Painters, adherents of this direction, were compared with the rebels. They entered into a confrontation with the supporters of classicism. Romantic artists recognized the individuality of the individual as the main value and tried to reveal it in their canvases. Let’s look at some of the most famous Romanticism paintings and artists.
Francisco de Goya
Famous Spanish painter, and one of the brightest representatives of Romanticism. In his early works, a light palette predominates. The heroes of the paintings are enthusiastic individuals prone to impulsive actions. By 1789, Francisco de Goya officially holds the position of painter of the Spanish royal court.
But during the French Revolution, the subjects become more dramatic, the palette darker. The painter conveyed the horrors of war, chaos, despair, and determination of ordinary people. The most famous paintings by Francisco de Goya are the Disasters of War series, Naked Maja, and The Birth of the Virgin.
Theodore Géricault
One of the founders of French Romanticism in painting. In 1812, he exhibited his work The Raft of the Medusa, which was not appreciated by the sophisticated Parisian public. In this picture, everything was too much: bright, dynamic, emotional.
But Theodore Gericault managed to question the dominance of classicism, paving the way for a new direction. Among his other canvases, the Flood, Horse Races at Epsom, Leda and the Swan are distinguished.
Eugene Delacroix
At the same time as Gericault, Eugene Delacroix also wrote and received recognition only toward the end of his life. His development as a painter was influenced by the geniuses of the Renaissance and Baroque. Delacroix’s paintings “The Massacre of Chios” and “The Death of Sardanapalus” were ambiguously received by the public.
Critics were shocked by the naturalism of the paintings. And Liberty Leading the People received a warm welcome because its plot corresponded to the revolutionary mood in France.
Caspar David Friedrich
In the work of Caspar Friedrich (“On a Sailboat”, “A Woman Meets the Sunrise”, “Fog”), the dominant theme was loneliness, wandering, and hopelessness. His heroes are melancholy natures, who are in constant search. Also, the favorite theme of the German painter was night and mysticism, because Caspar Friedrich drew his inspiration from the Middle Ages.
Carl Friedrich Lessing
Carl Lessing (“The monastery courtyard under the Snow”, “The Last Crusader”, “Arrows in the Gorge”) painted romantic landscapes, which he was inspired by the paintings of Caspar Friedrich. His paintings were a great success: no one could convey the beauty of German nature so accurately and subtly. Later, the heroes of Lessing’s paintings will be revolutionaries, reformers, and historical subjects, which he writes with the same skill.
John Constable
The central place in the work of John Constable (“View of Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop’s Garden”, “Hay Cart”, “Stonehenge”) is occupied by landscapes and domestic scenes. Most of all, he liked to paint Suffolk and its environs – the artist’s native places.
He was not appreciated in England, but in France Constable’s paintings were a success. Delacroix himself admired his color reproduction and brushwork. John Constable became one of the few artists who became famous for rural landscapes.
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Another English landscape novelist was also underestimated in England. He was criticized for the bright colors of watercolor, and freestyle writing. William Turner (“Ulysses Taunts Polyphemus”, “Light and Colour”, and “Fishermen in the Sea”) was a master at depicting the elements and sunlight.
In his later works, one can see an interest in abstractionism, although such a direction has not yet been. This confirms that William Turner was an innovator.
