The Romantic Era

 The Romantic Era - A Comparison of Art

Forest path near Spandau

    Forest Path near Spandau by Carl Blechen was a landscape romanticism painting completed around 1835 (“Forest Path Near Spandau, 1835 - Carl Blechen - WikiArt.org”). Carl Blechen was born July 29, 1798, and died on July 23, 1840; he was a professor of landscape at the Berlin Academy of Arts starting in 1831 (ART at Berlin). His unique outdoor paintings utilize styles that border on the edge of both romanticism and realism, though this particular piece focuses more heavily on romanticism.

    

   The Forest path near Spandau was completed during a time of struggle for Blechan. He increasingly experienced mental health issues and fought heavily with depression; this struggle led to his leave of absence starting in 1836, just after the completion of this painting (ART at Berlin). The heavy use of deep colors and longing for light expresses a romantic style of conveying emotions through lighting and movement. The subject/focal point of the painting is centered and bright, yet very small in comparison to the dark forest; with the background and timeline of Blechan, it is increasingly apparent this painting was done in a time of struggle, and his use of romanticism techniques allow the painting to convey that heaviness.

Waterfall in Småland by Marcus Larson.   

 Waterfall in Småland by Marcus Larson is a romanticism landscape painting completed in 1856. Larson lived from January 5th, 1825 to January 25th, 1864 (“Marcus Larson - 18 Artworks - Painting”). His paintings utilized techniques much like the earlier works of Carl Blechen; he painted landscapes in a unique blend of romanticism and realism (“Waterfall in Småland - Marcus Larson - Google Arts and Culture”). Larson’s humble roots entailed an early artistic life that consisted of seeking financial aid to continue his artistic education; this path eventually succeeded with his acceptance to the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (“Waterfall in Småland - Marcus Larson - Google Arts and Culture”). Larson was deeply inspired by Norwegian landscape art; he traveled to Norway and found the dramatic scenery to be a firm starting point in his artistic career. Larson quickly became known for his dramatic landscape and maritime artistic style and created pieces such as Waterfall in Småland in a unique blend of realism and romanticism to express his fascination with landscape art (“Waterfall in Småland - Marcus Larson - Google Arts and Culture”). 

    Marcus Larson’s approach to painting Waterfall in Småland is unique in that he utilized extremely modern workflows despite being painted in 1856; this piece was painted in a studio in Paris, which is a far stretch from the dramatic Scandinavian landscape it depicts (“Waterfall in Småland - Marcus Larson - Google Arts and Culture”). To achieve his desired outcome, Larson utilized photography and accurately painted the details of trees and waterfalls, while simultaneously using his extensive experience in Scandinavia to introduce drama and intensity into the scene (“Waterfall in Småland - Marcus Larson - Google Arts and Culture”). Larson sought to create a painting with a realistic subject but in a romanticized moment; this style can be seen through the movement created by his lines through the scene which depicts wind alongside the dark clouds/fog. Similarly, the brightness of the water and lines Larson uses adds a layer of intensity to the lower part of the scene, which creates a painting with stationary realist elements and moving romanticized elements. 

Courting by the Window Grille, 1874, by José Moreno Carbonero

    José Moreno was a Spanish painter who lived from 1860 to 1942; Moreno was extensively known for his work in portraits and history paintings. Moreno studied across Europe and Africa thanks to his prominent position in and scholarships provided by the Málaga School of Painting (“Courting by the Window Grille by José Moreno Carbonero - Artvee”). Bernardo Ferrándiz, a leading Málaga artist during Moreno’s early life, taught and introduced Moreno to history paintings (“Courting by the Window Grille by José Moreno Carbonero - Artvee”). Moreno went on to win a vast number of rewards through his embodiment of Ferrándiz’s principles of independence and nonconformity; these rewards and recognition led to the eventually commissioned works by prominent buyers such as the Argentinian government, who hired Moreno to paint a Buenos Aires themed canvas to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the revolution of Argentina (“Courting by the Window Grille by José Moreno Carbonero - Artvee”). 

    Courting by the Window Grille is one of Moreno’s unique impressionist paintings, completed in 1874; the scene utilizes historical iconographic references to create a unique blend of history and Impressionism (Courting by the Window Grille). This painting is also considered to be extensively academically rooted, given its balance of areas and colors (to an almost extreme and ironic sense, given the unique subject matter and blend of artistic styles) (Courting by the Window Grille). Moreno sought to use an extremely bright contrast in color between the white background and red jacket of his subject, and the subjectitself represents a historical tradition of marriage in Spain. Individual elements are done in extremely fine detail, thoughthe individual objects themselves are depicted in a spacious way (it is not a cluttered painting despite having an extreme level of historical depth and detail). This intentional utilization of space gives Courting by the Window Grille an interesting appeal, given the feeling of “accessibility” and wonder in the placement of iconographic references.

Winter Night. Figure on the Bridge Ladislav Mednyanszky 1888  

    Ladislav Mednyanszky was a Hungarian painter who lived from 1852-1919; Mednyanszky had a humble aristocratic background and spent much of his time in seclusion (“Laszlo Mednyanszky - 54 Artworks - Painting”). Despite the seclusion, Mednyanszky displayed an interest in studying philosophy, art, and the communities of ordinary working people/nature. This interest is oftentimes expressed in his art which displays scenes of poor people, working people, the army, and nature (“Laszlo Mednyanszky - 54 Artworks - Painting”). His seclusion and interest with the ordinary led to a unique impressionist style that yielded dark and often overlooked subject matter combined with lonely dreamlike scenes.

    Winter Night. Figure on the Bridge was painted by Lasislav Mednyanszky in 1888 (“Winter Night. Figure on the Bridge - Ladislav Mednyánszky - Google Arts and Culture”). This painting utilizes dark and smooth color gradients with little contrast to create a very spooky feeling and tone; the singular subject in the center of the painting creates a focal point that “pulls” the eye inward from the surroundings to the one and only source of light. This painting exemplifies how impressionist paintings can create dreamlike scenarios in which an artist’s personality comes to the forefront of the work. In this case, Winter Night. Figure on the Bridge likely highlights Lasislav Mednyanszky’s tendency toward seclusion and his fascination with the ordinary rather than the extravagant.

The Connection and Comparison

    Romanticism and realism had a tendency to utilize reality in a detailed and artistic way, whereas impressionists moved closer to a dreamlike configuration of symbolism/colorations that rejected the idea of the accuracy of reality. In these cases, Carl Blechen and Marcus Larson both sought to create romanticized versions of real places with accurate representations of the physical details (going so far as to utilize photography to do so). By contrast, Ladislav Mednyanszky and José Moreno painted purely fictional scenarios with symbolism and blurred lines of reality to represent non-physical things in history, culture, and emotion.

    I personally enjoy romanticism a lot because the attention to detail and the beauty of physical details combined with romanticized/dramatic scenes are interesting to me. As a photographer, I seek the romanticized versions of reality that are often unobtainable, so these paintings appeal to the side of me that craves the dramatic and out-of-reach pictures I may never get to reach! I appreciate both the extreme attention to fine details and the beauty of conveying scenes that the mind can see, though reality may not have the ability to produce!

Work Cited

ART at Berlin. “Carl Blechen – Waldweg Bei Spandau - ART@Berlin.” ART at Berlin | Contemporary Art | Ausstellungen | Galerien | Museen | Galerieführer | Kunst | Map, 26 June 2015, www.artatberlin.com/en/portfolio-item/carl-blechen-waldweg-bei-spandau.

Courting by the Window Grille. www.carmenthyssenmalaga.org/en/obra/cortejo-ante-la-verja.

“Courting by the Window Grille by José Moreno Carbonero - Artvee.” Artvee, artvee.com/dl/courting-by-the-window-grille.

“Forest Path Near Spandau, 1835 - Carl Blechen - WikiArt.org.” www.wikiart.org, www.wikiart.org/en/carl-blechen/forest-path-near-spandau-1835.

“Laszlo Mednyanszky - 54 Artworks - Painting.” www.wikiart.org, www.wikiart.org/en/laszlo-mednyanszky.

“Marcus Larson - 18 Artworks - Painting.” www.wikiart.org, www.wikiart.org/en/marcus-larson.

“Waterfall in Småland - Marcus Larson - Google Arts and Culture.” Google Arts & Culture, artsandculture.google.com/asset/waterfall-in-sm%C3%A5land-marcus-larson/WwG8pzKNJheQdA?hl=en&avm=4.

“Winter Night. Figure on the Bridge - Ladislav Mednyánszky - Google Arts and Culture.” Google Arts & Culture, artsandculture.google.com/asset/winter-night-figure-on-the-bridge-ladislav-medny%C3%A1nszky/PQEBNINNbESDkA?hl=en.