Romantic Era Blog
The Romantic Era is a time from the late 1700’s to the late 1800’s. The two styles from the Romantic Era is Realism and Pro-Raphaelitism. Realism rejects imaginative idealization in favor of a close observation of outward appearances. Pro-Raphaelitism was closely associated with the social, political, and economic changes of Victorian England.
Realism
Gustave Courbet, The Desperate Man, 1843–45. This was painted Paris
This picture of Gustave Courbet painting the “The Desperate Man’ was painted by him because it is showing as a tortured genius struggling for recognition and a bite to eat. The desperate man should be taken as a literal expression of his lived experience. In 1843 Courbet was an artist without a manifesto, still trying to build a reputation. The Desperate Man seems intensely personal and, thus, deeply genuine. In many of his paintings, Courbet was committed to capturing the truth of modern life, or the unwashed masses.
Harvesters Resting (Ruth and Boaz) by Jean-François Millet 1853
This painting by Jean-Francois Millet was painted in 1853 in France. He painted this on the biblical story of Ruth and Boaz. In this image, Boaz the gentleman standing on the left is next to his wife as they talk to others after a long day harvesting crops. Ruth is standing on the left holding a bag of corn ears with her head down. This painting as you look at it is also showing that a main portion of this group is made of men. This is why ruth has her head down and is shy interacting with them. Boaz is showing her confidence by putting his hand on her shoulder. Realism comes from the word ‘Reality,’ which is focused on everyday life with a particular interest in highlighting nature. Jean was particularly interested in the fields and workers.
Both painting show the truth of Realism by showcasing the life of different people struggling to fit in and to Interact with others. These painting are ones that I would own because. It shows how hard people are working to support themselves.
Pre-Raphaelitism
Le miroir de Vénus (‘The Mirror of Venus’, 1875) by Edward Burne-Jones
This painting is showing Venus and her friends at a pool to look at their reflections, but Venus just looking at her friends. This painting is not meant to tell a story but to offer aesthetic appeal. Edward was inspired by a Poem “Earthly Paradise” by William Morris. There is bright colors and delighted appearances of the Woman that caught others who wanted to copy the style. The area around the pool is rocky and dry.
The wedding of Saint George and Princess Sabra. Daniel Gabriel Rosetti 1857
This painting was done by Daniel while he and others were decorating Oxford Union. Sabrea embraces of an armored figure is Elizabeth Siddall. She died two years after this painting due to an overdose of laudanum. This painting shows their happiness after overcoming adversity and trump over evil. Rossetti was good at showing St George and Princess Sabra in multiple painting of their deep appreciation for each other.
Citations
Realism - Gustave Courbet “The desperate Man 1857” private collection. Accessed on July 13, 2023, https://www.gustave-courbet.com
Jean-Francis Millet “Harvesters Resting (Ruth and Boaz”. 1853. Accessed on July 13, 2023https://collections.mfa.org/objects/31288#:~:text=Millet%20conceived%20this%20painting%20as,to%20underscore%20its%20contemporary%20significance.
Pre-Raphaelitism
Sir Edward Burne-Jones “The Mirror of Venus”. 1875. Accessed on July 13, 2023, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/630995
Daniel Gabriel Rosetti “The Wedding of St George and Princess Sabra 1857” Accessed on July 13, 2023. https://useum.org/artwork/The-Wedding-of-St-George-and-Princess-Sabra-Dante-Gabriel-Rossetti-1857
My God, I can relate to the desperate man. Tired all the time, can’t get any traction, looking at life swirling around while you try to get all the crap done you need to get done while working, trying to sell your wares, make your wares, coach baseball and do yard work.
ReplyDeleteIt's a helluva painting. The central light source creates shadows highlighting the sunken eyes, and the color contrast of the eye whites with the shadows really shows how overwhelmed he must be. The lines and shadows of the shirt make It appear to flow like a real shirt, and you can see the individual hairs on his face and head. The texture of it leaps off the screen. I wouldn’t own it because it scares me, it’s too much like I feel. Now Rosa Bonheur’s Plowing in the Nivernais is a realism painting I’d own. Very much the same characteristics as the Desperate Man, but instead of a feeling of dread and helplessness it gives me a calm, happy, tired from productive work going to sleep well tonight feeling.
I wrote about a Courbet in my blog for this assignment. It was from a few years later, it’s interesting to see the difference between what he must have thought of himself in Desperate Man vs The Painter's Studio: A Real Allegory Summing up Seven Years of my Life as an Artist.
I like The Mirror of Venus. It’s another calming vision. I don’t know what the point is, other than you pointed out, aesthetic appeal.
I really like the paintings you used. If I had to choose, I think I prefer Pre-Raphaelitism because of the feelings the artwork evokes in me. There just seems to be a lot of emotion behind the pieces. I think it is beautiful how the paintings in Pre-Raphaelitism were made with stories behind them or aesthetic purposes. I also think Realism is very interesting because it shows the rawness behind everyday people’s lives.
ReplyDeleteThe Desperate Man is my favorite out of all the paintings that you picked. It shows so much emotion. With the Pre-Raphaelitism, I enjoy the bright colors that are used. Le miroir de Vénus, I like like the details of the reflections of the women. If I had to chose, I would choose Pre-Raphaelitism, because of the colors that are used to make the paintings stand out. Great findings.
ReplyDeleteThe desperate man is a beautiful painting that draws several different feelings from it's audience, while at the same time displaying a frenzied man overcome by his emotions. The dramatic lighting adds to the intensity of the scene emphasizing the man's panic. I like how the shadows created by the bright light help sculpt the defined muscles of the man's forearms. What I see in the man isn't desperation, its more like a eureka, after all this time I've done it moment.
ReplyDeleteI love your description of The Desperate Man. If I was just observing the piece without any context, the piece looks terrifying. It seems like the man in the painting has gone psycho and is ready to tear up anything. After reading your analysis, its amazing how Gustave was able to express his personal experience though the piece without using his own face. I personally prefer Realism over Pre-Raphaelitism. The elements that are used in Realism Art adds a deep meaning to art pieces. It allows the audience to relate and understand the piece better.
ReplyDelete