Romanticism

Romanticism

(Beginning in the late 18th century and lasting until the middle of the 19th ).

The Background

The industrial period started developing  around the 18th century. It started and flourished in England, later developing in France and America. Villagers moved from farms and the country side to the city to find jobs in factories. Rapid growth developed cities that were very dirty and crowded with the poor living in inhumane places and the sky blackened with soot.

At the same time there was an opposite reaction against the Industrial age. The Philosophy of the Enlightenment which emphasized science, empirical evidence and rational thought above all was beginning to be frowned upon. Romantics  challenged the idea that reason was the one path to truth and that judging it was not enough in understanding the mysteries of life.

The Clove Catskills, by Thomas Cole, 1827

Nature was one of the main subjects in this period as it provided a sense of self discovery and spiritual learning an place in which mysteries could be reviled to the mind of man. The Artists produced work containing deep feeling, spirituality and free expression . They used this as a form of rebellion against the effects of industrialization and prioritized the human beings which they believed to have infinite, godlike potential.

Artists in this period tried to capture their ideas in their work. They differed from the path of the Neo-classicists which was characterized by their rationalism and rules-driven orderliness. Somewhat like Baroque  artists, Romantic artists tried to achieve an emotional response in those who viewed art. Though instead of inspiring faith as the Baroque, most looked to evoke nostalgia, pastoral life, the stirring of life's mystery, and the sense of power and grandeur of nature.

In this period art also depicts the romantic ideal of nationalism.

Sources:

Art of Manliness. 2010. The Basics of Art: The Romantic Period. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/03/03/the-basics-of-art-the-romantic-period/. [Accessed 04 April 13]
       
Paul Brians. 1998. Romanticism. [ONLINE] Available at:http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/romanticism.html. [Accessed 04 April 13].          http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/03.30

Realism

Realism

Somewhat defines the meaning of realism.

The origins of realism lie in the Discussions of a group of artists, writers and intellectuals in a parisian bar (Temple du Realism) in the late 1840 where they talked about the the latest artist trends politics and social issues.French Realism emerged in times of social hardship and political difficulty in France when early in 1848 the Third Revolutions  took place in Paris , n the mid nineteenth- century, Courbet's art caused much controversy at the state-sponsored salon because it went against standard academic practice

The artists considered themselves against the ideals of Romanticism where things where exaggerated to evoke the emotional characteristics of the artists. Realism sought to capture the reality and fought against the emotionalism of the romantics. Accuracy and truth where the primary goals of the Realists. A majority of oil paintings depict people at work symbolizing the industrial revolution at the time.


Comparison Table: http://www.macalester.edu/~hammarberg/russ251/romreal.html


What Defines Realism

Realism focused more on the accurate and truthful depiction of the subject which is shown by nature and real life. The previous movements of Romanticism and Classicism where rejected and thus creating a new contemporary movement which focused on every day activities and ordinary people who were deemed worthy of realist art. They aimed of portraying ordinary lives, problems, appearances, customs of the lower classes, humble, unexceptional and the unadorned.

Gustave Courbet, The Stonebreakers, 1849, Oil on canvas, 165 x 257 cm

In this picture we see the plight of the poor. We see two figures working to remove stone from the road that was currently being built. It is showing the hardship of the working class that they had to undergo to make pay. In realism these are the things that artists wanted to show to their viewers.

Sources:

Smart History. 2013. The Stonebreakers. [ONLINE] Available at: http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/the-stonebreakers.html. [Accessed 07 April 13].


Arts My Passion. 2013. The Realism Art Movement. [ONLINE] Available at:http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/the-stonebreakers.html. [Accessed 07 April 13].

Birmingham toys

Snuff Box

Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverized tobacco leaves. It is a smokeless tobacco. It is generally inhaled ore snorted up the nose.

Silver Snuff Boxes with hinged covers

They were used as a form of body adornment an were generally used to offer people or it turn take a sniff of the dried tobacco.

Vinaigrette 

silver vinaigrette

The vinaigrette is a little silver box with a hinged cover and a second perforated compartment containing a sponge soaked of vinigar . They were sniffed by ladies in case of sligh illness or for a general fregrance . This silver vinaigrette was made in Birmingham in 1817, silversmith mark JL, interior and floral grille are gold washed to prevent vinegar corrosion.




Sources:

christies. 2013. Silver snuff box. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.christies.com/error/404.aspx?aspxerrorpath=/lotfinder/lot/seven-silver-snuff-boxes-with-hinged-covers-5409811-%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20details.aspx. [Accessed 05 March 13].

Wikipedia. 2013. Snuff box. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snuff. [Accessed 05 March 13].

silvercollection. 2011. silver vinaigrette - England. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.silvercollection.it/pagina6.html. [Accessed 08 April 13].

Industrial Revolution

Britain at the time was built upon rural communities that revolved around farming  Most families where growing their own food, making their own clothes  and building their own houses or done in some small rural shops. The life of the average person was difficult as incomes were meager  and malnourished and disease were common.

Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution was when the rural life started a transition to the city life. Before the industrial revolution production was don in people's home using manual labor and basic machines. Industrialization evolved a shift to power, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. Such important developments such as the rise of the iron and textile industries and the steam engine played a crucial role in the revolution. It increased the volume of manufactured goods and improved living for few mostly the wealthy . It also resulted in very bad living conditions for the poor and working class of the era.

Britain was the birthplace of the revolution.



Some factored contributed Britain being the birthplace of the revolution. Having a great amount of coal and iron ore deposits which provided a new and more efficient fuel source and abundant raw materials. These also proved valuable and essential for the industrialization. Britain was also stable political wise unlike France which was held back because of the monarchy which governed it . Being a colonial power also helped as the  raw materials could be found and transported due to their many foreign colonies.

The demand for goods later increased and market required more cost efficient methods of production, this led to the rise of mechanization and the factory system

Transportation during the revolution



The transportation had to go under a complete overhaul to keep up with the new age. Before the invention of the steam engine materials were transported using horse-drawn wagons and by boats along canals and rivers. This wasn't very efficient as horses could be somewhat unreliable as many breakages could occur during the voyage and that drove up prices. American Robert Fulton (1765-1815) built the first commercially successful steam engine and by the mid 19th century,steam ships were carrying goods across the Atlantic.







The steam locomotive was beginning to come into use. British engineer Richard Trevithick (1771- 1833) constructed the first railway steam locomotive. By 1850 Britain had more than 6,000 miles of railroad track .Also around 1820, Scottish engineer John Mc Adam (1756-1836) developed a new process in building roads which resulted in roads that were smoother,more durable and less muddy.





A Video explaining the British industrial revolution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhF_zVrZ3RQ

Sources:

History. 2013. Industrial Revolution. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution. [Accessed 07 April 13].

Examples of Romantic art and their artists.

The Chancel and Crossing of Tintern Abbey, 
Looking Towards the East Window,
 by JMW Turner, 1794.2

"Tintern Abbey was a monastery founded in 1131 and rebuilt in the 13th century. Abandoned in 1536, it was left to decay for two centuries."


Artist Joseph Mallord William Turner went to this abbey twice  in which he was amazed the marvelous structures which towered above him and the power of nature that over came human ingenuity

Fishermen at Sea, by JMW Turner, 1794.

"Turner was fascinated by the mood of nature, her ever changing effects. He was always sketching the clouds, the sky, and his natural surroundings. "

He was extreamly amazed by the change in which the ocean goes through, this being a foundation to the painting on the left. He once asked to be tied to the mast of a which too experience the full extent of what a ship goes through during a storm.



Romantics believed greatly in god an nature was evidence of that in a way they were thee profits that portrayed gods work to the public.

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog,
by Caspar David Friedrich, 1818. 

German artist Caspar David Friedrich was a quintessential Romantic artist, and this is a quintessential Romantic painting. This portrayed the humans ability to conquer much obstacles but still has alot to learn. In this painting a man Stands high one a mountain top only to see a fog shrouding crashing sees. This means that although he conquered the mountain he  has further challenges ahead and further more uncertainties which lie beyond the fog.

The Clove Catskills, by Thomas Cole, 1827. 

Thomas Cole, was amazed at the grandeur of nature. On a trip he saw this scene and was astounded but the untainted landscape which had not been poisoned by man.

Looking Down Yosemite Valley,
 by Albert Bierstadt, 1865. 

German-American artist Albert Bierstadt left New York to paint the American west. He was  captured by the vast greatness of the place. Because the place was not suitable to paint he resorted to sketching and further painting and completing at home.

Aurora Borealis, by Frederic Edwin Church, 1865. 

Romantics also had the ability to show the wonders of nature to people who would otherwise never see them . Such a case are the Auroras to the left. Due to the face that artist traveled and the common man didn't this translation of information could occur.






Sources :

The Basic of Romantic Art | The Art of Manliness. 2013. The Basic of Romantic Art | The Art of Manliness. [ONLINE] Available at:http://artofmanliness.com/2011/03/03/the-basics-of-art-the-romantic-period/. [Accessed 19 May 2013].