Romanticism: The Exotic Challenge

William Blake - The Marriage of Heaven & Hell, 1790-93, private collectionRomanticism was a popular movement from the late 18th to the mid-19th century. A reaction against Neoclassicism, the style is individualistic, exotic, beautiful and emotionally charged. One of the most lively and imaginative of the Romantics was the British writer, painter, and illustrator, William Blake (1757-1827). Blake was virtually unrecognized during his lifetime. Now, he’s regarded as a seminal figure in both the history and the poetry of the Romantic era.

Eugène Delacroix

Eugène Delacroix - Apollo Slays Python - 1850-51 - Oil on mounted canvas, 800 x 750 cm - Musée du Louvre, Paris. This painting decorates the ceiling of the Galerie d'Apollon in the Louvre (click photo for larger image)Artist Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) is widely regarded as the greatest of the French Romantic painters. His use of color influenced the development of both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism--and he also left his mark on Modern Art. Delacroix's greatest virtuosity was reserved for a project which came in 1850, featured here, and was the most important commission of Delacroix's career. It was the greatest of honors to decorate the central part of a ceiling at the Louvre. Delacroix’s inspiration often came from literature (as well as from historical or contemporary events). Apollo was a favorite subject of the artist, and this episode--taken from Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”--is the artist’s interpretation of good over evil.

Woman Arrested for Vandalizing Dèlacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People”

Eugene Dèlacroix - Liberty Leading the People, 28 July 1830 - This painting was intended to celebrate the day, during the 1830 Revolution, that the people rose and fought for their liberty. Delacroix used the painting as a political poster for the revolution. (click photo for larger image)

“Eugene Dèlacroix’s painting Liberty Leading the People, 28 July 1830, has been defaced while on view at the Louvre-Lens in northern France. A 28-year-old woman scrawled across the bottom of the painting with a marker pen shortly before the museum closed on February 7, 2013.”

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Eugene Délacroix (1798-1863) is regarded by many as the finest of the French Romantic painter.

John Constable - Painter of Vanishing Realities

John Constable - Stour Valley and Dedham Village, approx. 1814, oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (click photo for larger image)English Romantic Painter John Constable (1776-1837) was a master of Romantic landscape painting, during the early 19th century. His painting style and approach would strongly influence the Barbizon School and French Impressionists--and the region where he most liked to paint is known as “Constable Country.” An early artist of the plein-air approach, Constable also chose subjects that were largely unknown to the general public. In his later years--he used the drama of stormy skies and the capturing of moments in time to inspire meditation on the vanishing lifestyles of rural Britain.

The Impressionism and Expressionism of J.M.W. Turner

J.M.W. Turner - Norham Castle, Sunrise - c. 1835-40 - Oil on canvas 35 3/4 x 48 in. (78 x 122 cm) - Clore Gallery for the Turner Collection, London (click photo for larger image)English Romantic painter Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) is lauded by many art historians as the greatest landscape painter of the 19th century. Although brought up in the academic traditions of the 18th century, he became a pioneer in the study of light, color, and atmosphere. His technical approach to painting anticipated both the French Impressionists--and the modern Expressionist movements. Although Turner’s works went out of favor with the purchasing public in the earlier 19th century, a new appreciation for his abstractions, innovations and technical skills have emerged--and he is regarded today as one of the most gifted landscapists of all time.