Romantic Era

 The Romantic Era had a burst of new art techniques, architectural design, sciences, and much more. The huge expansion of knowledge and land exploration greatly influenced new artists and gave rise to beautiful landscape paintings, realistic paintings, and photography. There are several styles of painting during the Romantic Era and I will be focusing on two types: one I enjoy, and one I'm less fond of. 

    The first type I'd like to explore is the Art Nouveau style. This "new art" was popular between 1890-1910 throughout Europe and the U.S. and was brought about as a sort of rebellion against the structured study of art at the time. Artists were expected to attend school and learn techniques to create symmetry and straight lines, whereas this new style was meant to flow from the artist in organic lines (Brittanica). This art wasn't just created in paintings, but can be found in architecture, glass, jewelry, interior design, and posters. I especially love the curvature of the architecture and interior design lines of windows and doorways. This style gives a whimsical feel to buildings and sets them apart from the traditional buildings of that time period.

    

Casa Batlló, designed by 1904-1906, Barcelona, Spain.

This is one of my favorite Art Nouveau buildings and it is a dream of mine to see it in person one day. Josep Batlló owned the building and almost had it demolished before Antoni Gaudí convinced him to keep it erect but change the design. Batlló gave Gaudí full creative freedom which resulted in a new facade, as well as interior (Casa Batlló).

    This building is full of color and light, its curves and exterior paint are greatly influenced by nature. Gaudí used recycled materials, stone, glass, and ceramics to build this marine-like masterpiece (Casa Batlló). On the main floor are slender bone-shaped columns. On the ascending floors, cast-iron balcony railings take the shape of masks. The roof, which you, unfortunately, cannot see in most full photos due to sheer size, is a bold, colorful array of scale-shaped tiles, curving like the waves of the sea. Antoni Gaudí never explained his work and didn't draw plans for his design. There are obvious marine and ocean influences, but ultimately interpretation is left to the viewer of this magnificent work of art. Some even compare the roof to the back of a dragon, rising to the sky. I, personally see the ocean influence with the scales, repeated use of blues and greens, and fluid-like windows with the exterior and interior surfaces being a sand-like texture and color. With Barcelona being a coastal city, I think his intention was to merge the land and sea, creating a playful blend of the two. Every design element of this building has an organic, natural influence which shows it's truly done in the Art Nouveau style. 

Zodiac by Alphonse Mucha, Paris, France 1896

    The graphic art designed by Alphonse Mucha has influenced many artists since the 1800s and even still influences the world of comic books today (Pop Culture and Comics). This piece is full of flowing scroll-like shapes, repeating patterns, and natural plants. There are obvious layers to this piece, but the subjects do not remain within their own frame, spilling out into the other layers like the hair stretching beyond its confinement. The warm colors and curved lines are comforting and pleasing to observe. The Art Nouveau color palette typically consists of muted blues, olive, and warm reds and browns as seen here (Indonesia Design). The bold outline of the woman's head, and frame around her give dimension to the art. A halo-like design around her head houses the zodiac signs. This particular graphic style initially made me think of tarot cards. I love the layered structure and eclectic design of this piece.

    Mucha was born in the Czech Republic but studied in Munich, Germany, and eventually moved to Paris, France where the streets were covered with posters, where he gained his inspiration (Vectornator). Mucha used the Art Nouveau aesthetics such as floral lines and sensual, natural forms. The expansion of sciences is clearly shown here with the zodiac signs and the heavy use of vines and fruit. This particular piece, Zodiac, was initially designed for a calendar, however, it was also used as a decorative panel and became his most popular poster (Alphonse Mucha). With the background information on this poster, I believe the intentions were to depict unity with the signs aligned together in one space and to inspire good intentions or good fortune with the ornate headpiece. 

    The second style of this period I would like to discuss is Romanticism. Contrary to its name, romance or the sense of love is not the theme of this style. Romance in the sense of glorification is what we see within the arts (Thought Co). Ideas, emotions, and sensations were the focus of these works, with spiritualism guiding the way. The goal of Romantic paintings was to evoke emotions and the two paintings I've chosen to spotlight are prime examples of this. 

The 3rd of May 1808, or "The Executions". Francisco Goya, Madrid, Spain 1814.

    This painting depicts a scene of Napoleon's soldiers executing patriots of Madrid by firing squad (Museo del Prado). The French soldiers have their backs to us, faces obscured, and posture purposed. The rebels facing us are in chaos. Some already lying dead on the ground, some covering their faces from the scene before them, and one man is the focal point with his arms in the air and despair on his face. The background is dark, suggesting the execution is being held at night, and the painter gives the illusion of light illuminating the rebels, which suggests they are the heroes or supported side of the fight. The one with arms raised is donned in white, representing purity or innocence and his arm's positioning is similar to the execution of Christ.

    The 3rd of May 1808 has been called the world's first modern painting (Smart History). Francisco Goya had previously been somewhat sympathetic to the French; however, this historic event brought about intense emotions and made a large impression on him (Smart History). Like a lot of Romantic-style paintings, this evokes strong negative emotions with its gruesome, bloody war scene. Though I do not enjoy the feelings brought about by it, I can appreciate the skill of the artist. The viewpoint draws your attention away from the antihero and forces you to see the massacre for what it was. The use of color to illuminate the patriots brings focus to them. The lines used to depict French soldiers are strong and intentional. Goya really brought the real atrocities of war to light by showing a massacre instead of a battle scene and inspired many artists with his work.

The Slave Ship by JMW Turner, England, 1840

    The final painting brings about intense emotions, further substantiating my distaste for Romantic-style paintings. This piece was inspired by the Zong Massacre in 1781, where a slave ship captain threw 133 slaves overboard in order to collect insurance money. The painting was initially titled “Slavers Throwing overboard the Dead and Dying—Typhoon coming on” (Joy of Museums). Turner's painting coincided with a meeting of the British Anti-Slavery Society in 1840. Slavery had already been abolished in England, but Abolitionist supporters wanted it to be banned worldwide.

    This scene is truly haunting, with a tumultuous sea, fire-like sunset, and a slave ship in the background. The truly horrifying image in this painting is the group of bodies and outstretched arms being pummeled by the waves. The blue and gray clouds to the left show a dark impending storm approaching. I look at this painting and all I see is suffering and despair, which I'm sure was the intention of the painter, as he wanted to speak out and bring attention to the inhumane treatment of the slaves.

    Turner was just 14 when he entered The Royal Academy of Art. He became known for his indistinct figures and watercolors. He really emphasized colors, as did most Romantic painters (Joy of Museums). His use of reds and oranges to create this fire in the sky sunset is truly breathtaking. The only straight lines found in the painting are those of the ship's masts, and there is no distinct horizon, further showing the chaos of the scene. The brush strokes are also rough, and not delicate, giving a sense of fast movement in the scene. Overall, he was very successful in his attempt to elicit emotions and even displayed a poem he wrote next to this painting: 

“Aloft all hands, strike the top-masts and belay;

Yon angry setting sun and fierce-edged clouds

Declare the Typhon’s coming.

Before it sweeps your decks, throw overboard

The dead and dying – ne’er heed their chains

Hope, Hope, fallacious Hope!

Where is thy market now?”

    

Bibliography:

Art Nouveau | History, Characteristics, Artists, & Facts | Britannica

The history of Casa Batlló | Casa Batlló (casabatllo.es)

Art Nouveau Movement (1890-1910), Explained (indonesiadesign.com)

Alphonse Mucha and the History of Art Nouveau (vectornator.io)

Zodiac by Alphonse Mucha

Romanticism in Art History From 1800-1880 (thoughtco.com)

The 3rd of May 1808 in Madrid, or “The Executions” - The Collection - Museo Nacional del Prado (museodelprado.es)

Francisco Goya, The Third of May, 1808 – Smarthistory

"The Slave Ship" by J. M. W. Turner – Joy of Museums Virtual Tours