School encyclopedia. Abstract: Romanticism as a movement in art The main themes of creativity of romanticism in painting

Romanticism(Romanticism) is an ideological and artistic movement that arose in European and American culture the end of the 18th century - the first half of the 19th century, as a reaction to the aesthetics of classicism. It originally developed (1790s) in philosophy and poetry in Germany, and later (1820s) spread to England, France and other countries. He predetermined the latest development of art, even those directions that opposed it.

New criteria in art have become freedom of expression, increased attention to individual, unique human traits, naturalness, sincerity and relaxedness, which replaced the imitation of classical models of the 18th century. The Romantics rejected the rationalism and practicalism of the Enlightenment as mechanistic, impersonal and artificial. Instead, they prioritized emotional expression and inspiration.

Feeling free from the decaying system of aristocratic rule, they sought to express their new views and the truth they had discovered. Their place in society has changed. They found their readership among the growing middle class, ready to emotionally support and even worship the artist - a genius and prophet. Restraint and humility were rejected. They were replaced by strong emotions, often reaching extremes.

Young people were especially influenced by romanticism, having the opportunity to study and read a lot (which was facilitated by the rapid development of printing). She is inspired by the ideas of individual development and self-improvement, the idealization of personal freedom in her worldview, combined with the rejection of rationalism. Personal development was placed above the standards of a vain and already fading aristocratic society. The romanticism of educated youth changed the class society of Europe, marking the beginning of the emergence of an educated “middle class” in Europe. And the picture " Wanderer above the sea of fog"can rightfully be called a symbol of the period of romanticism in Europe.

Some romantics turned to mysterious, enigmatic, even terrible, folk beliefs and fairy tales. Romanticism was partly associated with democratic, national and revolutionary movements, although the "classical" culture of the French Revolution actually slowed the arrival of Romanticism in France. At this time, several literary movements emerged, the most important of which were Sturm und Drang in Germany, primitivism in France, led by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the Gothic novel, and an increased interest in the sublime, ballads and old romances (from which The term "Romanticism" originated. Inspiration for German writers, the theoreticians of the Jena school (the Schlegel brothers, Novalis and others), who declared themselves romantics, was the transcendental philosophy of Kant and Fichte, which prioritized the creative possibilities of the mind. These new ideas, thanks to Coleridge, penetrated into England and France, and also determined the development of American transcendentalism.

Thus, Romanticism began as a literary movement, but had a significant influence on music and less on painting. In the fine arts, Romanticism was most clearly manifested in painting and graphics, less so in architecture. In the 18th century, mountain landscapes and picturesque ruins were favorite motifs for artists. Its main features are dynamic composition, volumetric spatiality, rich color, chiaroscuro (for example, works by Turner, Géricault and Delacroix). Other romantic artists include Fuseli, Martin. Creativity of the Pre-Raphaelites and neo-gothic style in architecture can also be seen as a manifestation of Romanticism.

spiritual life of man, the depiction of strong passions, the spiritualization of nature, interest in the national past, the desire for synthetic forms of art are combined with motives of world sorrow, a desire to explore and recreate the “shadow”, “night” side human soul, with the famous " romantic irony", which allowed the romantics to boldly compare and equate the high and the low, the tragic and the comic, the real and the fantastic. Developing in many countries, romanticism everywhere acquired a strong national identity, determined by local historical traditions and conditions. The most consistent romantic school developed in France, where artists reforming the system expressive means, dynamized the composition, combined forms with a stormy movement, used bright rich colors and a broad, generalized style of painting (painting by T. Gericault, E. Delacroix, O. Daumier, plastic art by P.J. David d'Angers, A.L. Bari, F. . Ryuda). In Germany and Austria, early romanticism is characterized by close attention to everything highly individual, a melancholy-contemplative tonality of the figurative and emotional structure, mystical and pantheistic moods (portraits and allegorical compositions of F. O. Runge, landscapes by K. D. Friedrich and J. A. Koch), the desire to revive the religious spirit of German and Italian painting 15th century (creativity of the Nazarenes); the art of Biedermeier (the works of L. Richter, K. Spitzweg, M. von Schwind, F. G. Waldmüller) became a kind of fusion of the principles of romanticism and “burger realism”. In Great Britain, the landscapes of J. Constable and R. Bonington are marked by the romantic freshness of painting, the fantastic images and unusual means of expression - the works of W. Turner, attachment to the culture of the Middle Ages and Early Renaissance- creativity of the masters of the late romantic movement of the Pre-Raphaelites Shch.G. Rossetti, E. Burne-Jones, W. Morris, etc.). In other countries of Europe and America, the romantic movement was represented by landscapes (paintings by J. Inness and A.P. Ryder in the USA), compositions on themes folk life and history (the works of L. Galle in Belgium, J. Manes in the Czech Republic, V. Madaras in Hungary, P. Michalowski and J. Matejko in Poland, etc.). Historical fate Romanticism was complex and ambiguous. One or another romantic tendency marked the work of major European masters of the 19th century - artists of the Barbizon school, C. Corot, G. Courbet, J.F. Millet, E. Manet in France, A. von Menzel in Germany, etc. At the same time, complex allegorism, elements of mysticism and fantasy, sometimes inherent in romanticism, found continuity in symbolism, partly in the art of post-impressionism and art nouveau.

The beginning of the 19th century was a time of cultural and spiritual upsurge in Russia. If in economic and socio-political development Russia lagged behind advanced European states, then in cultural achievements it not only kept pace with them, but was often ahead. The development of Russian culture in the first half of the 19th century was based on the transformations of the previous time. The penetration of elements of capitalist relations into the economy has increased the need for literate and educated people. Cities became major cultural centers.

New social strata were drawn into social processes. Culture developed against the background of the ever-increasing national self-awareness of the Russian people and, in connection with this, had a pronounced national character. She had a significant influence on literature, theater, music, and fine arts. Patriotic War of 1812, which to an unprecedented degree accelerated the growth of the national self-awareness of the Russian people and its consolidation. There was a rapprochement with the Russian people of other peoples of Russia.

Start XIX century is rightly called the golden age of Russian painting. It was then that Russian artists reached a level of skill that put their works on a par with the best examples of European art.

Three names reveal Russian painting of the 19th century - Kiprensky , Tropinin , Venetsianov. Everyone has a different origin: an illegitimate landowner, a serf and a descendant of a merchant. Everyone has their own creative aspiration - romantic, realist and “village lyricist”.

Despite early infatuation historical painting Kiprensky is known primarily as an outstanding portrait painter. It can be said that in early XIX V. he became the first Russian portrait painter. The old masters, who became famous in the 18th century, could no longer compete with him: Rokotov died in 1808, Levitsky, who survived him by 14 years, no longer painted due to an eye disease, and Borovikovsky, who did not live several months before the uprising Decembrists, worked very little.

Kiprensky was lucky enough to become an artistic chronicler of his time. “History in the faces” can be considered his portraits, which depict many participants in those historical events, whose contemporary he was: heroes of the War of 1812, representatives of the Decembrist movement. The technology also came in handy pencil drawing, the training of which was given serious attention at the Academy of Arts. Kiprensky created, essentially, new genre- a pictorial portrait.

Kiprensky created many portraits of Russian cultural figures, and, of course, the most famous among them is Pushkin. It was written by order Delviga, the poet’s lyceum friend, in 1827. Contemporaries noted the amazing similarity of the portrait to the original. The artist freed the image of the poet from the everyday features that are inherent in the portrait of Pushkin by Tropinin, painted in the same year. Alexander Sergeevich was captured by the artist at a moment of inspiration when he was visited by a poetic muse.

Death overtook the artist during his second trip to Italy. Recent years many things went wrong with the famous painter. A creative slump began. Shortly before his death, his life was overshadowed by a tragic event: according to contemporaries, the artist was falsely accused of murder and was afraid to leave the house. Even marrying his Italian pupil did not brighten up his last days.

Few people mourned the Russian painter who died in a foreign land. Among the few who truly understood what kind of master she had lost domestic culture, there was the artist Alexander Ivanov, who was in Italy at that time. In those sad days he wrote: Kiprensky “was the first to make the Russian name known in Europe.”

Tropinin entered the history of Russian art as an outstanding portrait painter. He said: “A portrait of a person is painted for the memory of those close to him, those who love him.” According to contemporaries, Tropinin painted about 3,000 portraits. Whether this is so is difficult to say. One of the books about the artist contains a list of 212 precisely identified persons whom Tropinin portrayed. He also has many works entitled “Portrait of an Unknown Woman”. State dignitaries, nobles, warriors, businessmen, minor officials, serfs, intellectuals, and figures of Russian culture posed for Tropinin. Among them: historian Karamzin, writer Zagoskin, art critic Odoevsky, painters Bryullov and Aivazovsky, sculptor Vitali, architect Gilardi, composer Alyabyev, actors Shchepkin and Mo-chalov, playwright Sukhovo-Kobylin.

One of best works Tropinina - portrait of a son. It must be said that one of the “discoveries” of the Russian art of the 19th century V. there was a child's portrait. In the Middle Ages, a child was viewed as a small adult who had not yet grown up. Children were even dressed in outfits that were no different from adults: in the middle of the 18th century. girls wore tight corsets and wide skirts with flaps. Only at the beginning of the 19th century. they saw the child in the child. Artists were among the first to do this. There is a lot of simplicity and naturalness in Tropinin’s portrait. The boy is not posing. Interested in something, he turned around for a moment: his mouth was slightly open, his eyes were shining. The child's appearance is surprisingly charming and poetic. Golden disheveled hair, an open, childishly plump face, a lively look from intelligent eyes. You can feel how lovingly the artist painted the portrait of his son.

Tropinin painted self-portraits twice. On the later one, dated 1846, the artist is 70 years old. He depicted himself with a palette and brushes in his hands, leaning on a mashtabel - a special stick used by painters. Behind him is a majestic panorama of the Kremlin. In his younger years, Tropinin possessed heroic strength and good spirits. Judging by the self-portrait, he retained his strength of body even in old age. The round face with glasses radiates good nature. The artist died 10 years later, but his image remained in the memory of descendants - large, kind person, enriched Russian art with your talent.

Venetsianov discovered the peasant theme in Russian painting. He was the first among Russian artists to show beauty in his canvases. native nature. The Academy of Arts did not favor the landscape genre. It occupied the penultimate place in importance, leaving behind even more despicable - household. Only a few masters painted nature, preferring Italian or imaginary landscapes.

In many of Venetsianov’s works, nature and man are inseparable. They are connected as closely as a peasant is with the land and its gifts. The artist created his most famous works - "Haymaking", "On the arable land. Spring", "At the harvest. Summer" - in the 20s. This was the peak of his creativity. No one in Russian art was able to show peasant life and the work of peasants with such love and as poetically as Venetsianov. In the painting "On the Plowed Field. Spring" a woman is harrowing a field. This hard, exhausting work looks sublime on Venetsianov’s canvas: a peasant woman in an elegant sundress and kokoshnik. With her beautiful face and flexible figure, she resembles an ancient goddess. Leading by the bridles of two obedient horses harnessed to a harrow, she does not walk, but seems to soar over the field. Life around flows calmly, measuredly, peacefully. Rare trees turn green, white clouds float across the sky, the field seems endless, on the edge of which a baby sits, waiting for its mother.

The painting “At the Harvest. Summer” seems to continue the previous one. The harvest is ripe, the fields are full of golden stubble - the time has come for the harvest. In the foreground, putting her sickle aside, a peasant woman is breastfeeding her child. The sky, the field, and the people working on it are inseparable for the artist. But still, the main subject of his attention is always the person.

Venetsianov created a whole gallery of portraits of peasants. This was new for Russian painting. In the 18th century people from the people, and especially serfs, were of little interest to artists. According to art historians, Venetsianov was the first in the history of Russian painting to “accurately capture and recreate the Russian folk type.” "Reapers", "Girl with Cornflowers" "Girl with a Calf", "Sleeping Shepherd" - beautiful images peasants, immortalized by Venetsianov. Portraits of peasant children occupied a special place in the artist’s work. How good is “Zakharka” - a big-eyed, snub-nosed, big-lipped boy with an ax on his shoulder! Zakharka seems to personify an energetic peasant nature, accustomed to work from childhood.

Alexey Gavrilovich left a good memory of himself not only as an artist, but also as an outstanding teacher. During one of his visits to St. Petersburg, he took on a novice artist as a student, then another, a third... Thus a whole art school, which went down in art history under the name Venetsianovskaya. Over a quarter of a century, about 70 talented young men passed through it. Venetsianov tried to redeem serf artists from captivity and was very worried if this failed. The most talented of his students, Grigory Soroka, never received his freedom from his landowner. He lived to see the abolition of serfdom, but, driven to despair by the omnipotence of his former owner, he committed suicide.

Many of Venetsianov's students lived in his house on full content. They learned the secrets of Venetian painting: firm adherence to the laws of perspective, close attention to nature. Among his students were many talented masters who left a noticeable mark on Russian art: Grigory Soroka, Alexey Tyranov, Alexander Alekseev, Nikifor Krylov. “Venetsianovtsy” - they lovingly called his pets.

Thus, it can be argued that in the first third of the 19th century there was a rapid rise in cultural development Russia and this time is called the golden age of Russian painting.

Russian artists have reached a level of skill that puts their works on a par with the best examples of European art.

Glorifying the heroic deeds of the people, the idea of their spiritual awakening, exposing the ills of feudal Russia - these are the main themes of the fine arts of the 19th century.

IN portrait painting features of romanticism - independence human personality, her individuality, freedom of expression of feelings are especially distinct.

Many portraits of Russian cultural figures, including children's portraits, were created. Comes into fashion peasant theme, a landscape that showed the beauty of our native nature.

This picture is built on shades, not blue, not pink - on shades of gray. Everything is covered in darkness - no, it’s not true. It’s a bright night, because the air is clean, there is no one, there is no smoke and reflections of cities. Night - there is life, there is no sound. Civilization is somewhere out there, beyond the horizon. Kuindzhi knew how to show the breadth of open spaces native land, And bright colors small stage.

Leonardo has many drawings dedicated to the development of the plot of the Madonna and Child, especially the so-called Mammal, i.e. breastfeeding. But imagine him as a sentimental artist, deeply and reverently reflecting on mother's love(as is often written in reviews dedicated to the Hermitage “Madonna Litta”), it is completely impossible. Please let me go! Tenderness, sentimentality, etc. mimimi- this is something that Leonardo definitely does not have, and never had.

essays on paintings famous artists to the site

Ashy, smoky, languid, pastel, airy... Purple, pale blue, delicate, transparent... Rose ash. In the insanely talented best-selling novel by K. McCullough “The Thorn Birds” the color of the dress main character, doomed to eternal separation from her lover, was called “ashes of the rose.” In the portrait of Maria Lopukhina, who died of consumption a year after its completion, everything is permeated with the subtle sadness of youth, leading to no future, disappearing like smoke - everything is permeated with the “ash of a rose.”