ART200 - KA

         After Neoclassicism of the 1700s, the 1800s brought new styles of  paintings to the world. The 19th century marked the start of the Romantic era. Styles such as Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, as well as others filled the century with beautiful and well known works of art. In the first half of the century, Romantic style was prominent and resulted as a reaction against Neoclassicism. Impressionism took off in the latter half. We'll be taking a look at how these two styles compare.         Within the Romantic style, there was a range of subject matter. It could depict beautiful landscapes or horrible tragedies and injustice. Romantic paintings were meant to elicit emotion from viewers. Our first work of art is a German Romantic painting titled Wanderer Above the Sea Fog. It was created in 1818 by Caspar David Friedrich. It depicts a man peering our across a vast landscape. The painting employs Rückenfigur, a composition...

        The mid 1700s brought a major shift in artistic style. The dominant art style at the beginning of the 1700s was a style that came from France called Rococo. Rococo art was characterized by pastels, curving lines, and am emphasis on pleasure and indulgence. These styles of paintings reflected the taste of aristocracy. In the mid 1700s, Rococo went out of style and was replaced by Neoclassical style. This style is drastically different from Rococo. It is often somber and appears to capture a moment frozen in time. Characters are often in the middle of an act. These paintings depicted acts for the good of all, and promoted moral virtues. Morality was a driving factor in this shift, and can be reflected in the paintings themselves.          Our first painting is The Swing  by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, created in France in 1767. Though it was only 81 cm x 64.2 cm, this oil on canvas painting is incredibly beautiful and grand. O...

This painting was created by Rembrandt van Rijn in the Netherlands in 1632. Entitled " The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp," this painting depicts Amsterdam's Surgeon's Guild. Shortly after Rembrandt's arrival in Amsterdam, he was commissioned to create a group portrait of the Surgeon's Guild. The painting depicts a group study on human anatomy, as shown above. Group portraiture became popularized during the Baroque era. This painting represents an expansion of scientific thinking and is connected to the rise of the merchant class. The Baroque era was a time of scientific advancement. Along with discoveries in the human body, there were advancements made in astronomy and geography. Items sych as the globe, telescope, and microscope prompted scientific thinking and new discoveries. This painting is evidence of a bigger shift to scientific thinking during the Baroque period. Study of human anatomy was very popular during this time, and even became a spectacle. Human...