Romanticism

In general terms, the textbook gives a quote that summarizes Romanticism, "Man is born free, but is everywhere in chains." Romanticism occured after the Renaissance so all the art had to be bigger and better. At this time, people wanted their personal freedoms including thought, religion, emotions and people promoted individualism. Freedom was also thought to happen through imagination, not with thinking or reason. In art, Romanticism incorportated feelings, emotions and a sense of eroticism. Some paintings also depicted terror and sin. Dramatic action was common with a lot of intense emotions and contrasting colors. "Saturn Devouring One Of His Children" (1819-1823) by Fransico Goya is very dark with a creepy image. The background is dark with an illuminated monster eating a human. The body is gory and is uncommon to previous art seen. Another example of Romanticism is "The Raft of Medusa" (1818-1819) by Theodore Gericault. The painting shows a powerful narrative with images of dead people in the water. There is a contrast of a dark background and the light color of the flesh. To me, Romanticism art pushed the boundaries of art being created and chose more secular themes. The artist tried to incorportate their desire for freedom in their art by making the content shocking to the viewers.