Romanticism and Poetry
Until the early nineteenth century, art and poetry emphasized form and structure. Works of art in this classical style aspired to an idealized perfection, whether in form or subject. Classical paintings often depicted gods or war heroes in idealized poses, while examples classical poetry extolled the epitomes of virtue, whether in areas such as beauty or bravery in battle. The most important characteristic shared by art and literature until this period, however, was its orientation to rationalism, the noticeable absence of emotion.The mid-nineteenth century, however, brought on a rebellion against the restraints and strictures of classicism. Instead of posed heroic portraits, paintings began to show nature in its raw state, without idealization. Literary imagery was meant to evoke strong emotion. Dubbed romanticism, this new art movement showed a range of feeling, from passion to melancholia.This paper looks at examples of poetry and art that typify the romantic art movement. It looks at how the seascapes of John Constable and the poetry of William Blake both embody important characteristics of the romantic art movement, especially in regard to portrayals of nature. The paper also expounds on how these works of art an
The trees are richly detailed, and they provide many cues that give the scene context. " Through Tom's eyes, Blake further describes the feeling of wind blowing in one's face, and of rising "upon the clouds. " There is a river, and the boys "shine in the sun. Later examples, however, from Constable and his contemporaries, would use natural imagery to evoke stronger emotion in more direct and overt ways. His poem The Chimney Sweeper, for example, is a poignant morality tale, told from the point of view of a young child who was sold into back-breaking labor by his own father. His paintings of countrysides and later, seascapes, were characterized by great care shown to details that would not merit attention from classical painters. There is action, but in a very different way from classical or neo-classical style. Young boys should be "laughing in the sunshine," and not climbing chimneys. There is no idealized happiness or posed grandeur in Constable's paintings, as the builders are engaged in their individual tasks. "Boys such as Tom Dacre and the poem's unnamed narrator were often sold off by poor parents at the age of five. It is an overcast sky, and given that the setting is the English countryside, a viewer can get a sense of the everyday nature of this painting. The painting is dominated by an inanimate object -- a boat -- instead of the heroic human figure. Others suffered burns to their body, especially on the soles of their feet, resulting from scalding and poking by adult masters. The poem then moves to a dream/fantasy, where Tom dreams of an angel who sets the sweeps free.
Common topics in this essay:
Tom Dacre,
Flatford Mill,
,
William Blake,
Chimney Sweeper,
Suffolk England,
Victorian English,
John Constable,
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romantic art,
art movement,
Constable's Boat-building,
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unnamed narrator,
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overcast sky,
john constable,
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romantic art movement,
chimney sweep,
conventions brainwash society,
brainwash society especially,
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Acceptance Essays
