morocco. From his trip he brings back five paintings, including “Lion Hunt in Morocco,” apparently a tribute to his beloved Rubens.
Delacroix works a lot as a decorator, creating monumental works in the Bourbon and Luxembourg palaces and Parisian churches. He continues to work in the portrait genre, creating images of people of the Romantic era, for example F. Chopin. Delacroix's work belongs to the peaks of 19th-century painting.
Painting and graphics German romanticism mostly tends towards sentimentalism. And if German romantic literature really constitutes an entire era, then this cannot be said about the fine arts: in literature there was Sturm and Drang, and in the fine arts there was the idealization of family patriarchal life. Creativity is indicative in this sense Ludwig Richter (1803-1884): “Forest spring near Aricci”, “Wedding procession in spring”, etc. He also owns numerous drawings on themes of fairy tales and folk songs, made in a rather dry manner.
But there is one large-scale figure in German romanticism that cannot be ignored. This Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840). He was a landscape painter and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Later he settled in Dresden and began teaching.
His landscape style is original, the paintings are remembered from the first acquaintance, you can feel in them that these are landscapes of a romantic artist: they consistently express the specifics of the romantic worldview. He painted landscapes of southern Germany and the Baltic coast, wild rocks overgrown with forest, desert dunes, and the frozen sea. People are sometimes present in his paintings, but we rarely see their faces: the figures, as a rule, have their backs turned to the viewer. Frederick sought to convey the elemental power of nature. He sought and discovered consonances between natural forces and human moods and quests. And although he reflects life quite accurately, Friedrich's art is not realistic. This frightened off Soviet art critics in the recent past; little was written about the artist, and there were almost no reproductions of him. Now the situation has changed, and we can enjoy the deep spirituality of his paintings, the melancholy detached contemplation of Friedrich’s landscapes. The clear rhythm of the composition and the severity of the drawing are combined in his works with contrasts of chiaroscuro, rich in lighting effects. But sometimes Friedrich reaches the point of aching melancholy in his emotionality, a feeling of the frailty of everything earthly, to the numbness of a mystical trance. Today we are experiencing a surge of interest in Friedrich's work. His most successful works are “The Death of “Nadezhda” in the Ice”, “Monastery Cemetery under the Snow”, “Mass in a Gothic Ruin”, “Sunset on the Sea”, etc.
IN Russian romanticism There is a lot of contradictory things in painting. In addition, for many years it was believed that a good artist is a realist. This is probably why the opinion has been established that O. Kiprensky and A. Venetsianov, V. Tropinin and even A. Kuindzhi are realists, which seems to us incorrect, they are romantics.
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky “Sea. Sunny day" Private collection Romanticism
John Constable "Autumn Berries and Flowers in a Brown Pot" Romanticism
Thomas Sully "Portrait of Miss Mary and Emily McEwan", 1823 Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA Romanticism
William Mo Eagly “Just as the twig is bent, the tree is inclined”, 1861 Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA Romanticism The painting is named by the proverb “Just as the twig is bent, the tree is inclined”. The analogue in Russian is “Where the tree leaned, that’s where it fell.”
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky “View of Teflis from Seyd-Abad”, 1868 National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan Romanticism Seyd-Abad is a quarter in Tiflis, famous for its sulfur baths and unrivaled bath attendants. When talking about Seyd-Abad, one cannot help but touch on the history of the famous Abanotubani - Bath Quarter. It had several names. There is a legend that a certain fugitive from the border pashalyk, having caught a cold in...
Karl Pavlovich Bryullov “Portrait of the Most Serene Princess Elizaveta Pavlovna Saltykova”, 1841 Russian Museum, St. Petersburg Romanticism The princess is depicted sitting in a chair on the terrace of her estate. In this canvas, filled with lyrical, soulful notes, Bryullov created a poetic image of his heroine. Elizaveta Pavlovna Saltykova (née Stroganova), daughter of Count Stroganov, philanthropist and major industrialist. Bryullov was always attracted to women from noble families...
Remy-Furcy Descarcin "Portrait of Doctor de S. playing chess with Death", 1793 Museum of the French Revolution, Visium, France Romanticism Judging by the inscription on the frame of the picture, the canvas was painted by the artist in 1793, shortly before his death (the artist was executed for sympathy for the counter-revolution) and is his last work. For a long time the painting was kept in private collections and was...
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky “Foggy Morning in Italy”, 1864 Feodosia Art Gallery named after I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia Romanticism In 1840, Aivazovsky goes to Italy. There he meets prominent figures of Russian literature, art, and science - Gogol, Alexander Ivanov, Botkin, Panaev. At the same time, in 1841, the artist changed his last name Gaivazovsky to Aivazovsky. The artist's activities in...
Joshua Reynolds “Portrait of the Waldgrave Sisters”, 1780 National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh Romanticism For the portrait of the Waldgrave sisters, Reynolds chose the traditional English painting genre of “conversational painting”. He depicted them sitting around a table and doing needlework. But in his performance, the everyday scene is stripped of its ordinariness. He strives to lift his heroines above everyday life. The ladies, full of youthful charm, are dressed in white…
Romanticism(Romanticism) is an ideological and artistic movement that arose in European and American culture of the late 18th century - the first half of the 19th century, as a reaction to the aesthetics of classicism. It originally developed (1790s) in philosophy and poetry in Germany, and later (1820s) spread to England, France and other countries. He predetermined the latest development of art, even those directions that opposed it.
New criteria in art were freedom of expression, increased attention to the individual, unique features of a person, naturalness, sincerity and relaxedness, which replaced the imitation of classical models of the 18th century. The Romantics rejected the rationalism and practicalism of the Enlightenment as mechanistic, impersonal and artificial. Instead, they prioritized emotional expression and inspiration.
Feeling free from the decaying system of aristocratic rule, they sought to express their new views and the truth they had discovered. Their place in society has changed. They found their readership among the growing middle class, ready to emotionally support and even worship the artist - a genius and prophet. Restraint and humility were rejected. They were replaced by strong emotions, often reaching extremes.
Young people were especially influenced by romanticism, having the opportunity to study and read a lot (which was facilitated by the rapid development of printing). She is inspired by the ideas of individual development and self-improvement, the idealization of personal freedom in her worldview, combined with the rejection of rationalism. Personal development was placed above the standards of a vain and already fading aristocratic society. The romanticism of educated youth changed the class society of Europe, marking the beginning of the emergence of an educated “middle class” in Europe. And the picture " Wanderer above the sea of fog"can rightfully be called a symbol of the period of romanticism in Europe.
Some romantics turned to mysterious, enigmatic, even terrible, folk beliefs and fairy tales. Romanticism was partly associated with democratic, national and revolutionary movements, although the "classical" culture of the French Revolution actually slowed the arrival of Romanticism in France. At this time, several literary movements emerged, the most important of which were Sturm und Drang in Germany, primitivism in France, led by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the Gothic novel, and an increased interest in the sublime, ballads and old romances (from which The term "Romanticism" originated. The source of inspiration for German writers, theorists of the Jena school (the Schlegel brothers, Novalis and others), who declared themselves romantics, was the transcendental philosophy of Kant and Fichte, which prioritized the creative possibilities of the mind. These new ideas, thanks to Coleridge, penetrated into England and France, and also determined the development of American transcendentalism.
Thus, Romanticism began as a literary movement, but had a significant influence on music and less on painting. In the fine arts, Romanticism was most clearly manifested in painting and graphics, less so in architecture. In the 18th century, the favorite motifs of artists were mountain landscapes and picturesque ruins. Its main features are dynamic composition, volumetric spatiality, rich color, chiaroscuro (for example, works by Turner, Géricault and Delacroix). Other romantic artists include Fuseli, Martin. The creativity of the Pre-Raphaelites and the neo-Gothic style in architecture can also be considered as a manifestation of Romanticism.