Architectural Fantasy

Superior Essays
The Architectural Fantasy by Hubert Robert was painted during a period of time in France that was very pivotal. Painted within 20 years of the fall of the French monarchy during the rise of Napoleon, Architectural Fantasy reflects the former works of Hubert Robert while also depicting a slight change in subject matter. Although the painting is of a building, it evokes qualities of a landscape painting with its broad views. Romantic paintings from this era were defined by their use of light and color to convey emotion. Another aspect of Romantic works was that the scenes were often glorified to depict a more beautiful and perfect world than the present one. Romanticism was a way for the painter to show the world how they wanted it to be seen …show more content…
Robert sought to perfect the idea of perspective when he created over one hundred drawings that give insight into how he created his works. Due to his works being largely derived from his own mind, Robert had no reference to make sure a building was proportioned correctly. Many of his drawings are of a person sitting on a swing as it glides through a doorway. These drawings were created as early as his time in Rome and were replicated all the way until the creation of the Architectural Fantasy in 1802. If the motif of his early drawings was laid over the Architectural Fantasy, the perspective lines would be nearly identical. The Swing Through the Door (Fig. 5 in Cailleux to be specific because all drawing titles are the same) shares the closest resemblance to the painting due to the lower viewing angle. Robert clearly is making references to his former ideas when he paints the Architectural Fantasy. He also uses the motif in Architectural Capriccio with Bridge and Triumphal Arch. This painting is nearly identical to the work at the RISD museum but this painting clearly depicts a ruined structure. The Architectural Capriccio with Bridge and Triumphal Arch was painted nearly thirty-five years prior to the Architectural Fantasy although being nearly identical at first glance. Robert also continues to set his perspective from a point other than the center. He does not create works that are overtly symmetrical and instead opts for balance. This is true for his works before and after the French Revolution. Robert retains his typical compositional elements throughout his career and clearly utilizes forms that he created early on in his career to influence works in the latter portion of his

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Romantic Era was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe. In order for these artist’s feelings to be freely expressed, the content of their art needed to come from their imagination with little interferences from ‘artificial rules” dictating what should be in a work. Romantics tended to believe that a close connection with nature was both morally and mentally healthy, while they were distrustful of the human world. the focal points of romanticism are emotion, imagination, and freedom. Romantics also have a belief in children 's innocence and wisdom while they viewed adulthood as corruption and betrayal.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Superhero Research Paper

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages

    It made people consider themselves and their passions. Romanticism also gave rise to painting and art through exoticism and nature, which captivated and inspired artists. Exoticism is the quality of being attractive or striking through being colorful or unusual. Many artists used Exoticism to depict foriegn lands in art. Nature captivated artists and entranced them.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The use of perspective in both Raphael’s The School of Athens and Asher Brown Durand’s Kindred Spirits emphasizes the different subjects of each painting and distinguishes between significant and detail oriented additions to the pieces. Although perspective is used to reach a common goal throughout both pieces, each artist relied upon contrasting approaches to the perspective in order to accentuate certain elements of their work. For example, Raphael applies the one-point perspective system to his piece in an effort to make the painting seem realistic and relatable to viewers. Meanwhile, Durand prefers atmospheric perspective to emphasize nature landscape over human creation. While each style presents a unique element to their work, overall,…

    • 266 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Summary Of Raymond Carver's Cathedral

    • 1416 Words
    • 6 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited

    The very thought of describing such an object was intimidating to the narrator. This is clear when he says, “Say my life was being threatened by an insane guy who said I had to do it or else” (44). This fear is what led the narrator to begin describing, and to continue even when he knew his description was not making a clear picture in Robert’s mind. After a while, the narrator gives up, stating that cathedrals are not too important to him anyway. Robert had another idea in mind.…

    • 1416 Words
    • 6 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The protagonist in Carver’s “Cathedral” also serves as the narrator. The man although nameless reveals to us (the readers) who he is throughout the story. We see many ranges in this character, he shows us that he is jealous, narrow-minded, self-centered, and even prejudice. Also even though he is not described as being blind himself, he does seem to be blinded to his wife’s thoughts and feelings, as well as to things he does not understand. The main character lacks intimacy, and seems to be condescending at times.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It shows when Robert is open to new ideas and knowledge when he tells the narrator that he is open it watching anything on TV would be fine to watch because “I’m always learning something. Learning never ends.” So as they are watching a channel about cathedrals this is where they really start talking. The climax of the story comes from when the narrator attempts to explain to Robert what a cathedral is but he finds that he is not able to give a good enough description. Robert tells the narrator to draw the cathedral with his eyes closed.…

    • 1053 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Romanticism is one of those things that everyone should know about, but most people do not. “Romanticism is a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual.” - Google. Knowing the true definition of Romanticism is crucial to reading. The Devil and Tom Walker (page 151),…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Romantic art uses color and flowing lines as opposed to the structure of neoclassicism and emphasizes emotion and heroic exploits and themes.…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When thinking of similar buildings, does the US Capitol Building and the Texas State Capitol Building come to mind? If, not they should. Finished almost 88 years apart, it is easy to see that the architects of from Texas were definitely inspired by the neoclassicism that inspired those that created and designed the US Capitol Building. Following in the design of the United States capitol building in Washington D.C., the capitol building of Texas in Austin, brings together balance, symmetry, and scale into awe inspiring buildings.…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jantar Simpson Analysis

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Romanticism evoked after directly in response to Industrial Revolution in 18th Century Great Britain personifies the emotions along with aesthetic aura in form of Visual Art. “The Ancient Observatory, Jantar Mantar” by William Simpson belongs to the same batch of paintings where many discrete elements of Romanticism are worthy of attention. The radiance of full-moon night, individualization of few folks, and still life of hundred years old giant astronomical structure. The depiction of night subconsciously raises the blue flag of mystery and curiosity because most creative thoughts rushes away in bright sunny light. Even today’s scientific community agrees to the school of Believers who conceive the Night as the time to fuel their creative engines.…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    This essay will explore why there was an emergence of modernity within French and British art and visual culture in the nineteenth century and how different artists responded to this. Under close analysis will be specific visual examples in distinct turn from two French artists, Gustave Courbet, Constantin Guys and two British artists, John Everett Millais and William Morris It is also necessary to debate about the extent to which these works of art were characteristic of political and economic conditions as well as highlighting the similarities and differences between the arts of each country in terms of their national context. The nineteenth century…

    • 1754 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Italian Renaissance: Not Just a Bunch of Pretty Pictures! How Great Italian Artists Reinvented Ancient Ideas and Changed the World The Renaissance, generally regarded as the period between late 1300’s and early 1600’s, is considered one of the most creative and influential periods in history. The word renaissance means “rebirth”; it was a period of looking back to classical times and the great intellectual and artistic works of Greece, Rome and the Near East. The dwindling power of the Church, the central location of Italy in regards to trading with other countries, the rise of the merchant classes, the wealth of the papal states and the decimation of the population due to bubonic plague, were all contributing factors to Italy being…

    • 1469 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Palace At Knossos

    • 1510 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Modern Interpretations: Interpretation of Outer Architecture The outer Architecture of the Palace at Knossos has become largely understood and interpreted to have functioned primarily as a means of defense and was intended to serve a high level of security first and foremost. The tight space between structures on a raised foundation above the earth served to both hoist the glorified citadel up from the countryside giving it the advantage of higher ground and limited means of entry as well as creating a confusing inner blueprint that was troublesome to traverse without sufficient knowledge. The choice of long terraced walkways served both an aesthetic beauty, needed airways to ventilate the many structures, as well as further means of protection…

    • 1510 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Architect's Dream Analysis

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The representation of ruins in Thomas Cole's The Architect's Dream presents a bleak perspective of empire: that it is stagnant, declining, and temporary. Cole's use of spatial organization with the past in the background and the present in the foreground reflects the…

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Mohammed Waseem Chiraagh 1380983 ARCH 6313 - Critical Studies 3 Major Assignment Traditionally as humans, when critiquing a building our thoughts are based on the buildings form as a whole, one defined object or boundary made up of different components which creates the overall look, structure and how it fits into the contextual surroundings. In the text “Why Architecture Matters” Paul Goldberger, shows that not only the outer boundary or façade is important but that there is another dimension which is often open to wider interpretation and often disregarded when thinking about a building. This being the interior space within these boundaries, the interior of the building says a lot more than its exterior, as it defines the space, the light and the mood it creates.…

    • 1687 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays