The Romantic and Realist eras were sharply differentiated in terms of style and content of art. Yet, they are united in being born as reactions to styles precedent to theirs. Romanticism, for example was born as a reaction to the rational-scientific emphasis of the Age of the Enlightenment. Where Romantic art differed from scientific disposition is in its novel approach to creation. While science seeks to “explain what exists, art seeks to create something new—but something that bears a distinct relationship to what exists.” (Benton & Diyanni 2011) Likewise, the Realist era was inspired by the perceived excesses of the Romantic style. It is not for us to judge if one stylistic movement is superior to the other. They both sprung from a natural artistic longing for novelty and experimentation. It is fair to say that Western civilization is richer for these periodic upheavals in art. Both Romanticism and Realism showcased different sets of tendencies and aspirations in art and philosophy. The two movements nourish and instruct contemporary artists and patrons in their own ways.
It is commonly believed that Romanticism as a distinct artistic ethos is most marked in music and painting. In contrast, Architecture, by virtue of being foremost a utilitarian craft, could not afford the luxury of radical experimentation. Indeed, many novel expressions of architecture that Romanticism encouraged are to be found in paintings of medieval castles and palaces. Two exponents of this fashion are JMW Turner and Caspar David Friedrich. They took German and English landscape painting to new heights respectively. They transformed regular country sightings into scenes of heroism. The power and awe of nature is a consistent theme in their art. Artists like these gave the relegated genre of landscape painting a new breath of life. (Bowra 1949)
Some of the most pronounced expressions of Romanticism in visual arts are to be found in representations of Gothic architecture in particular. France was an important centre of Gothic revival architecture. The year 1828 was significant in this regard, as Alexandre Brogniart revived Gothic architecture in the country. The royal chapel that he built for King Louis-Philippe was the first major undertaking to showcase Gothic complexity and beauty. Beyond merely a renewal of an ancient art form, the revival is also hinged on the philosophies inherent to Romanticism. For example, Arcisse de Caumont was a key scholar who furnished intellectual content to visual forms of Gothicism. His founding of the influential Societé des Antiquaires de Normandy allowed Gothicism to be institutionalized. Some of his books like Cours d’antiquités monumentales professé à Caen` and Histoire sommaire de l’architecture religieuse, civile et militaire au Moyen Âge expounded on the philosophical underpinnings of Gothic architecture. These works thereby offered credibility and reason behind some of tendencies witnessed under Romanticism.
It is perhaps no coincidence that Victor Hugo based his masterpiece Notre Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) upon the theme of Gothicism. Not only does this epic novel serve as a eulogy to Gothicism, but is equally a celebration of Romanticism. The novel is a unique amalgamation of the glories of medieval architecture with the excitement of romantic love. Indeed the head-over-heels love of the crippled Quasimodo toward the beautiful aristocrat Esmeralda served as a reference point for romantic love in literature. Beyond the particular manifestation of romantic love, the details of Quasimodo’s absolute devotion and passion served as a template for Romanticism’s philosophy. The philosophy behind Romanticism is born of an opposition to the stifling demands of science and rationality. (Ferber 2010) During the Age of the Enlightenment, science had questioned the dogmatic views of religion. This is undoubtedly a necessary revolt, at a time when religious authority was stagnating progress of the human mind. The influence of the philosophy of the Enlightenment was so widespread that it also affected all art forms.
Just as Romanticism was a break away from the disciplines imposed on the artist by scientific logic, the Realist movement is a reaction to the excesses of Romanticism. Some of the most prominent examples of realist art are to be found in literature and painting. While Romanticism espoused fantasy and magic over fact, Realism brought the focus back on actual existing conditions. These conditions could either be in the realm of human relations, political developments or economic realities. A pioneer of the Realist genre in literature was Gustave Flaubert, whose masterpiece Madame Bovary, stands for high-craftsmanship in the genre. Stendhal is another writer who contributed majorly to the Realist movement in literature. Stendhal’s novel Red and Black is often cited to be an early successful attempt at the realist genre. The novel stood out for its political and social comment, beyond the psychological probing that is commonly associated with the genre. (West 1996)
Simultaneously, in Great Britain, Charles Dickens was making great strides in bringing realist literature to the general reader. Subsequent generation of English literary luminaries such as James Joyce and Joseph Conrad explored and experimented further with realism. Due to the pre-eminence given to human psychology and character development within the plot, realism is a bedfellow with philosophical discourse. When we look at citations of scholarly publications in either discipline we find substantial cross-referencing. This underscores the view that Realist art instructed and shaped philosophical discourse of the day. In other words, beyond being merely a mode of artistic expression, Realism in literature contained a certain philosophy of life. (West 1996) By bringing art to the confines of verifiable events and observable phenomena, Realist literature is also at once a system of philosophy. Realist fiction can be seen as a particular understanding of human nature, in terms of our aspirations and joys and sorrows. It is also a bold statement in that it forced meaning and beauty to be found within the limits of the plausible.
Honore Balzac was another exponent of Realism. His works brought attention to all facets of society, including the political and economic dimensions. This made his oeuvre a comprehensive chronicle of the times. Balzac’s novels are also historically informed, albeit with a heavy focus on recent history leading up to prevailing social, economic and political conditions. In this sense, Balzac’s literature was also philosophical treatises. While eschewing any direct adoption of philosophical systems of thought, his works showcased a subtle understated humanism. (West 1996)
Realist art as a political document is of particular salience. This is because artistic conventions had held a negative bias toward subjects such as poverty and squalor. By portraying the lives of the working classes with attendant misery, scarcity and disease, realist literature ventured on a new path. To the surprise of early detractors, the value of such literature came to be appreciated by readers and critics alike. Indeed, the birth of the social realist genre in literature in the 19th century opened up new possibilities for philosophy as well. What made this new openness possible is the literature’s no holds barred engagement with social realities. (Benton & Diyanni 2011) Good illustrations of this genre are Balzac’s La Comédie Humaine, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and Stendhal’s La Chartreuse de Parme.
In conclusion, the differences between these various époques of art are fairly marked. The transition from heavy rationalism to romanticism was inspired by the renewed approval of fantasy and excess in human affairs. Likewise, the Realist movement that succeeded Romanticism was due to the recognition of the weight of fact over fantasy. It is hard to argue that any one era was historically more important than the other. Each brought a fresh set of ideas and new perspectives to art. Each era had left behind a considerable body of classic works of art, whose merit and relevance refuses to fade. Their longevity speaks of their universality within the constraints of the specific milieu they inhabited.
Works Cited:
Benton, Janetta & Diyanni, Robert. 2011. Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the Humanities, Pearson: United States. Print.
Bowra, C. Maurice. 1949. The Romantic Imagination (in series, “Galaxy Book[s]”). New York: Oxford University Press. Print.
Ferber, Michael. 2010. Romanticism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. Print.
West, Shearer (1996). The Bullfinch Guide to Art. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Print.