Defining Romanticism[edit] Basic characteristics[edit] Defining the nature of Romanticism may be approached from the starting point of the primary importance of the free expression of the feelings of the artist. The importance the Romantics placed on untrammelled feeling is summed up in the remark of the German painter Caspar David Friedrich that the artists feeling is his law.[7] To William Wordsworth poetry should be the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.[8] In order to truly express these feelings, the content of the art must come from the imagination of the artist, with as little interference as possible from artificial rules dictating what a work should consist of. Coleridge was not alone in believing that there were natural laws governing these matters which the imagination, at least of a good creative artist, would freely and unconsciously follow through artistic inspiration if left alone to do so.[9] As well as rules, the influence of models from other works would impede the creators own imagination, so originality was absolutely essential. The concept of the genius, or artist who was able to produce his own original work through this process of creation from nothingness, is key to Romanticism, and to be derivative was the worst sin.[10][11][12][13] This idea is often called romantic originality.[14] William Blake, The Little Girl Found, from Songs of Innocence and Experience, 1794 Not essential to Romanticism, but so widespread as to be normative, was a strong belief and interest in the importance of nature. However this is particularly in the effect of nature upon the artist when he is surrounded by it, preferably alone. In contrast to the usually very social art of the Enlightenment, Romantics were distrustful of the human world, and tended to believe that a close connection with nature was mentally and morally healthy. Romantic art addressed its audiences directly and personally with what was intended to be felt as the personal voice of the artist. So, in literature, much of romantic poetry invited the reader to identify the protagonists with the poets themselv
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 04:09:37 +0000
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