Romanticism was a artistic, intellectual and philosophical movement that appeared in Europe (initially in France, Germany and England), after the French Revolution, at the end of the 18th century. In most other places, it reached its peak in the mid-19th century.
Romanticism sought to transmit to the people, ideals about love, feeling, God and spirituality, patriotism and valuing the individual.
Therefore, the romantic period was known for the rejection of rationality, objectivity and the beautiful, characteristics of Classicism, the movement before romanticism.
The Romantics defended subjectivity, where the worldview was focused on the idealization of everything, on the individual's emotions and feelings, never on reality.
Therefore, Romanticism marked the change in thinking and behavior in the Western world, starting modernity.
Romanticism in Brazil
So, in addition to subjectivism, the cult of nature, sentimentality and escape from reality, romanticism in Brazil was strongly marked by nationalism and the exaltation of the Indian.
Romanticism arrived in Brazil in 1836, after the country's new independence. Brazilian authors sought, through novels, to find national identity after the colonizers left.
The main characteristics of Romanticism in Brazil are:
- Patriotism (after the departure of the Portuguese colonizers);
- Texts in prose or poetry that are nationalist or regionalist, exalting the country's nature, fauna and flora;
- The indication of the beloved and idealized woman;
Despite involving several areas of art, the romantic period in Brazil was strongly focused on the literature and poetry.
One of the great Brazilian romantic authors was Gonçalves Dias, author of the famous poetry “Canção do Exílio”. This poetry is a great example of how the Brazilian land was extolled.
Another author who approached the beloved and idealized woman so much, in addition to exalting the Brazilian nature, was José de Alencar.
The phases of Romanticism in Brazil
First generation
Motivated by Brazil's recent independence in 1822, the first generation of Brazilian romanticism was marked by a strong need to affirm local culture and break with European influence.
Thus, the works often conveyed nationalist values and embraced Indianism, which exalted Indians as representative heroes of culture.
Second generation
The second generation of Brazilian romanticism emerged in the mid-19th century and was greatly influenced by the works of the English poet Lord Byron.
The most striking features of this era were pessimism, disillusionment, exaltation of death, depression and loneliness. For this reason, the period is also called “ultra-romantic” or “evil of the century”.
Third generation
The third generation began around 1860 and had a highly political and social focus, influenced by the works of Victor Hugo.
Thus, the artists conveyed in their works ideals abolitionists, social criticisms and valuing freedom. The period is also called the “condor generation” in reference to a condor, seen as a symbol of freedom.
Characteristics of Romanticism
Whereas romanticism sought a departure from the values of urbanization, progress and rationality, most of its characteristics are direct opposition to these patterns.
These aspects belonged to earlier movements such as classicism. Among the main features of the movement are:
Idealization
Idealization is one of the greatest features of the Romantic period, because Romantic artists often portrayed themselves as rebellious heroes. The aim was to change one's own life or that of society.
For this reason, it was common for romantic art to portray the social injustices and political oppressions of the time, presenting the artist's vision of what would be ideal for the issue.
This hero man also manifested himself as the individual who was looking for a homeland or an ideal, perfect, unrealistic love, always prioritizing his own expectations and feelings.
individualism and subjectivity
Romantic writers, painters, and sculptors valued the individual, their own opinions, and their view of the world.
So, originality was very important in the arts. She was the one who managed to present the author's vision of what was produced.
Through subjectivity, the individual could express their opinions and ideals in their personal discourse, through feelings and emotions, escaping from reality or what was concrete.
Valuing emotions and feelings
For romanticism, the logical, the rational or even the concrete did not exist. Romanticism held that emotions and senses were also important in shaping an individual's reasoning.
The presence of the authors' emotions and feelings in the works is one of the most striking characteristics of the movement. It was common, especially in literary works, to find melancholy, sad and sentimental descriptions.
exaltation of nature
For the Romantics, nature consisted of an uncontrollable, transcendental force that, despite being related, was distinct from physical elements such as trees, leaves, etc.
Focus on imagination
Considering that romanticism represented an escape from the values of the time, romantic thinkers and artists often resorted to imagination in the production of their works.
In literature, for example, the aim was not to describe the world as it is, but rather as it could be.
See also the meaning of classicism and realism.
Historical Context of Romanticism
Romanticism emerged during the period known as the Age of Revolutions, between 1774 and 1849. At this time, great political, social and economic transformations took place in the West.
Among the main revolutionary movements of the time are the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution.
Another major political event of this period was the rise of the bourgeoisie to power, during the French Revolution.
The bourgeoisie wanted to transmit new ideals to society, regarding feelings and the value of emotions and the individual, which were forgotten by previous movements such as Classicism.
Moved by the same ideals of change, romantic artists began to change not only the theory and practice of their arts, but also the very way they perceived the world.
This transformation went beyond the artistic field and impacted Western philosophy and culture. These aspects came to accept emotion and the senses as a valid way to experience life.
The influence of the revolutions can be seen in the characteristics of idealism and rebellion, which were striking in the works produced during the period.
Escapism and subjectivism, for example, valued individual feelings more than collective ones. Both are strong aspects of Romanticism.
romanticism in literature
Romanticism has also become a innovative literary style, because it allowed artists to use the emotion and spontaneity. Thus, they could more freely explore artistic resources in and outside literature.
In this period, literary novels were based on romantic sentimentality and escapism (escape from reality), and a constant struggle with forbidden or unrequited love.
Having a strong nationalist and patriotic appeal, romantic literature also extols the hero man, who fights for love and for his nation. Furthermore, the characters are clearly vulnerable and melancholy, exposing their emotions always in the foreground.
Some of the main romantic European authors were:
- Frenchman Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame;
- The Englishman Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), author of The Ballad of the Old Mariner;
- German August Wilhelm (1767-1845), author of Ramos de Flores;
In Brazil, some of the authors who marked the romantic period were:
- Aluísio Azevedo (1857-1913), author of O Cortiço;
- Casimiro de Abreu (1837-1860), author of Primaveras;
- Gonçalves Dias (1823 - 1864), author of Canção do Exílio.
Romanticism in the arts
Romantic art was essentially based on individualism, nature and the imagination. These values manifested themselves in all artistic branches of the time and inspired paintings, sculptures, poems, among others.
Due to the emphasis on imagination, artists placed great importance on intuition, instinct and emotion. Because they are very personal and subjective, these feelings reinforced the notion of individualism that marked the movement.
For the Romantics, individualism manifested itself most fully in contexts of solitude.
For this reason, romantic art tends to be heavily meditative. This focus on the imagination and subjectivism dispelled the notion that art was a mirror of the world. In romanticism, art created a parallel world.
"A raft of Medusa", by Théodore Gericault, representing the emphasis that romantic art gave to the imagination.
Romanticism brought a new concept of nature that was not limited to forests, trees and animals. For the romantics, nature was something superior, transcendental and, therefore, incomprehensible to men.
Like all points, nature was also viewed subjectively and its portrayal varied from artist to artist.
Among the most common ways of interpreting nature were the idea that it was a divine place, a refuge from the industrialized world, or even a healing power.
This appreciation of nature made, through romanticism, landscape painting, previously seen as an inferior form of art, to be highly improved.
"The Lonely Tree" by Caspar David Friedrich. The work demonstrates several characteristic features of romantic works, such as the cult of nature, the exaltation of solitude and the escape from the city (escapism).
Main names and works of romanticism
Check out the main romantic artists below, followed by some of their works:
European Literature
- William Blake - Seven Illuminated Books, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Jerusalem, etc.
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge – The ballad of the old sailor, Kubla Khan, Cristabel, etc.
- William Wordsworth – Lonely which cloud I wandered, The prelude, Ode to duty, etc.
Painting
- Francisco de Goya – May 3, 1808 in Madrid (or The executions of May 3), Saturn devouring a son, The nude maja, The dressed maja, etc.
- William Turner – The Slave Ship, Rain, Steam and Speed, The Battle of Trafalgar, etc.
- Caspar David Friedrich – Walker on the Sea of Mist, Monk by the Sea, The Sea of Ice, etc.
- Eugène Delacroix – Freedom guiding the people, The Chios massacre, The death of Sardanápalo, etc.
Sculpture
- Antoine-Louis Barye – Theseus and the Minotaur, Lion and Serpent, Eagle and Serpent, etc.
- Pierre Jean David – Reviving Greece, The Death of Achilles, Louis II, etc.
Romanticism in Portugal
The beginning of romanticism in Portugal takes place in 1825, with the work called Camões, an epic poem by Portuguese author Almeida Garrett (1799 - 1854). This poem appears in a context of total national euphoria, as D. João VI, who was in Brazil, decides to return to Portugal in order to regain the Portuguese crown.
Thus, a nationalist feeling is born, one of the strong characteristics of romanticism. From then on, romanticism in Portugal began to grow, inspired by the romantic period that was already consolidated in other parts of Europe, such as France, England and Germany.
The Lusitanian romantic period had strong characteristics that expressed the discourses of romanticism. Between them:
- Subjectivity;
- Sentimentality;
- Medieval influence, focusing on religion, on God;
- Longing;
- Imagination and idealization.
Romanticism in Portugal also has, like the period in Brazil, three generations.
First generation
The beginning of Romanticism in Portugal, in 1825, is marked by the transition from the Arcadian movement to the Romantic period. With the return of D. João VI for the country, romanticism begins with a strong nationalist appeal, described in literary works, portraying political figures as national heroes.
It is also possible to see the hero and patriot man portrayed through medieval influences, as brave, honorable knights who value their homeland and God.
The best known authors of this generation are Almeida Garrett (1799 - 1854), Alexandre Herculano (1810 - 1877) and Antônio Feliciano de Castilho (1800 - 1875).
Second generation
Known as the phase of ultra-romanticism, the second generation of romanticism in Portugal became known as the most important phase of the movement in the country. In this period, romanticism surpasses the condition of reason, generating strong sentimentality.
Here, the predominant feelings are pain, loneliness, despair and even death. One of the most famous writers of this generation was Camilo Castelo Branco (1825 - 1890), author of the works Amor de Perdição and Amor de Salvação.
Camilo wrote with extreme sentimentality, through the morbid and gloomy condition, present in the picturesque discourse of romanticism.
Third generation
The third generation already represents the end of romanticism in Portugal, in the transition from romanticism to realistic ideas.
This phase demonstrates a more social perspective in the works, with characters who are more aware and psychologically more complex.
The author who marks this last generation of romanticism in Portugal is Júlio Diniz (1839 - 1871), author of As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor.
See too:
- 7 Characteristics of Romanticism;
- Enlightenment;
- Bourgeoisie.
