Preferences and Perspectives - The Romantic Era
The Romantic Era: Preferences and Perspective Realism vs Art Nouveau
The Romantic era depicted many different styles, realism is one of my favorite styles. Realism emerged as a reaction to the Romantic movement, focusing on depicting the world as it is, without idealization or romanticism. Realism rejected the fantastical and exaggerated elements often seen in romantic art and literature, aiming to portray ordinary life and people realistically. While realism was a separate movement from romanticism, it was influenced by the romantic emphasis on emotion and individual experiences, leading to a more nuanced and complex portrayal of human life and society. On the other hand, Art Nouveau is my least favorite. It was considered more of a decorative art movement that embraced organic forms inspired by nature. It aimed to breakaway from historical styles and create a new modern aesthetic. This style was more focused on design, decoration, and craftsmanship rather than the emotional expression.
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Ploughing in the Nivernais is one of my favorite paintings that I came across. It is painted by French artist Rosa Bonheur. One of the more famous female artist in an era filled by many males. The painting depicts a team of oxen ploughing a field in the Nivernais region of France. The oxen is the central focus of the painting as they work as a team to pull the plow. They are depicted in motion, straining against the weight of the pplow as they work the field. The farmers in the background guide the oxen and oversee the ploughing process. They are dressed in rural attire. The landscape features rolling hills, fields and a sense of vastness and openness. Rosa Bonheur was known for her depictions of animals and rural life, capturing details of farm work and the natural world. The elements come together to portray a scene of agricultural labor and rural life in France. The painting is located in Musee d' Orsay in Paris. It is Oil in Canvas and was painted around 1849. The size is approximately 52 in x 100 in.
Gustave Courbet was a French painter that led the realism movement. In the painting the Stone Breakers Courbet is depicting two peasant workers breaking stones. This painting exemplifies his commitment to portraying everyday life with accuracy and honesty. The depiction of the laborers and their work is raw. The painting is composed in a simple, straight forward manner, focusing on the two laborers at work. The composition emphasizes the physicality and hardship of their labor. Courbet's use of a muted color palette contributes to the somber and realistic tone of the painting. The colors are earthy and subdued, reflecting the gritty nature of the subject matter. The use of light and shadow in the painting helps to create a sense of volume and depth, highlighting the figures of the laborers and accentuating the physicality of their work.
While realism depicts great art work and hard work, Art Nouveau was geared more towards decorative art and was inspired by natural forms such as curves of plants and flowers.
Otto Eckamn illustrated Jugend No 14. It's organic forms are inspired by nature. In the poster you can expect to see intricate flowing lines and shapes that resemble natural forms like plants and flowers. He incorporated whiplash curves which are sinuous flowing lines that create a sense of movement. The elaborate letter is trying to complement the poster. The colors are rich and vibrant adding to the visual impact of the poster. The elements combine to create a visually striking and ornate design, showcasing a harmonious blend of decorative motifs. The illustration is from 1896. The illustration depicts a pretty woman but the orange flowers I feel really hides her face as it over powers the picture.
Franz Von Stuck drew this art illustration for the Munich Secession. The Munich Secession was an association of visual artists who broke away from mainstream Munich artists. The illustration was used between 1898 and 1900. The illustration is dark almost as if they are promoting a cult, The group of members were trying to separate themselves from the mainstream artist. The writing is bold and the building is straight lines which makes the building look tacky. The warrior at the top to me is a cross between make and female but the bold writing is really grabbing the attention.
References:
“Europe: 19th Century.” Smarthistory, smarthistory.org/europe-19th-century/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
“Guide to Realism: 5 Famous Realist Artists and Artworks - 2024.” MasterClass,
www.masterclass.com/articles/realism-art-guide. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
Guide to Realism: 5 Famous Realist Artists and Artworks
“The Stone Breakers.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Jan. 2024,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stone_Breakers. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
“Munich Secession.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Mar. 2024,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Secession. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
Hi Carlos, although I personally do not find the Realist style paintings aesthetically appealing, I can appreciate the intention of these painters to move away from fantastical elements that Romanticists emphasized. I think this shift in subject matter is important because it indicates social change, giving the lower and middle classes as much attention as the paintings of nobles and aristocrats. You mentioned the use of earth tones in the Realist paintings; I would agree that the earth tones are very helpful here in depicting hard work.
ReplyDeleteThough I am also not a big fan of Art Nouveau, I can appreciate its ability to become an important style despite it not falling into the “fine art” category.
Hello Carlos, your explanation of Realism versus Art Nouveau offers a very detailed introduction into contrasting artistic movements. I found the section on Art Nouveau particularly intriguing. Your analysis of Otto Eckmann's illustration for Jugend No. 14 beautifully captures the essence of Art Nouveau's organic forms and decorative motifs inspired by nature.
ReplyDeleteHi Carlos, I like how you described the differences between realism and art nouveau. It was helpful in understanding the perspectives each of these styles were coming from. The realist style does a good job of portraying realistic movement, while art nouveau is meant to be fantastical and has movements that feel more graceful. I like the first painting you chose. Up to this point, most art I have looked at in this class has been of people or objects. I enjoyed seeing a painting of animals at work.
ReplyDeleteI like that you have taken two drastically different styles and compared them formally with a good interest in the fundamentals of art to give them each a fair chance. I would have to agree with your aesthetic preference though both styles certainly serve a different purpose and have different use cases. In the first two works you presented they both have a very constrained color range giving them a more mundane and hard working element, which greatly contrasts the vibrancy of the Art-Nouveau movement. I'm glad you went into depth on the types of forms uses in the Art-Nouveau this enriched the analysis and made for a more informed comparison.
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