Romanticism was an artistic, cultural and literary movement that took place, mostly, on the European continent between the 18th and 19th centuries.
The romantics are characterized, among many other things, in creating a movement in response to what the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism, very close in time, supposed.
Next we will see the characteristics of Romanticism along with some of the most notable characters of this artistic-philosophical current.
The characteristics of Romanticism that help to recognize it
Romanticism was an artistic, intellectual and cultural movement that occurred at the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th century in several European countries but especially in England, Germany and France.
These three nations would be the main stage of this cultural movement, but it would end up spreading to the rest of the European countries and would also cross the Atlantic reaching the United States. These are its main characteristics.
1. Rejection of the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism
The Romantics They emerged as a contrast to the intellectual movement of the Enlightenment and its artistic expression through Neoclassicism, where logic, reason and objectivity were highly valued. Both Enlightenment thinkers and neoclassical artists were in favor of standardizing everything in form and content.
The Romantics were against these ideas, as they were a way of restricting creativity and expressive freedom. Furthermore, in the 18th and 19th centuries there were a deep disappointment with Humanity, given that with the Industrial Revolution the people were being exploited even more if possible emerging many unjust ways of treating the proletariat.
This is why the romantics were incapable of thinking that they were living in the best moment in history, because it seemed that society had become a hostile, cruel and squeezing place.
2. Exaltation of subjectivity and emotions
Romantics exalt feelings and subjectivity, with which artists and art could free themselves. Feelings were above reason, which is why emotions such as fear, love, passion, madness and loneliness were recurring themes in both written and pictorial works of the time.
Within romantic logic it is understood that art must obey only the purpose of expressing the artist’s subjectivity, expressing his point of view, sensibilities, opinions, fears and desires.
Art goes from being made to the interests of the client (patron) and becomes an individual expression of the artist The romantics flee from the propaganda use that had been made of artistic compositions, converted into products made to represent the prosperity and riches of the ruling elites.
Romantics are against the rigidity of academicism promoted by the Enlightenment. They freed art from standardizing rules, which gave way to a true explosion of artistic creativity, there being an immense diversity of styles. Neither romantic art nor literature can be considered a unified style no matter how you look at it.
4. Cult of self and individualism
Before the emergence of Romanticism, the artist had to create a work based on what he had been entrusted with. This piece of art had to be made according to the designs of the patron, since he was the one who paid for the commission.
However, this is different in the romantic’s mentality. This artistic imposition is overcome, making the artist of this current make full use of his total freedom, and within that liberation he could focus on his own individuality.
So the romantics they exalt the expression of the Self, claiming their individual identity The subject is someone unique and different who is also part of a group, but within that group this individual must enjoy the same recognition.
5. Assessment of originality
Romanticism, while there are no limits to artistic creation, is also a period of great originality. Originality becomes a criterion of artistic evaluation, in which we try to do new things leaving behind the idea that art must respond to tradition, continue it or perfect it.
6. The misunderstood genius
The romantic movement holds the idea that the romantic artist is a misunderstood genius, whose limitless imagination, liberating creativity and tormented life make him a character widely rejected by the society of his time. This contrasts with the idea of ​​the Renaissance genius, who is shown as a man very skilled in his art with impeccable management of artistic techniques.
7. Sublimity
Romanticism puts the idea of ​​sublimity before the idea of ​​classical beauty, which was austere and orderly. Classical beauty was so balanced, so symmetrical that it had become predictable and stereotyped.
On the contrary, The romantic sublime involves finding beauty in the most terrible and uncomfortable, in that which is not pleasant, which leaves no one indifferent. Great masterpieces can be made from the murky and moving. 8. Exaltation of fantasy
Romantics give free rein to their fantasies, their dream world. From the supernatural they extract all kinds of artistic expressions that can be material for both a fairy tale, with dream worlds, and horror stories, in nightmarish worlds. Even The line of what is morally accepted is exceeded, introducing very unorthodox thematic works into his works such as taboos and satanic rituals.
Being a movement critical of its historical period, in which it was an obvious fact that enlightened logic and reason had failed, Romanticism developed a strong nostalgia for an idealized past, seen as a better time.
The movement was opposed to the dramatic progress of the Industrial Revolution which threatened to break the unity between human beings and nature.
It was very common to find in romantic works the exposition of historical passages, especially focused on the Middle Ages or other periods such as contemporary time, that were somehow perceived as better times. In the case of the French romantics, it was very common to focus their gaze on the French Revolution seen as a period of great change and splendor for the nation.
10. Interest in the Middle Ages and the Baroque
As we have mentioned, the romantics had a predilection for bygone eras, with the Middle Ages being the period that was most represented. One of the reasons for this was that it was during this period that many peoples of Europe emerged, either due to the disintegration of the Roman Empire and the creation of new Christian kingdoms or due to the mixing of pre-Roman cultures.
From the Middle Ages they extract their late medieval movement, the Gothic, as a symbol of great artistic representation This movement, full of darkness and shadows on the outside but vivid colors on the inside, was seen by romantics as the greatest exponent of spirituality and mysticism.
As for the Baroque, the romantics considered it as a movement of true liberation of emotions rich in effects and exuberance, principles very similar to the creative and expressive ideals of Romanticism.
11. Interest in the exotic
As their closest world was perceived as a hostile, failed and unwelcoming environment, the romantics not only took refuge in the ideal of past times, but also idealized distant worlds, especially the Far East.
They seek to break with the Western tradition in the exotic, seeing the non-European as a much better world Orientalism and the idea of ​​the American aboriginal are two examples of this romantic interest in very distant cultures, their idealization based on Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s concept of the noble savage.
12. Interest in the landscape
The landscape is an element that cannot be missing in Romanticism. His writers, painters and musicians turn to him in two ways. The first is an effort to bridge the distance between humans and nature, a distance motivated by socio-economic changes. The second is turn the landscape into a metaphor for the subject’s inner world
Both forms are attacks against neoclassical rationalism, which in most of its compositions preferred interior and sober scenes, in order to ensure that the viewer focused their attention on the message expressed in the work and was not distracted by landscape elements.
If the Enlightenment movement sought to standardize knowledge, considering that only culture in the hands of the most expert and enlightened people was valid, the Romantic movement defended the search for knowledge through popular culture, seen as an inexhaustible source of knowledge. The wisdom of the people was stored in the folklore of each culture transmitted from generation to generation through dances, sayings and legends.
14. Nationalism
Romantics are strongly nationalistic, as they see this ideology as an expression of the collective self. It is not surprising that this happens, since Romanticism coincided with a historical moment in which national states began to proliferate, culminating in the unification of Germany and Italy.
Nevertheless, One should not fall into the mistake of thinking that the romantics placed their emphasis on the institutionality of the state, but in the identity of the people. The identity of that nation, its heritage and the sense of belonging are aspects that every romantic author introduced in his works.
15. Valuation of vernacular languages
Romantics highly value vernacular languages, especially using them as a means of nationalist expression Language is the driving vehicle of national identity, popular culture and the collective self.
We have an example of this appreciation in the abandonment of Italian as the language for singing opera, which until those centuries had been the norm, to begin composing works in German, French, Spanish and English, among others.
16. Death
Death It is an indispensable theme in romantic works, being approached from many points of view and, especially, the idea of ​​suicide Taking one’s own life was an idea that every romantic author had to introduce at some point in his or her art, be it painting, novel or opera. This idea became especially present in this current thanks to the influence exerted by Goethe’s novel The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774).
17. Strong idealism
The romantic is idealistic by nature He imagines that a better world is possible, not only on an artistic level, but also on a political and social level.
Living in a world perceived as the worst that could be experienced, romantics believe that, in the future, things could get better, but for that to be possible, something must be done. For this reason, it is common to find hundreds of romantic authors having participated in political causes and spiritual movements.
Representatives of Romanticism
There are many representatives of Romanticism, including both men and women. Next We will discover the names of some of them depending on the type of artistic work in which they stood out the most and some of his most representative works.
Writers
Painters
Composers
Berlin, I. (2000). Hardy, Henry, ed. The roots of romanticism. Madrid: Taurus. ISBN 978-84-306-0369-5.
De Paz, A. (1986). The Romantic Revolution; poetics, aesthetics, ideologies. Translation by MarÃa GarcÃa Lozano. Madrid: Tecnos Editorial. ISBN 978-84-309-3960-2.
Fay, E. (2002). Romantic Medievalism. History and the Romantic Literary Ideal. Houndsmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave.
