- Romantics celebrated emotion as a valid source of knowledge and inspiration, believing that it could lead to a deeper understanding of the self and the world.
- They rejected the rationalism and order of the Enlightenment, embracing instead a more subjective and introspective approach to art and literature.
- The individual was central to the Romantic movement, with artists and writers exploring the complexities of the human psyche and the power of individual experience.
- Romanticism also emphasized the importance of nature, seeing it as a source of beauty, inspiration, and spiritual connection.
Imagination and the Sublime
- The Romantics believed that the imagination was a powerful force capable of transcending the limitations of reality and accessing higher truths.
- They sought to create art that was both imaginative and evocative, stirring the emotions and transporting the viewer or reader to another realm.
- The concept of the sublime was central to Romantic art, with artists and writers seeking to create works that were awe-inspiring and overwhelming, evoking feelings of wonder, terror, and transcendence.
Historical and Cultural Context
- The Romantic movement emerged in Europe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period of great social, political, and cultural upheaval.
- Romanticism responded to the rapid changes and anxieties of the time, offering an alternative to the rationalism and materialism of the Enlightenment.
- It also drew on the Gothic revival, which celebrated medieval art and literature, and on the rise of nationalism, which inspired artists and writers to explore their national heritage and culture.
Literary Figures:
- William Wordsworth
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- John Keats
- Mary Shelley
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
Visual Artists:
- J.M.W. Turner
- John Constable
- Francisco Goya
- Eugène Delacroix
- Caspar David Friedrich
Musicians:
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Franz Schubert
- Frédéric Chopin
- Niccolò Paganini
- Hector Berlioz