The art of Romanticism

Romanticism is a style that flourished between 1800 and 1840 AD. It appeared after the Neoclassic period. The French Revolution played a huge part in this change. Romanticism style on the emotional than of reason which was the main statement of the Renaissance period. In pieces from this period, you see much more storytelling of women and men, the emotions and inner struggles appear. There is an attraction to the "dark side," of situations and relations. Heightened senses and a deeper admiration for natural beauty are other examples of this style. There is also heightened pictorials of the erotic. Interest in other cultures and their design seems to play into this period. there seems to be more of an interest in the exotic. In painting, Eugene Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People and Gericaults, The raft of the Medusa, are excellent examples of the Romantic style. There was also Goya's The Third of May.
Along with a certain painting style, there was also great writers and intellects. Victor Hugo was among one of the most celebrated writers of the French Revolution with Les Miserables and other short stories and novels. In the United States, The Legend of Sleep Hollow, was first written, and in Britain, you had Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein, and the painter and writer William Blake.
The examples are enough to show what this style consists of, and what it is exactly based upon. Most people know of Les Miserables and the French Revolution and of course Sleepy Hollow is one of my favorite bed time stories. I love this period as a whole, but of course it's easy to like when you are attracted to "the dark," naturally. Because of this style came "Realism," with the Industrial Revolution. I think, however, that Romanticism is one of the most important and influential styles that still keep up with the here and now.