Lukas Jeffery HZT 4U1 Mr.

Heenan January 17, 2012 Romanticism Romanticism is a reaction to many things that were a result of Neoclassicism. By exploring the philosophies of the two times and contrasting the affect they had on the arts and mindset of the people, a clear definition of what Romanticism i s can be made. Neoclassicism stretched from 1660-1800, although exact dates are disputed, this is an accurate outline. The eighteenth century is often called The Age of Enlight enment (Melchert 401), a time when people felt that progress was being made, over throwing age old superstition and religious prowess, replacing tradition with kn owledge and blind obedience with freedom (401). Kant, a philosopher of the time, supports this when he explains: If it is now asked, Do we presently live in an e nlightened age? the answer is, No, but we do live in an age of enlightenment (430). This question and answer written by Immanuel Kant describes not an absolute enl ightenment, but a progress where people of this time were becoming enlightened. It was Newton who showed that progress was really possible (432-433), with aston ishing mathematical findings that began to answer questions that had to that poi nt been unanswerable with any reason or logic, instead just religious feelings a nd beliefs. Throughout the enlightenment the value of reason, logic and rational ism do not shrink but continued to grow. It is important to examine the term ne oclassicism itselfneo which means rebirth, new or modified. The neo-classicism was a rebirth of the Classics, the Greek and Roman stories and lifestyle. The balance, restraint, logic and reason of neoclassicism could not last forever . Over time a shift in mindset came, tension grew from the restraint and balance of Classical views and the reason and logic of the scientific as they could not satisfy the people emotionally. This release of tension can be seen in the Fren ch Revolution (July 14th, 1789) which is described as a new start, where people tr iumph over tradition, are in control and have removed a dead weight from their sho ulders (469). With the French Revolution and Industrial Revolution, every Europe ans life was changed; the philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said It is not difficult to see that ours is a birth-time and a period of transition to a new era (469), in reference to the French Revolution. The revolution changed man from subject into citizen (Cogniat 1), people were now responsible for their own des tiny (1). It is this re-birth of humanism, which is first seen with the Ancient Greeks, that had people revolt the Industrial Revolution; they finally knew they had rights. To contrast two philosophers, the neoclassical Kant thought that mor ally right actions cannot be motivated by inclination, passion or feeling not ev en the feeling of love. The only acts that are morally good are done out of the austere motivation of rational respect for the moral law (Melchert 470). There is little to no importance on passion and feelings in the classical view, but Hege l said conversely Nothing great has been done without passion (470). It is interes ting to look at these two views and see just how much they contrast, the emotion al restraint and rationalism of the Neoclassical Kant is reversed completely by the Romantic Hegel who says all great things come from great emotion; passion. Although these two time periods are vastly different, there was certainly an ove rlap, a gradual ascent and an eventual climax that we see in the Industrial Revo lution and the French Revolution. This division and overlap can be seen in the m id eighteenth century when, in 1755 Winckelmann published a book called Reflecti ons on the Imitation of Greek Art, which became the sacred text of classicism (Cla rk 19). However, the following year, Edmund Burke published Inquiry into the Ori gins of the Sublime. This book was a description and categorization of the aims and subject matter of Romanticism (19). Burkes novel was about romantic philosoph y, whereas Wickelmanns was an artistic directive that would be used by artists to create Classical art; published only a year apart! The mindset of the people mu st be changed before art is made to replicate that mindset, so by examining this division it can now be seen that there WAS an overlap, however it took time for Romantic philosophy to overthrow the Enlightenment and all that made Neoclassic

ism. In Wickelmanns words, art should aim at noble simplicity and calm grandeur (20). Th is is reflected by many of the classical painters, for example Raphael Mengs and his painting Parnassus (1784) (20). This painting is simplistic, balanced and r estrained. All the characters depicted are relatively unemotional and there are five on the left, and five on the right, which make a focal point at the man in the center of the painting, who is Apollo the Roman God of the Sun (Western Pain ting). Although the division between neoclassicism and romanticism must be made clear once more, when Edmund Burke explored beauty and sublimity in philosophy, this change eventually manifested into the arts (Clark 19) and was possibly best embodied by Joseph Turner (Edmund Burke). In Turners paintings we see natural, l yrical and poetic painting (Clark 223-224). Turner followed the doctrine of Ut P ictura Poesis or a picture must be visible poetry (223). With this doctrine Turner created a bridge between arts, as he read and loved much of the works of the En glish Romantics such as Wordsworth and Byron who champion imagination and feeling. I n fact Turners painting of Buttermere Lake was exhibited in 1798 which was also t he year that Wordsworths Lyrical Ballads appeared (226). By contrasting the art w e see from Turner in 1798 and the painting from Mengs in 1784 the division is cl ear; the philosophy published by Edmund Burke in 1756 had manifested and represe nted by the arts. Knowing where Romanticism fits in history will involve examining something that is prevalent in all times throughout history, the view is unique to Romanticism and again can be understood better by contrasting it to Neoclassicism; the Roman ticism view on Nature. Neoclassicism was interested in how Nature worked, thanks to Newton. How it worked and how humans could conquer it (which is part of the Industrial Revolution, where man conquered material goods with machines). Scient ific knowledge was orderly, Nature was orderly (History Guide) and therefore peo ple should be orderly. Everything in Nature, including the people in it, were su bjected to laws; mathematical laws, but also Natural Law, all human laws are nour ished by the one divine law (Melchert 47) which is how Heraclitus described Natur al Law, this idea was resurrected in Neoclassicism. Romanticism was different th ough; Nature was alive. They moved from searching for the science in machines to searching for their soul in the science of life. Warmth of the heart could be f ound and enhanced in nature (History Guide) and it was the heart that could reas on where Reason (or rationality) faltered; and so intuition, love and passion (M elchart 470) could answer some of the questions that science could not. Romantic ism was not rational, and they did not see nature as rational. Their connection with Nature and all its grandeur can be seen in music, like the great Pastoral S ymphony by Beethoven, which was a testament of his love for Nature. Furthermore it can be seen in poetry, but although there are endless references to Nature in the works of Wordsworth, Byron, Keats, Blake or Shelley; the one greatest and m ost powerful connection Romanticism has with Nature is that to the Ocean (Mr. He enan). It is the Ocean, the Sea, ponds and rivers, streams and brooks that are t ruly Romantic. For they symbolize calm and serene, unrestrained and powerful, bo undless and flowing, fear and gladness, instinct and emotion, the rational and i rrational, individuality and unity, beauty and terror. These are the things that make up Romanticism, it is passion, feeling and a connection to Nature; the ide a that every person is their own body of water which can be as calm or as robust as they want. The painting The Shipwreck (1805) is a painting of Joseph Turners. It is a great ex ample of the Romantic art, as it uses one of Romanticisms greatest symbolsthe sea . This painting demonstrates that Romanticism was not always about happiness or r omance which refers to love. Edmund Burke explained that the terror of nature was an important part of its astonishing factor (VictorianWeb). This painting demonst rates that the true power of the elements could not be shown with traditional sc hemes of landscape painting, and it may be one of the first great anti-classical paintings (The Romantic Rebellion). The painting explores mans place in nature a nd the true power that nature can hold over man (Artble). The colors of the pain ting are not as extravagant as his later paintings are, it gives an overall dark mood; which gives the sense of horror and terror that instills a sense of awe,

or astonishment as Burke would explain. The paintings focus is to the center, whe re there is calamity and man is obviously inferior to Nature. Although catastrop hic, the painting is extremely beautiful, with flowing, rolling waves crashing i n a powerful triumph; and in the far left side, in the distance, it does appear that there is light amid the darkness. In conclusion, the calm and restrained Neoclassicism is easily contrasted with t he deep, unrestrained flow of Romanticism. This can easily be seen when comparin g their philosophies, mindset and finally the arts. Work Cited Clark, Kenneth. The Romantic Rebellion. Don Mills, Ontario: Longman Canada Limit ed, Print. Cogniat, Raymond. Romanticism. Riverside Drive, New York: Peebles Press Internat ional, 1974. Print. Heenan, Frank. "Romanticism." Lecture on Romanticism. LCCVI, Petrolia. 9 Jan. 20 12. Lecture. Kreis, Steven. "The Romantic Era." The History Guide- Lectures On Modern Europea n Intellectual History. N.p., 4 Aug. 2009. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. Landow, George P. "The Sublime." The Victorian Web. N.p., 1988. Web. 16 Jan. 201 2. Melchert, Norman. Romanticism. Fourth ed. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Print. "The Shipwreck." Artble. Artble, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. "Western painting." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclo pdia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 15 Jan. 2012.