Comparison Between the Romanticism and Realism Art Periods (Essay Sample)

Comparison between the Romanticism and Realism Art Periods
Name
Institution
Romanticism
Romanticism and realism are two competing styles of cultural and artistic thought and practice. Romanticism was popular during the period after the end of the Napoleonic wars. It emphasized on mysticism, the power of emotions, and heroic individual success (Rosenthal & Freeman, 2008). It was the core of intellectual life in Europe since it was preceded by the era of enlightenment.
Artists tried to break the bonds of careful reasoning to include more ephemeral and mythic content in art. The focus shifted to reflect the heroic power of individual achievements as constructs of cultural and social structures (Burgwinkle, Hammond, & Wilson, 2011). It was characteristic of glorious stories about their nation’s past. For example, Mary Shelley’s work is a classic romanticism art that glorifies the heroic power of the individual.
Realism
On the contrary, realism focused on capturing real life events that were devoid of any form of manipulation to satisfy a specific agenda. Artists were more concerned about the nature because it was real and concrete (Varriano, 2010). Realism followed romanticism, but sought to return the focus of art to real individuals and social justice. Realism emerged as romanticism collapsed because its idealistic thoughts and practices were outdated.
The aim of realist art was to capture and convey real experiences of individuals from different cultural backgrounds (Varriano, 2010). Artists tried to bring about social change by highlighting social injustices in their work. For example, in Russia, Peredvizhniki used his knowledge of Russian peasants to paint scenes of human hardship. His goal was to create awareness about human injustices taking place in Russia.
Relationship between the Periods
Realism and romanticism are styles of cultural and artistic thoughts and practice popular in Europe after the end of the Napoleonic wars (Burgwinkle, Hammond, & Wilson, 2011). Realism emerged as romanticism thoughts and practices began to collapse amid criticism from scientists.
Stylistic Similarities and Differences
Romanticism promoted mystic and transient focus, whereas realism sought to return real and concrete ideas back to art. Romanticism imagined individuals to have greater powers to reshape the world. On the contrary, realism was more concerned about the nature and the welfare of the all human beings not a few individuals (Rosenthal & Freeman, 2008). However, both cultures were established mainly for the elites in the society. The audience was comprised of individuals from middle and upper classes. Both movements of art permeated major realms of artistic practice and had significant impact on literature, poetry, and theatre, especially visual arts (Varriano, 2010).
Reason Realism Deviated from Romanticism
The emergence of conscious thoughts and criticism from scientific realms caused a shift in artistic styles in the era after the end of the Napoleonic wars (Varriano, 2010). Realist artists believed romanticism failed to capture the true nature of human injustices by glorifying specific achievements made by specific individuals.
Similarities or Differences between two Specific Paintings
Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix
It is a painting by Eugène Delacroix in memory of the July Revolution that took place in 1830 to topple King Charles X of France. The painting portrays a woman personifying the concept of liberty as she leads people over fallen dead bodies raising the flag of the French Revolution on her right hand (Rosenthal & Freeman, 2008). She is a mystic representation of a goddess to reflect god’s support in the victory. It is not a real reflection of the action events that took place on that day. The objective was to praise the heroism of the brave men who fought in the French Revolution under the guidance and support of a mighty goddess.
The Gleaner by Jean-François Millet
On the contrary, the Gleaner, an oil painting by Jean-François Millet, depicts the plight of women as it was in the 18th century. It is a painting of three peasant farmers gleaning the remnants of a large wheat harvest (Varriano, 2010). He did not try to ideali...