12. Romanticism - Lecture notes 12 PDF

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Notes on what can be considered the first avant-garde movement, Romanticism....

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Romanticism, William Morris & The Arts & Crafts Movement No PowerPoint put up during lecture The first group of ‘avant-gardes’ are the ‘Romantics’ William Morris- the last great romantic What was Romanticism?  Interdisciplinary movement- across the arts, music, novel, design, architecture, poetry  1790-1840  Had quite a long life as it opposed the enlightenment  Certain strains of romanticism that keep bubbling away continue after 1840  A pan- European movement- emerged across Europe, adopted a variety of guises in different countries as modernity occurred at different times, in different ways- it responded to the unique issues of modernity in that time in that place  A critical response to Enlightenment thinking Who were the Romantics  Generation of ‘philosopher artists’- they challenged established way of thinking, status quo, modernity- they reflect a sense of rupture and loss which they have experience  General feeling amongst romantics that things are going badly wrong- modernity isn’t going how it should- enlightenment and science is not delivering a better world like it promised  A rupture between man and nature Romantic painting just a few examples- goya (spain), Delacroix, constable, palmer, blake (England), friedrich, Briullov (Russia) Literature- Mary Shelley, ‘Gothic novelists’, wordsworth, Goethe (Germany), pushkin (Russia), baudelaire (fleur du mal I think) (france), percy Bysshe shelley, colleridge Music- Beethoven (later work), Chopin, Richard Wagner (later), Schubert People like Wagner and Beethoven with later work are called ‘late romantics’ Romanticism- in some forms it is nostalgic, retrospective- it harks back to a medieval time before it went all wrong- they have an ideal view of medieval life They are so disenchanted with life in the modern world so opt out- they tracked back and thought it went wrong in the renaissance- medieval before this Cheyere’s ‘Les Romantiques Lithograph’ Example why cheyere shows a gothic ruin (in les romantiques lithograph), it’s a look back to medieval time Bats- romantics had interest in the supernatural- things that cannot be explained- different to the rationality of the enlightenment Figures separated- thinking in their own way This generation of artists are deeply rooted in modernity- their artwork reflects an opposition to this world Significance of the Romantics  They redefined the role of the artist and art work- previous to this artist have reflected the status quo- medieval reflect the church, baroque reflects the nations strength

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They define the nature of the ‘modern artist’ as someone whos duty it was to reflect upon the changed circumstances of the world in which he lived Questioned the practices of art, literature and music- they questioned the academic model. They questioned the academic method- they explored different ways of artistic expression How could you reflect modernity using the classiced images that the academy provided? They were not modernist but they opened the doorway to modernism in the way that they questioned how you write, make art and compose

What did the Romantics find difficult about Modernity?    

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The process of industrialisation (late 18th century picked up speed in 19th century)- the industrial revolution, urbanism and factory systems- it brought with it lots of social problems Developing Capitalism and the bourgeoise- developing materialism Corrosion of spirituality- if we vested everything in materialism then we would kill off part of ourselves- part of who we are as humans is our spriitality Demographic change due to industrial revoltion and urbanism- now balance on population changed, large urban centres develop and people are in the cities. New infrastructure, societies traditional structure begins to collapse (palmer example) Exploitation and social evils- they are deconstructing the world of modernity, pulling the curtains apart and showing people what it is really like. The journalists of their time

Blake: The Chimney Sweeper, 1794  Blake perhaps was the guy who opposed urbanism the most  Critique of efficiency over humans (chimney sweep child has to go into chimney as adults don’t fit so it is the most efficient way)  Critique of child labour  Other examples- the dark satanic mills of Jerusalem Samuel Palmer- ‘Coming from an Evening Church’ 1830  Nostalgic piece of work, looks at a traditional community who shared the same values  Tries to resemble the illuminated manuscripts art- a more authentic type of art practice to him, also nostalgic  Medieval church can be seen in the background Friedrich: Wandered above the Sea of Fog 1818  Portrait of the ‘romantic’ who turns his back on modernity and looks at the nature- he gains his inspiration from nature  The figure is trying to re-establish a link with nature  Called ‘the philosopher’ sometimes- interesting as this is a new type of philosopher- not the previous type who sits in his study and uses logic- instead they go and be inspired by naturemany would go to the lake district as it is seen as a primitive place Turner: Salver Throwing overboard the Dead and Dying: Typhoon Coming on, 1840  Slavery already banned at this point, but it is a critique of the secret slavery going on in America. British colonies whos business is vested in slave labour  About the hipocracy of the new capitalist work  Showing the evils of people being thrown overboard- critique of slavery  Shows people being eaten by sea monsters- supernatural  Power of nature

Blake: The Sick Rose 1794  About how beauty has been corroded by the ‘invisible worm’ of industry, enlightenment thinking- about the loss of beauty 

The romantics their own individua experiences of modernity in their own distinctive- the individual quality of the artist, poets hand- different o everyone working the same ways as part of systems

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They reawakened and prioritises the world of feeling, emotions, imagination, mystery and the supernatural in the face of Enlightenment thinking which prioritised the intellect They asserted the fallibility and inherent brokenness of the human condition in the face of an Enlightenment ideal of the nobility and perfection of man

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Goya Disasters of war 1810-1812  Shows how modernity has crippled the humans  Evils of the Napoleonic war in spain  Critique of the human condition and inability to evolve like the enlightenment promised Frankenstein- mary shelley  The monster that doctor Frankenstein creates is the modern world Case study of William Morris  Poet, novelist and painter  His great achievement was translating romanticism into design  Dislike of industrial processes and urbanism  The earthly paradise- don’t think about the horrible, polluted, socially corrupted London, instead think about a medieval version of London  He visits an exhibition on enlightenment architecture in an enlightenment venue- the crystal palace. Exhibition aimed to show people the british enlightenment design process  The crystal palace- regimented columns, made of glass as needed lots of glass for exhibition place  William Morris detested this building- innovative but at the expense of beauty and decoration  He thought the objects in the exhibition we banal, uninspiring Morris’ Paintings  Quite medieval in style- h addresses the Catholicism of the medieval period  He begins as a romantic painter but after being exposed to the enlightenment architecture he turns to design The red houseit is built in a medieval style, furnished with medieval things, traditional red brick, wanted to turn theworld back, stained glass windows  He wanted to live in a medieval retreat  He was quite successful with his design so decided to revive traditional regional designs that had gone out of fashion (put out of business by efficient things) and make a business for other people who wanted to escape modernity  Chairs  He set up a company called the ‘arts and crafts’ company Wall paper design

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Hated the cheap materials, plain designs of enlightenment wallpaper He brought art into wall paper, they have movements and ocmpositions within them He tried to turn industrialed spaces into an artwork- he also employed medieval imagery into his art work and medieval symbolism

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1870s- at a point when business was quite well Morris bottled out- he had a bit of a crisis, he realised he was helping the bourgoise rather than the workers that he wanted to help

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He tries to do something about the modernity- he wants to help the modern condition by bringing art into the world...