Romanticism: An Artistic Movement

Romanticism is an artistic movement that began after the Enlightenment that focused on the genre of literature, music and the arts during the late 1750s well through the mid-1800s. It is said that the era of Romanticism is the historical period in which individuals began to visualize themselves as well as their modern conflicts and desires. To put the idea simply, due to Romanticism’s stylistic diversity, it is uncanny to believe that there was more than one category for this art movement, but of course this is true. Romanticism is broken down into categories such as landscapes and shipwrecks alongside the sublime, portraiture, nationalism and evocation, as well as imaginative sensibility; more specifically the categories of Romanticism are …show more content…
For example, revivalism in architecture is using visual elements that are similar to previous artistic movements. Revivalism was also used in paintings, where artists focused on historical events and painted them in a way that reflected the horrific details that others may not have highlighted in their work. William Blake, Ancient of Days, frontispiece of Europe: A Prophecy, 1794, is a prime example of how an artist incorporates classical reference alongside the inner obscure visions that so categorizes the artistic movement of Romanticism. Blake envisions the Almighty Creator surrounded by dark clouds that emit little sunlight, which the red sun is placed behind God. The viewer will also see how Blake how the Creator used power, shooting from his fingers, is based on the based on an architect’s measuring …show more content…
The idea of Romantic Evocation allowed individuals to express their interest in extreme states of Consciousness, and the awareness pf the incontrollable forces of nature, the mind and its behavior. One artist that incorporated the idea of consciousness into his works was John Henry Fuseli (1741-1825), who had established a name for himself as a romantic painter. Fuseli, The Nightmare, 1781, is an outstanding example of how artists incorporate fear and other sadistic images into their paintings. Notably, few art historians believe the painting may have been inspired by a love interest, Anna, that Fuseli was too poor to marry. As the viewers can see, Fuseli painted a ghoul sitting on the chest of a women, presumably in a deep sleep, or even dead, as she lays on bed. The viewer would also see a ghostly horse-like creature peaking in through the dark curtain, which seems to share the idea that there is always something watching you even if you cannot physically see it for