Romantic Era Art Exhibit

 

Romantic Style

Wanderer above the Sea Fog by Caspar David Friedrich,
1818 Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg

When viewing this piece, the contrast is very apparent between the dark coat and rocks compared to the blues and whites that are in the waves. To me this helps draw to the eyes to the man who is in the middle of the painting. The lines and texture also play a key part in this piece as well because the hard crisp lines of the rocks compared to the light feathery look of the water with more muddled lines adds different elements to the painting that make it come to life.

There are a lot feelings that can be pulled from this painting. The man standing on solid rocks above a roaring sea makes me feel like he has overcome something and is looking down at the way he has come. It could also mean he is looking at the path is supposed to take to success. I like to think he is looking behind him, but it all depends on the viewer. I would own a print of this painting. It has such great elements that make it an interesting piece.

The Ninth Wave by Ivan Aivazovsky 1850, St.Petersburg, Russia

Like the previous piece, this painting uses the element of water to elicit feelings from the viewer. Looking at this piece, it makes me feel like the small boat is in the middle of a struggle for survival against the waves that are surrounding them. The light in the distance offers a feeling of hope that they will make it to their destination. I love how this painting looks so realistic and shows how beautiful the sunrise is across the ocean.

The painting really put texture to use when it comes to the waves making then look like they are moving. Along with the texture, the lighting is also essential to the piece. It helps give the painting depth and allows for the waves to have yet even more texture by giving them a rippling effect. When it comes to shape, I think it is an important aspect to this piece. The waves are very round and flowing, while the boat is more boxy with straight lines allowing for a metaphorical contrast to be derived. Examining the boat, it is shaped similar to a cross giving the painting a religious aspect as well. 

Impressionism

Wheatstacks (End of Summer) by Claude Monet,
1890-1891, Giverny, France

I am personally not the biggest fan of this piece. To me the color is drab and does not seem to add much to the painting. There is a lot of texture due to the technique Monet chose to use, but it is not used to make the objects within the painting look realistic. Instead, it makes the making look more blended together and make the colors stand out more. While there is some color color contrast to make the shadows of the haystacks, it does not have any dark and light contrast to make the painting feel lighter as the sun sets over the countryside.

When it comes to this style of art, I am not the biggest fan. This piece in-particular just seems drab and dull to me. There is not the story that comes from other paintings. I do like the calm scene of the sun either going down or coming up, but it does still seem very boring to me. Because of this, I do not think I would own a print of this piece.

Basket of Apples by Paul Cezanne, 
1893, France

The Impressionistic style is very apparent in this piece. When it comes to color in this painting, the orange and greens in the apples stand out against the blue wall and the white napkin allowing for the eyes to focus on them rather than the glass bottle and whatever is on the plate. There are a lot of different lines within painting like the roundness of the apples and bread compared to the sharper edges of the napkin and edges of the table. Together it adds a visual balance to the painting. After studying the piece, there are slight contrasts that show the shadows of the apples along the table to give the painting more depth.

When it comes to owning a print of this painting, I do not think I would pay money for it. While I do like it more than the Wheatstacks, it still does not tell a story when I look at it. The overall composition of the painting is nice to look at, but it does not elicit any feelings when I look at like other pieces do. I feel like this is the type of painting that you would find in a kitchen or a hotel.

Comparison

The romantic style and the impressionist style greatly differ when it comes to telling a story through the painting. In romantic styles paintings, there always seems to be some sort of deeper meaning that gives the viewer something to think about and dive into when examining the painting making it more spiritually orientated. Romantic styles are also closer to realism making the subjects of the painting look realistic. When it comes to the impressionistic styles, it depicts a scene or still life that is not necessarily realistic, but it is more centered around feelings and bright colors. The subjects within these paintings are typically somewhat realistic, but they are more distorted and blended together with color compared to that of romantic styles. Lines are more smeared and not necessarily as solid as they would be in other styles, especially the romantic styles.

Sources:

“Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wanderer-Above-the-Sea-of-Fog. 

“Ivan Aivazovsky Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/aivazovsky-ivan/#:~:text=The%20title%20refers%20to%20a,technique%2C%20theme%20and%20populist%20appeal. 

French, Claude Monet. “Claude Monet: Haystacks (Effect of Snow and Sun).” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1891, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437122. 

“The Basket of Apples.” The Art Institute of Chicago, Painting and Sculpture of Europe, https://www.artic.edu/artworks/111436/the-basket-of-apples. 

Aitken, Peter. “A Guide to Romanticism, Realism, and Expressionism in Art.” Wentworth, Wentworth, 19 Oct. 2015, https://www.wentworthgalleries.com.au/news/2015/10/8/a-guide-to-romanticism-realism-and-expressionism-in-art.