Romantic Era Blog

     For this blog, I will be comparing and contrasting two paintings of romantic art and two paintings of impressionist art.

The Romantic:

The Madonna of the Roses

William-Adolphe Bouguereau

1903

The Art:

A factor of this piece that I really appreciate is the circles behind the adult's and child's heads.  The circles are borderline perfectly constructed, and the shading is remarkable. It is thanks to this shading that the brighter colors in the artwork pop as much as they do - specifically said circles and the garb on the adult. The background is beautifully detailed and you can clearly make out the designs on the wall behind them. There is not much empty space in this artwork which I believe is a bit of a shame, however, the background was never the intention of this piece, so that's hardly something I can objectively hold against it. I believe that this piece was trying to capture a saint-like persona what with the heavy emphasis on white, and the circles behind the heads of the individuals are reminiscent of halos.

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog

Caspar David Friedrich

1818

The Art:

Unlike The Madonna of the Roses, this artwork has a much greater emphasis on the background, with the only character taking up a much smaller space on the canvas. I daresay he takes up even less space than the child in The Madonna of the Roses. This piece is absolutely amazing. The background hills are symmetrical and flow together to the same point obscured behind the man, and the vast sky with the mountains behind it makes the piece feel even more open than it already is. The clouds below the man while integral to the name also helps the man look even higher up as well. As a fan of backgrounds primarily this only adds to the charm of the painting for me. It is said that this piece was one of the few paintings made by Friedrich to actually feature humans in it. It is speculated that the reason for this is because around the time of this painting being made Friedrich got married and that that might have unlocked some newfound appreciation of humans that was reflected in his artwork.

The Impressionist:

Woman With a Parasol

Claude Monet

1875

The Art:

Woman With a Parasol's shading is immaculate. There is absolutely no question. The shadows cast by the woman are by far the best part of this work. They are so detailed, and the depth they have alone is by far the best aspect of them. The color scheme is also wonderfully chosen. The colors are warm and inviting. I can imagine the warmth of that day just from this scenery alone. The structure of the clouds is also wonderful. They are whispy and break off at random and fade into the sky. The realism depicted in the clouds is absolutely astounding. The two characters in the painting are Monet's wife and son.

The Boulevard Montmartre at Night

Camille Pissaro

1897

The Art:

This painting has no prominent characters in it and focuses entirely on the background. This is something I heavily appreciate. I've always loved landscapes and this is no different. The small changes in color can perfectly create the reflections of the cars on the streets, which also implies that it rained not too long ago. This small level of detail can add so much more depth to the scene which is something I really appreciate. Supposedly, Pissaro got a wave of inspiration when he was staying at a hotel in Paris one night and saw this exact scene, which inspired him to paint this scene. I understand the want and desire to capture a picture-perfect scene. While I wouldn't be able to trust myself with painting it to save my soul I certainly like to keep my phone on hand just so I can snap pictures of things I find incredible. This piece also has objectively the best name out of the four I chose.

My Preference:

By leaps and bounds, I much prefer the romantic style. I'd go as far as to say I hate the impressionist style. I strongly dislike the artistic premise of it - to be vague with the details so people have to fill in the blanks. To me, it feels extremely lazy by design as if someone couldn't be bothered enough to try. I understand that yes, there is much more to it than just the deliberately muddled look of the piece, but that does not stop me from disliking it all the same.

Sources:

The Boulevard Montmartre at Night:

galleryIntell, and galleryIntell. “The Boulevard Montmartre at Night by Camille Pissarro.” GalleryIntell, galleryintell.com/artex/the-boulevard-montmartre-at-night-by-camille-pissarro/.

Woman with a Parasol:

“Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Mar. 2021, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman_with_a_Parasol_%E2%80%93_Madame_Monet_and_Her_Son.

The Madonna of the Roses:

Bouguereau, William-Adolphe. “The Madonna of the Roses, 1903 - William-Adolphe Bouguereau.” Www.wikiart.org, 1 Jan. 1970, www.wikiart.org/en/william-adolphe-bouguereau/the-madonna-of-the-roses-1903.

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog:

“Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.” Artble, 19 July 2017, www.artble.com/artists/caspar_david_friedrich/paintings/wanderer_above_the_sea_of_fog.