Romanticism
Late 18th Century to Mid
19th Century
Romanticism might best be
described as anti-Classicism. A reaction against Neoclassicism, it is a
deeply-felt style which is individualistic, beautiful, exotic, and emotionally
wrought. Although Romanticism and Neoclassicism were philosophically opposed,
they were the dominant European styles for generations, and many artists were
affected to a greater or lesser degree by both. Artists might work in both
styles at different times or even mix the styles, creating an intellectually
Romantic work using a Neoclassical visual style, for example. Great artists
closely associated with Romanticism include J.M.W. Turner, Caspar David
Friedrich, John Constable, and William Blake. In the United States, the leading
Romantic movement was the Hudson River School of dramatic landscape painting.