From Romanticism to Realism
As many of us learnt from MEHAP, the 19th century saw the emergence and slow demise of many artistic movements. The Romanticist movement, which focused on the sublimity of nature, individualism, and distrust of science and technology (most likely a reaction to the industrial revolution in England), was established prior to the 19th century and peaked in the early 19th century. Later in the century, there was another shift. With the emergence of Realism, artists were focused on depicting life as it was, without idealizing nature. But as the camera became more popular, art became a means of communicating emotions as apposed to a photorealistic scene. Impressionism and Expressionism both used color and light to convey atmosphere. Neither style was focused on being realistic. Below I have compiled a collection of American artworks. You can decide for yourself what movement it was a part of. Keep in mind that artistic movements do not strictly need to follow the stated periods of time. For example, although romanticism was primarily an early 19th century movement, you can find romanticist art well into the 20th century.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Artist: Thomas Moran
Date: 1893
The Garden in its Glory
Artist: Childe Hassam
Date: 1892
The Cotton Pickers
Artist: Winslow Homer
Date: 1876
The Fall of the Cowboy
Artist: Frederic Remington
Date: 1895
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I really enjoyed reading your post, and I liked how you connected European history to United States history. I agree with your point that the invention of the camera caused artists to shift away from realism. The first cameras that were small and portable enough to be practical for photography were created in the early 19th century. Cameras became popular very quickly and many innovations were made to its design. One notable use of cameras during the 19th century was for wartime photography during the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteI liked this article because it offered a visual side to the topic at hand. It was not only verbally explained, but also helped me because I am a visual learner.
ReplyDeleteI like that you are talking about something more than just the wars that happened throughout America. I however, disagree that photography wasn't a way of emotional expression. I believe that it was more emotional because it showed the truth of what was happening in the world. It helped people see the horrors as well as the beauty of real life in real life examples that photography was able to provide.
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