Welcome back to RS4 Art Blog. Today's topic revolves around the Romantic Era of artwork from roughly 1800 to 1900 C.E. I will be comparing two styles of artwork, namely from The Black Series of paintings from Francisco Goya, who seemed tormented in his later life and displayed a harsher take on reality than many artists of the time period, and John William Waterhouse. Both artists have magnificent art styles, with Goya's being considered Impressionism and Waterhouse's being under the umbrella of Pre-Raphaelite. I will add in others falling under these styles, however those two are my personal favorites from the time period
IMPRESSIONISM
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| "The Magpie" - Claude Monet c. 1868-1869, France |
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| "Viejos comiendo sopa" - Francisco Goya c. 1819-1823, Spain |
Impressionistic art tends to provoke emotion over rationality. While it may stir up feelings in the viewer that the artist could have been feeling at the time, it is up to the viewers interpretation. You can view this type of artwork without feeling like there's a hidden agenda, which I feel is why it makes it my favorite of all the art styles I have studied thus far. There's no obvious religion or politics behind it, which is seen so much in the past. Instead of commenting on the sins of the Church, the love of a deity, or a rise or fall of a monarch, it is primal in its delivery. I have given two examples that can be used to provoke opposite feelings. At least, they did in me. Francisco Goya's piece, from his Black Paintings era, trailed from his original style of realistic paintings to the morbid, dark and almost scary paintings depicting his decline in mental health near the end of his life. In all of his paintings in that time period, you will see a lot of use of black, muted tans and browns, and hardly any bright colors. I believe this to be that he found himself in a dark mindset that he ultimately could not escape. He put these feelings onto canvas and we have what I consider to be a series of masterpieces that remind me, in a creative way, of the worst points in my life. But I love them. I almost want to hang every single one of the Black Paintings in my home, were it not for the fact that it may stress my now five year old daughter.
On the lighter side of things, both subject matter and color use wise, we have a piece by the famous Claude Monet, who is arguably the most notable impressionist of the time period. I chose The Magpie because of my preference to snowy areas and landscapes. The use of whites, light blues, and grays invoke a peaceful feeling and the detail of what looks like a cottage behind the trees makes almost a homey feeling about the work. It gives the feeling of walking back into your home after trekking out with the family for maybe a walk or to go build a snowman. While this piece is generally more detailed than a lot of impressionistic work, it is still simplistic and shows no political or religious agenda and is there for viewing pleasure. It is another example of why impressionism is my favorite style of artwork thus far.
PRE-RAPHAELITE
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| "Ophelia" - John Everett Millais c. 1852, England |
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| "Gone but not Forgotten" - John William Waterhouse 1873, England |
The Raphaelite works are dominated by bright colors, filled with detail, and does not shy away from the womanly figure. It promoted top-tier realism, and was a tribute to the Renaissance artists, Raphael as the name would suggest. Unlike expressionism, most of the works in this style tell a defined story, even if you don't know the context behind it. For example, Ophelia by Millais depicts a scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet. I did not know this before the bulk of my research, however you can tell from the overarching tone of the piece that the woman is accepting death. There is a sadness about is, and while the woman is clearly alive during the events of the paining, she most certainly resembles a corpse floating in the water. I believe that the purpose of this art style WAS to bring intense storytelling to art.
Storytelling can be also seen above in Gone but not Forgotten. With the title aside, you can see what looks like a Greek or Roman woman near a grave mourning someone. Unlike a majority of Pre-Raphaelite works, the colors of this work is mostly monotoned, but it does not take away from the overall story or mood. While I enjoy this style, I do prefer the more open interpretation of Impressionism. I will say that John William Waterhouse tends to be my favorite artist in this field, especially if you look at the way he improved and perfected his style into the 1900's.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and I hope you enjoy these pieces as much as I do
SOURCES:
Lewandowsk, Hervé. "Claude Monet The Magpie." Musée D'Orsay: Claude Monet The Magpie. RMN-Grand Palais, 04 Feb. 2009. Web.
Takac, Balasz. "The Mystery and Terror of Francisco Goya's Black Paintings." Widewalls. Web. 23 Mar. 2021.
Unknown. "Pre-Raphaelite – Art Term." Tate. Web. 23 Mar. 2021.
White, Katie. "The Tragic 'Ophelia' Epitomized Pre-Raphaelite Beauty. Here Are 3 Facts You Might Not Know About the Mesmerizing Painting." Artnet News. 07 Oct. 2020. Web. 23 Mar. 2021.
