1.2 Key themes and influences in 19th century art

The 19th century saw major shifts in art, with Romanticism emphasizing emotion and imagination. Artists like Delacroix and Turner created dramatic works that stirred feelings and celebrated nature's power. This set the stage for later movements.

Realism emerged as a counterpoint, focusing on everyday life and social issues. Artists like Courbet and Millet depicted workers and peasants, rejecting idealization. This truthful approach influenced future artists and movements.

Romanticism's Influence on 19th Century Art

Romanticism's Key Characteristics

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• Emphasized emotion, individualism, and a glorification of the past, particularly the medieval which contrasted with Neoclassicism's focus on reason and order
• Sought to evoke strong emotions in the viewer, often through dramatic subject matter (battles, storms), rich colors, and loose, expressive brushwork
• Valued the power of the imagination and believed that art should express the artist's unique inner vision rather than conform to academic rules or conventions
• Depicted the sublime, awe-inspiring aspects of nature in landscapes (towering mountains, raging seas), reflecting a growing interest in the natural world and a sense of its power over humanity

Influential Romantic Artists

• Eugène Delacroix known for dramatic, emotionally charged paintings like "The Death of Sardanapalus" and "Liberty Leading the People"
• Théodore Géricault famous for "The Raft of the Medusa" which depicted a contemporary shipwreck with brutal realism and raw emotion
• J.M.W. Turner created atmospheric, luminous landscapes and seascapes that evoked the power and sublimity of nature ("The Fighting Temeraire", "Rain, Steam and Speed")
• Caspar David Friedrich painted enigmatic, introspective landscapes that reflected a sense of spiritual yearning and man's insignificance in the face of nature ("Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog", "The Sea of Ice")

Realism vs Romanticism

Realism's Key Characteristics

• Rejected Romanticism's emphasis on emotion and imagination in favor of depicting the world as it actually appeared, without idealization or sentimentality
• Emerged in part as a response to the social and political upheavals of the mid-19th century, including the 1848 revolutions in Europe
• Sought to capture the realities of modern life, particularly the experiences of the working class and the poor (laborers, peasants, urban scenes)
• Emphasized direct observation and a commitment to depicting the world truthfully, even if the subject matter was considered ugly or mundane

Key Realist Artists and Works

• Gustave Courbet was a leader of the Realist movement, known for large-scale paintings of ordinary people ("The Stone Breakers", "A Burial at Ornans") that were seen as provocative for their honest depiction of working-class life
• Jean-François Millet depicted the lives and labors of peasants with a sense of monumentality and dignity ("The Gleaners", "The Angelus")
• Honoré Daumier known for satirical lithographs and paintings critiquing contemporary society, particularly the bourgeoisie and the legal system ("Rue Transnonain", "The Third-Class Carriage")
• The Realist emphasis on observing and depicting the world truthfully had a significant influence on the development of Impressionism and other modern art movements later in the 19th century

Nationalism and Imperialism in Art

Nationalism in 19th Century Art

• The rise of nationalism in the 19th century led artists to celebrate national identity and history in their works
• Eugène Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" became an icon of the French Revolution and a symbol of the French nation
• The Hudson River School (Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church) celebrated the American landscape as a source of national pride and identity, shaping an American mythology through epic, idealized depictions of nature
• German Romantic artists like Caspar David Friedrich imbued their landscapes with a sense of spiritual yearning that was linked to German national identity

Imperialism and Orientalism

• The growth of European imperialism in the 19th century led artists to depict colonial subjects and landscapes, often in a romanticized or exoticized manner
• Orientalism, the depiction of Middle Eastern and North African cultures, became a popular genre reflecting and reinforcing colonial ideologies
• Jean-Léon Gérôme and Eugène Delacroix created detailed, often eroticized images of the "Orient" ("The Snake Charmer", "Women of Algiers")
• British artists like John Frederick Lewis and David Roberts depicted the landscapes and peoples of the Middle East as timeless and exotic ("The Hhareem", "The Temple of Dendera")

Nature and the Outdoors in 19th Century Art

Naturalism and Plein Air Painting

• The Barbizon school in France (Théodore Rousseau, Jean-François Millet) rejected academic conventions in favor of painting outdoors to capture the changing effects of light and atmosphere, influencing the later Impressionists
• John Constable and J.M.W. Turner pioneered a more naturalistic approach to landscape painting in England, depicting the countryside and coast with a new level of realism and attention to light ("The Hay Wain", "Norham Castle, Sunrise")
• The invention of portable paint tubes and other equipment made it easier for artists to work outdoors (en plein air), contributing to the growth of this approach

Outdoor Leisure and Tourism in Art

• The rise of the middle class and the growth of leisure time and tourism in the 19th century led artists to depict outdoor recreation and tourist sites
• Impressionists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir frequently depicted the parks, gardens, and leisure activities of Paris ("Luncheon of the Boating Party", "Dance at the Moulin de la Galette")
• The seaside and coastal resorts became popular subjects, reflecting the growth of domestic tourism (Eugène Boudin's beach scenes, Monet's "The Beach at Trouville")
• The rise of public parks and gardens in cities provided new subject matter for artists, who depicted the urban middle class at leisure in these green spaces (Camille Pissarro's Tuileries Gardens series, Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte")