The Art of Btitish Romanticism

 

Romanticism was a European art movement that also influenced literature and music. The term itself originated in Germany, becoming the banner of profound intellectual and aesthetic changes which we now associate with modernity. It grew out of the Age of Enlightenment during the late 1700s, a period when the educated elite sought to reform European governments. Such thought gave birth to unrest, beginning with the French Revolution of 1789 and ending in 1815 with the Napoléonic Wars. Artistically, romantic painters were reacting to the heavy hand of French academic painting that created the cold severity of the neoclassical movement. In contrast, romanticism stressed intense colors, shimmering light, animated brushstrokes, and passionate scenes that evoked emotion. One mustn’t be fooled by the softness of the movement’s name, for it represents intense raw emotional expression. Romantic artists fostered a desire to convey their deepest beliefs. If this meant evoking a jarring response, all the better, as they aimed to tap into human emotions rather than intellect. As a result, romanticism became a powerful movement that revolutionized painting forever.
The pinnacle of the artistic movement of romanticism took place during the first half of the 1800s when artists harnessed the collective spirit of rebellion amongst the common people. This paved the way toward authentic depictions spanning the entire gamut of human feelings, which provoked a move away from the conventional subject matter and techniques that had been employed by neoclassical artists. The power of these French artists to devise compelling compositions of complexity and emotional power is why they dominated the romantic movement. British artists interpreted this movement quite differently. Perhaps the absence of any significant combat on the British mainland allowed their artists to take a more impassive approach.
Though the romantic movement did not last long in its pure form, the techniques and principles of romanticism were soon disseminated into other emerging fields of painting. “The loose brushstroke and powerful palette so characteristic of romanticism have been cited as a major influence on the early impressionist, who capitalized on similar technical elements in their work.”The symbolist movement, developed during the second half of the 1800s, can be seen as a revival of mystical tendencies in the romantic tradition, directly developed from the work of artists like William Blake. There is no doubt that the emotional brushwork and abstracting of form by Turner paved the way for sound painting and then pure abstraction. Romanticism renewed “feeling” in painting, placing an emphasis on emotion and originality. These artists created a completely new expressivity in painting that enlivened art for centuries.