Art Influences Culture: Romanticism and Realism

 

Art has provided new genres in history based on the prevailing social conditions in society. The trend has continued today among people interested in the field of arts. In the past, there are romanticism and realism genres that exist to explain events of the two periods.
These two genres refer to similar subjects in human society but adopt different views in portraying their subjects. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the relationship between romanticism and realism. Romanticism presented a perfect world with supernatural power, whereas realism originated from reality in which characters and settings were elements of the real world.
Romanticism gained recognition in the middle of the 18th century. This genre of literature explored the unknown, and it did not adopt rational approaches to literature.
Instead, it presented the world as a perfect and strange place in which there was no imperfection. The romantic Movement reacted to changes that the Industrial Revolution had brought as people began to explore the unknown in society. Romanticism aimed to establish the unknown truth.
Romanticism presented the world as an ideal place in which the hero had all the desirable positive qualities. Conversely, the villain possessed undesired negative traits.
This genre adopted the use of metaphorical elements in order to present the unknown. In other words, nothing was obvious, and people had to explore further in order to understand the true meaning of an event. Romanticism literature had thrilling and mysterious elements.
Realism reached its peak towards the end 18th century and extended to the early 19th century. This form of art focused on reality rather than the fantasy of romanticism. In this regard, realism was a reaction to romanticism.
Realism presented events of society as they happened in reality. This form of art did not capture any extraordinary events, and it did not rely on a glorified language, but rather used simple language in representing events. Artists of realism based their works on obvious concepts of life.
These genres have transformed society in all aspects. Realism and romanticism brought about changes in the thought processes of later artists. Contemporary artists have adopted realist approaches in order to present events of modern society. Moreover, such works inspired later artists who fully or loosely based their works on past literary movements.