Art

Romanticism appeared in Germany and England in the latter part of the eighteenth century as a means of revolting against the times present government. It was concerned with the Industrial Revolution as well, as there were many rebellions at the time against the social and political norms of the Enlightenment period. Romanticism transformed poetry, the novel, drama, painting, sculpture, all forms of concert music (especially opera), and ballet and was deeply connected with the politics of the time, echoing peoples fears, hopes, and aspirations (Brians, 2004).  Unlike the previous movements, works on Romanticism focused on the more negative emotions of the people such as fear and horror. Artworks of the period also focused on more realistic and less fantastic subject matters such as nature, as shown in the works of some famous.

    Ferdinand Victor Eugne Delacroix is one of the most famous names in Romantic art.
Many, if not all, of his works showed the passion and emotion that have become associated with the periods themes. Delacroix used different colors, brushstrokes and figure renditions in his paintings which revealed his insights on the periods events.

    Delacroix used mathematical calculations in his work, but was still able to maintain a certain level of spontaneity. He did this by using color. The first part of Delacroixs career used mainly the color black. Later on, he expressed that Gray is the enemy of all paintings, and finally he wrote, Banish all earth colors ((Ferdinand Victor) Eugne Delacroix, 2006). He experimented with many different colors, saying that, for example, a blue object was not solely blue and that it would always have other colors. He developed a color theory called a flochetage. Rather than blending the colors, Constable left the spots juxtaposed, requiring more participation from the viewer  (Classicism and Anti-Classicism in the Quintessentially Romantic, 2008). He used this way of thinking as a means to express his emotions in his paintings.

    In his work Cleopatra and the Peasant (1838), for example, there is a contrast between dark and light. The painting has shades of dark browns and blacks surrounding Cleopatra. The peasant is painted with darker colors, while Cleopatra is painted with lighter colors such as white, pale pink and flesh tones.The whole painting is seen as dark, but Cleopatra stands out because of the colors used on her. Therefore, the audiences focus on her, and through this, Delacroix is able to express his feelings on death, about how it is inevitable and cannot be escaped from, and a sad and dark event in mans life (Valenti, n.d.).

    Secondly, Delacroix uses unique brushstrokes in the expression of emotions and passion. The Enlightenment period focused on art that did not have obvious brushstrokes. Artists back then preferred more subtle strokes. Delacroix, however, deviated from this.

In his work A Death of Sardanapalus (1827), Delacroix used bold and heavy strokes to promote drama. It showed his ideas and feelings towards death and lust. Delacroix was against the many killings and murders of the time. A Death of Sardanapalus depicted an evil king sending his men to murder people and even animals.  His brushstrokes emphasized the intensity of the situation, and yet used these all throughout the painting that it did not alarm the audience at first glance (Rivera-Resto, 2009). Indeed, this painting astounded many people as they saw Delacroixs open hostility towards violence.

Lastly, Delacroix used different figure renditions in his work. He put forth the more significant and more impactful characters in order to convey his messages. For example, Delacroix was inspired by some artists works such as  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiThC3A9odore_GC3A9ricault Thodore Gricaults Raft of Medusa (1819). He repositioned certain characters on these artworks in his own, such as in Liberty Leading the People (1830). Whereas Gericault used a shipwreck scene n his work without any main figures or focal points, Delacroix decided to put Liberty forward as the central character in Liberty Leading the People. Liberty faces forward and the figures are more evenly arrayed around her than the figures in Gericaults painting (The Art of Revolution Romanticism, n.d.). Alongside the aforementioned unique uses of color to convey meaning and emotion, Delacroix painted Liberty with the brighter colors of red, blue and white (the colors of Frances flag), which put her even more as the focal point of the painting, making Liberty a symbolic center piece, provoking yet subtle in the background, unthreatening yet profound.  He also made her heightened as compared to the other characters. This figuring rendering expressed his views on freedom and liberty, which was, he believed, foremost in every society and country, particularly since the Romantic period was dotted with numerous violent and oppressing events, which resulted to a degradation of a human being which was unacceptable to the artist. Redemption even in the most abominable existence appeared the theme of art  the ability to rise above the quagmire of the worst of society.

Unlike many painters prior to him, Delacroix openly expressed his emotions in his works. He was not afraid of the possible effects or repercussions his works might have on his reputation or the people around him once these were analyzed. Consequently, ee inspired many to show their own feelings in subtle ways such as color, brushstrokes and figure positioning. This made them rather safer than being direct, yet enabled to speak out, handling the contradictions in life and in art in a creative manner, through art  something which universally uplifts people pushes them beyond what they are given the limitation of a human being. Delacroix gave great influences as well to the artworks of the modern period, wherein artists have altered the use of elements such as color and figures to express their emotions in subtle but very meaningful ways.