The 19th Century Romantic Era: Studying Artistic Ideals

As we move past The Enlightenment Era of the 18th century, we've been taking a look at the era of Romanticism. The Romantic Era spanned from 1790-1850, bringing about an entirely new standard of artistic ideals. Romanticism had a strong focus on the artist expressing his feelings, rather than reality. The imagination was a newfound tool, and creativity was only artistic if laws didn't stand in the way. Yudkin does a good job of explaining that: "Romantic artists attempted to capture their view of the exotic, the irrational, and the sublime." The biggest ideals in Romantic Era art are expression of imagination, the power of nature, and the reflection of human emotion.

 German artist, Casper David Friedrich, evokes the ideals of 19th century art in his painting, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog. The first representation of this era is seen immediately with the vast openness of the sea. Friedrich portrayed the sea and the fog violently, establishing the true power of nature. The sky and the mountains in the background are boundless and overpowering.

 Friedrich places the man in the overcoat in a perfect position. Our eyes are drawn toward him and his powerful stance, but at the same time we are drawn to what this man is looking at and the horizon. With further analysis of the "Wanderer," we can see that his head is pointed down and can assume that he is looking down into the foggy sea, not out into the horizon. If Friedrich had painted his head pointed up, it would have expressed more of a powerful stance, evoking hope, victory, or the call to conquest. With his head pointed down, we perceive him to be reflecting on something personal.

 Lastly, perspective and proportion have a huge impact on why this painting characterizes Romantic Era art so well. Our perspective is from the view of behind the Wanderer. This detail is monumental in the separation of this art form from that of The Enlightenment Era. If we were looking at the Wanderer from the front, we would be able to see his face and his expression. We might even be able to identify who he is. By seeing him from behind, we are left in an unknown. The unknown is an important theme Friedrich was trying to depict. The size of the man compared to the size of the sea, the sky, and the mountains gives us a better understanding of how small Friedrich wanted to portray his Wanderer as. In every detail he gave the Wanderer, Friedrich wanted us to realize how insignificant he is compared to the rest of the world; which is exactly what he wanted the viewers of his painting to reflect on.