Romantic Era Blog
Romanticism vs. Realism
The freedom of the artist to express themselves in whichever way they wished was a defining feature of Romanticism. It was a movement characterized by the spontaneous and adventurous actions of painters who used both the pen and the paintbrush in their work.
When paying more attention to the composition I noticed that Friedrich chose to paint this scene vertically rather than horizontally, which is more common. The canvas's upright stance mimics the uprightness of the subject in the picture. Basing my research on an article posted by artable.com, in this painting Friedrich uses the Ruckenfugen technique, in which the subject is painted with his back to the observer. The figure then becomes a mystery to the viewer, who has no idea what he is thinking or how he is reacting to the scenery that they are also taking in. Friedrich uses a significantly brighter palette than usual for this piece. He paints the sky in blues and pinks, with the mountain and rock in the distance matching these hues. He depicts the figure wearing a dark green coat, which is typical of German clothing. The light appears to be coming from beneath the rock, lighting the fog in some way. The rock on which the unknown figure stands is primarily in silhouette form, with minor detail apparent near the figures' feet at the top. The tone seems unclear to me because I cannot see the figure's face. To me, this traveler appears to be in awe of the eerie environment before him, which is consistent with Friedrich's previous paintings and the general Romantic ideal. He leans on his cane and lays a calm hand in his pocket as if he is a confident man.
To me, this Romanticism painting shows inspiration and a spiritual experience, where this person stands in self-reflection and at the same time looks in the unforeseeable future. The person's back is turned which allows me to see the world from his eyes. Looking at the perspective of this piece it seems as the artist inspires is trying to inspire the viewer by possibilities that are not yet discovered
The color of this painting is something that the artists have done a great job on. The survivors are clinging to a shattered mast, fighting for survival and the sun has just risen, and its beams pierce the watery chaos. By the bright light beam, the artist makes me think that these sailors still have a chance of survival as the morning comes. This is the thing that I like the most about this painting as it seems inspiring to me by giving hope even at the worst times. He also does an amazing job of creating tones in this piece by making the sunrise a beautiful gold that spreads throughout the painting. In my opinion, the brushwork on the waves crashing is a detail that the artist did an amazing job on. I am a fan of the Romanticism era paintings as to me they seem inspiring and hopeful. I would love to own this painting myself as it shows the power of nature and shows that you should never give up as the light of a sunrise give us hope.
Realism arose in response to the romantic movement and peaked in the latter half of the 18th century and the early years of the 19th century. Realism, as the name implies, dealt with reality; it revealed the facts of life without embellishment. Realism was a direct response to the romantic movement, and it was opposed to all it stood for.
There is only one light object in this painting. The fluorescent light that floods the cafe is the only source of illumination for the painting. By the lack of a streetlight, it flows out into the night from both windows on both sides of the street corner. The canvas's abstracted color planes give it a timeless quality, making it an object onto which one can project one's reality. The colors the artist has chosen seem to be very cold. The green makes this painting seem depressing and chilling.
In my opinion, Realism is very noticeable in this painting and it shows how lonely our lives can be. I don't like artwork that shows depression and sorrow, although the artist has done a great job of showing us emotions.
As my second piece of Realism, I chose The Gleaners, which was created in 1857, by Jean-Francois Millet in France according to visual-arts-cork.com. After doing research I learned that the entire piece is a criticism of France's social classes, and in particular, on the lower classes' incapacity to rise above their place. The three women are represented bowed over, without piercing the horizon, confirming that we stay in the environment we are born into. Meanwhile, peasant farmers, watched over by the foreman, occupy the uppermost line of ground, none of whom break the horizon. The sky represents society's unachievable upper class, which looks down on the lower classes. It is as distinct from other individuals as air is from the ground.
The colors in this painting give it a feeling of a boring routine that the women in the painting have to go through every day. The setting sun's slanting light enhances the volumes in the foreground, giving the gleaners a sculptural appearance. It highlights their hands, necks, shoulders, and backs while also brightening their apparel colors. When noticing the contrast Millet has decided to place the women at the center of the painting.
What I admire most about the realist movement is the artists' determination to depict everyday life, even if it was deemed unsightly and unsuitable for the wealthy. Although this is a great painting I don't like the way it shows the life of these women. I am a bigger fan of Romanticism that gives me more hopeful thoughts. The main difference between Romanticism and Realism is that Realism pertains to that which was real often scenes from the lives of the lower classes while Romanticism was largely fictionalized and often portrayed scenes that were pure fantasy.
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