Classics And Romantics

Subject Matter: The Death of Socrates Socrates died Heroically, providing a inspiring example to the future. The artist used sharp lines and strong contrasts, reflecting the clarity classics saw in the World. Heroism and its setting in Ancient Greece made it an a excellent subject for a Classic artist. Classic Art David

Here is another inspiring painting - these men are pledging themselves to their country’s defense. Note the continued use of strong colors and clear contrasts between subjects and background. Each line that is painted is clear and sharp. David Both this and the Death of Socrates are placed in the setting of ancient Greece or Rome ( Remember Classic means Greek and Roman). Classics saw the World as something clear and reasonable

Here is a Classic painting in an American setting. The subject is George Washington’s men crossing the Delaware in the dead of winter - an example of heroic patriotism. Leutze

This Classic Painting is a simple portrait. The subject is a princess. Note the strong colors of blue and tones of her skin. Each line is clearly defined. The subject stands out against the background. Ingres

Here is a Romantic Painting The subject is nature; the setting is eerie and mysterious. The artist has chosen dark tones. Many of the lines are vague, blurring into the foggy background. Beard

Durand Nature dominates Romantic thought.

The viewer is illuminated by the light pouring forth from the cloudy, mysterious heights of Nature. They are not only beasts, they are tiny - insignificant against the heights and power of Nature. Note the figures in this painting.

When Romantic landscapes include buildings, they are often relics from a mysterious, Medieval past.

The exotic and Mysterious were also qualities of the Romantics. Church

The eerie, mysterious qualities in this Romantic painting cannot be missed. Frederick

Romantic paintings of people are usually of ordinary folk. There is nothing heroic about these young men - but they are outside experiencing Nature. Note the dark gray skies and that only one face is clearly visible. Romantic paintings of people are also usually set in a landscape, or at least against a backdrop of nature. Homer

The fog and black cat add a mysterious touch. These people are neither powerful nor heroic, but they are in Nature. A Classic painter would have had no desire to paint them. Bingham

Writers such as James Fenimore Cooper romanticized the life of Native Americans. The concept of the “Noble Savage” was created by white Romantic artists with little contact with Native Americans. Remington

Their lives were portrayed as exciting and exotic, and the hardships were downplayed. Because they lived more closely to Nature, Romantics assumed they would have been more honest and pure.