Romanticism

The period of Romanticism started in the late 18^th century and it developed during the 19^th century. This movement represents different thoughts.  Nature with its uncontrollable power was greatly expressed in these paintings. Romanticism shows many emotions such as thought, struggle, death, emotional intensity, tragedy and bravery.

Théodore Gericault, 1819. The Raft of The Medusa [oil on canvas]. Musé du Louvre, Paris

The Raft of the Medusa is a clear example of Romanticism art. This painting is done by Théodore Gericaultin 1819. It shows a scene of a shipwreck where one can clearly see man’s struggle against the uncontrollable power of nature. Feelings are also clearly shown in this painting. The painting is based on a real life event where a raft hit a storm and got wrecked. There were 50 people on the raft but only 15 of them survived. A lot of research was done on the event by the artist. Gericault spent years in his studio working on this work of art. He also asked a carpenter to build a raft exactly like the one that got wrecked and studied dead bodies in order to make this painting as emotional as possible.

John Constable, 1827. Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds [oil on canvas]. Vicotria and Albert Museum, London.

This painting is called Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Grounds, also painted in the period of Romanticism. It was painted by John Constable in the 1827. His art expresses his response to the English countryside. Unlike The Raft of the Medusa, this painting does not show any human figures. However, one can clearly see what calm, relaxing mood this painting can create.

References:
Smarthistory, Art History at Khan Academy, 2011. Géricault, Raft of the Medusa, 1818-19. [Video online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XympPG5iD-Y#t=382> [Accessed 16 February 2014]. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-2013, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. [online] Available at: <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/roma/hd_roma.htm#top> [Accessed 15 February 2014].