In today’s virtual lecture, we began by wrapping up neoclassicism and then transitioning to romanticism. This transition marked a clear switch in artists’ ideals, which is clearly reflected in the differences in the art we looked at in the two lectures. I found the embrace of emotion in romanticism to lead to more engaging paintings that felt more captivating to a viewer.
The greater expression of human feelings and emotions In romanticism feels more like contemporary art to me. I think that when greater emotion is expressed in a piece of art, it also leads to a greater emotion being evoked by the viewer. The celebration of the natural world is also an aspect of art from this period that I enjoy. I am a fan of landscape paintings like those of Thomas Cole or Frederic Church, and I think I am starting to observe some connection to this period.