The Romantic period was a world of emotion and nature. Artists were strongly involved in exploring the boundless possibilities of imagination and creating pieces that were more personal to them. This article explores three painters from the Romantic period and how they used their style of painting to convey a deeper message to their audience.
The Romantic period represented a breakthrough for artists. Following the Enlightenment, artists focused more on the emotive aspects of their paintings and brought more individualism in their pieces. The preceding Enlightenment era was dominated by more classical and logical themes, depicting advances in scientific discovery and human progress. However, the Romantic period drew heavy inspiration from nature and was an era in which artists explored their own experiences and connections with the world. Three prominent artists of the Romantic era whose works I’d like to explore are Ivan Aivazovsky, Thomas Cole, and Henriëtte Ronner-Knip.
Ivan Aivazovsky was a Russian Romantic painter who focused primarily on marine art and has been considered one of the greatest masters in the genre. One of Aivazovsky’s most famous pieces is The Ninth Wave. What’s mesmerizing about this piece is the intricate depiction of the waves of the sea—a factor seen in most of Aivazovsky’s marine art. Aivazovsky captures the scene with remarkable realness as if it were a photograph taken during a turbulent sea storm. The waves in the distance are faint as if covered by fog, but the sailors in the foreground (and even the water dripping down from the debris they cling to!) are clearly discernible. They are struggling to hang on, which shows the roughness of the sea. This depiction goes along well with the title The Ninth Wave, which is a phrase used by sailors to describe an especially large wave. Despite the obvious turmoil shown in the scene, the message of hope shines through. The light source in the far background could be interpreted as a rising sun, which can represent new beginnings. This feature, coupled with the sailors looking towards the light, symbolizes the hopefulness of salvation despite overwhelming hurdles. I think that Aivazovsky’s impressive use of light and his attention to detail really captures the viewer’s attention, and draws them beyond the literal depiction of the scene.
While Aivazovsky focused on the sea, Thomas Cole is known for his landscape paintings. The Oxbow is predominated by the greenery of nature. On one side is a dark and luscious forest, while the other is a vast expanse of farmland built around a river. I think that Cole’s inclusion of the storm brewing over the forest, contrasted with the farmland, represents the impact of human activities on nature, calling the viewer to action to protect nature. The forest is dark under the storm, but light still shines on the farmland. This might symbolize a new era where the wilds are transformed by human growth, representing Cole’s concern for the future of nature. Something interesting in this painting is that a person is painting a canvas near the bottom of the scene, barely visible in the dense forest. This individual looks directly at the viewer, breaking the “fourth wall”. I think that this overt addition to the scene really adds to Cole’s call for action to the viewer—to protect nature. It’s interesting that this individual is so small and barely visible compared to the rest of the scene because the viewer would have had to take a close look at the painting overall before noticing Cole. It’s almost as if he’s asking the viewer what they think of the human expansion depicted in the scene, making them more engaged in the painting.
Following the realism and individualism in Romantic period art are the feline portrayals by Henriëtte Ronner-Knip. The Musicians is a dynamic scene where a cat observes kittens engrossed by a guitar. The guitar strings are very obviously broken or removed from the instrument as one of the two bottom kittens playfully tugs at the strings. The cat looks at them, unimpressed, with its eyes turned down. Another kitten is peeking out of the guitar’s sound hole, which adds to the humour of the scene. Something of note is the sheet tucked behind the guitar which reads “Vive!”, meaning “Live” in French. Coupled with the playfulness and curiosity of the scene of kittens, this word draws the viewer towards Ronner-Knip’s true message from the painting—to live! Ronner-Knip is telling us to keep exploring and enjoying life, just like the curious kittens in the painting. The bright colours used also add to this, representing how vibrant and enjoyable life would be by following Ronner-Knip’s message of being curious and explorative.
Romantic-era painters are able to capture their viewers’ interest by strategically using the placement of different factors to convey a deeper message. This era was one where artists explored concepts important to them, and connected with the world through their art.