Romanticism vs Impressionism Art

 

 

    The Romantic era is unique compared to the previous era because it inspired artists with vast ideas, which is why different art styles flourished during this time. Romantic and Impressionism art are two of the few painting styles introduced at this time. Romantic art is more subjective and focused on emotions, while Impressionist art emphasizes light and brush strokes.

Romantic Art

 Juan Luna, Spoliarium, 1884, oil on canvas, National Museum of Fine Arts, Manila

    Romanticism is an intellectual movement that began when people explored artistic ideas and expressed their strong emotions through art. One example of a romantic art style is the "Spolarium" painting by Filipino artist Juan Luna. Spoliarium is important in our history. Our history class taught us this painting to remind us how Filipinos rose against political oppression during the Spanish colonial period. The painting shows gladiators dragged by Roman soldiers into the arena. It depicts the Roman history of enslavement as it illustrates humans' helplessness because they lack power. This painting is inspired by the events when Spain colonized the Philippines for hundreds of years. It is a symbol of oppression and misery. Juan Luna used warm colors for this piece. He highlighted the red in the middle of the painting. He also used significant proportions of muscle with curved lines like in renaissance art. You can feel a lot of emotions in the painting. It screams misery and injustice. It tells a story of oppression and suffering.

  Théodore Géricault, Raft of the Medusa, 1818–19, oil on canvas, Musée du Louvre, Paris 

    Another Romantic art style is the “Raft of the Medusa”, which Theodore Gericault made in the 1800s. It was a controversial painting because it was based on a naval boat that went through a shipwreck. Of the 150 passengers on the ship, only ten survived, consisting of lower-ranking personnel (McCoy). You can see intense action because the people went through hardship, starvation, and cannibalism before being rescued at sea. Gericault used Chiaroscuro in this painting, highlighting the people's emotions of fear, pain, hope, and madness. The painting shows the hue's lightness and darkness, which is an element of Value. 

    Both of the paintings above have similarities in going through Hardships and misery. The authors did a great job telling a story through the representation of art. I am in awe of how you can already feel the true story of tragedy just by standing and looking at the painting. 

 

Impressionism

 Claude Monet, Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare, 1877, oil on canvas, Art Institute of Chicago

    Impressionism is a modern style of art that is simpler and more relaxing when you see it. The paintings are more realistic that can be seen in our daily lives. Claude Monet's painting "Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare" is a painting of Impressionism through his small elaborate brush strokes that creates dark and light tones to show the streets of Normandy and Paris. Monet likes to draw paintings based on nature and landscapes. He coordinated blue, light blue and green colors in this painting. He also used complementary colors like blue and orange. The brush strokes give it a texture and a clouded effect. Monet helped start the movement of Impressionism. I like how modern looking the painting is compared to the previous era. Monet initiated Impressionism which greatly inspired other artists as well. An impact to change a kind of art in this period.

 

         

Edouard, Manet, Woman Reading, 1880–81, oil on canvas, Art Institute of Chicago 

   This is also an example of impressionism art. The painting is made by Edouard Manet. Manet also influenced the impressionism movement. Most of his paintings dont show what happened in the past, but he creates artwork depicting daily life. This is a simple but elegant scene that shows the early modern life of a middle-class woman. The woman is in a café reading a book, indicating that he probably took the idea when he was in an urban area. Manet chose a great choice of colors in this painting. He used light and dark palettes and loosened brushwork that made the picture look livelier. Unlike most of the paintings, He used black as a color but not a tone in his subject.

    Overall they are both unique styles of art. Both types are highly valued for their beauty, originality, and innovation in art and art history. I am fond of Impressionism because of its abstract art and simplicity. However, I still appreciate the romantic style of art because of its perfect blend of reality and fantasy. You can reflect by looking at the images on why artists made the painting. In the two romantic art paintings above, the artist tries to conceal the wrongfulness people have been through so the audience can look back and appeal to what's right. Impressionism is simple and calming, which is my kind of art because an artist can draw it easily, and it is less time-consuming. However, it is in a romantic style of art that I go look for intense meaning and purpose.

Works Cited 

McCoy, Claire Black. Géricault, Raft of the Medusa (Article) | Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/romanticism/romanticism-in-france/a/gericault-raft-of-the-medusa.

Manet, Édouard. “Woman Reading.” The Art Institute of Chicago, Painting and Sculpture of Europe, https://www.artic.edu/artworks/14591/woman-reading.

Monet, Claude. “Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare.” The Art Institute of Chicago, Painting and Sculpture of Europe, 1 Jan. 1877, https://www.artic.edu/artworks/16571/arrival-of-the-normandy-train-gare-saint-lazare.

“Spoliarium by Juan Luna Analysis, Description, and Real Meaning.” corner4men.Com, https://corner4men.com/lifestyle/spoliarium-by-juan-luna-analysis-description-and-real-meaning-ar229.