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The “cult of nature” and Romanticism
Introduction
Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in the late 18th
century of Western Europe. This movement was a way to revolt against aristocratic
social and political norms of the Enlightenment period as reaction to rationalization of
nature. Romanticism was attractive. Showing through photographic and artistic forms of
nature and expressing a sense of divinity within nature. This nature movement was a
sense of realism.
Naturalism in all forms of art refers to the depiction of realistic objects and sounds
through a natural setting. The “cult of nature” movement of the early 19th century
advocated naturalism in reaction to the symbolized and idealized depictions of subjects in
Romanticism
The following are lists of those who were influenced by naturalism and those who
influenced the Romantic Era through music, art and exploration:
Music
There was the perception that as the cities grew larger there was a ‘disconnect’ with
nature. Through the artistic mediums, you could rediscover what was missing through art,
poetry and music. Musicians and composers began to write songs that expressed their
feelings; there was more freedom and emotion in the structure of this music, room for
variations on different themes. Romanticism attempted to bring nature forward into
everyday consciousness. The styles varied; symphonies, sonatas, quartets and operas
were written without the rigid structure that was present in the Classical period. This was
a worldwide awakening of musical thought; composers from Germany, France, Poland,
Hungary, Austria and Russia are among the many countries where musicians began to
create a new form and feeling in this new musical landscape.
The early Romantics:
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) He was one the first composer’s to become a
freelance by choice, as opposed to depending on patrons for financial security. He wrote
his Symphony No. 6 often referred to as his Pastoral Symphony. This Symphony was a
beginning in describing the beauty that he saw around him.
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) He was influenced by the late 18th-century expression of
lyric poetry and the idea of picturesque accompaniment offered by the piano. His String
Quartet in G Major begins to explore a new emotional range not previously written.
Composers most associated with Romanticism- (The Middle Period):
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Driven by a romantic passion for Clara Schumann,
Robert Schumann’s wife. His music took on a lyrical feeling. His most important
development technique in the piano music is variation; he would adapt other composer’s
works into themes. A good example of this is his Handel variations
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) the intensity of the personality is woven into the music: all
his works reflect something in himself expressed through poetry, literature, religion or
drama. Sincere expression was the focus of his music; he would mix forms and media.
This idea is best represented in his works, La damnation de Faust, the Te Deum and
L'enfance du Christ.
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) He found his inspiration in art, nature and history for
his orchestral music, his most famous piece, A Midsummer’s Night Dream is dramatic
and beautiful at the same time.
Frédéric Chopin (1810 -1849) He has been described as an inspired improviser, he
would compose as he played. He wrote simple, but expressive melodies, he perfected a
looser musical form. He would incorporate rhythms and melodies from the Polish
tradition into his works. A good place to begin with Chopin is Polonaises for Piano, Op.
in A major the "Minute Waltz" and Mazurkas for Piano, Op. 24: no 2 in C major
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) He would combine Romantic feelings with pure dread. He was
an intellectual who was searching for a new voice in musical composition. His work Les
préludes, the Faust-Symphonie is a good example of his extraordinary creativity.
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) His writing is considered the most progressive of his
time, it is said that affairs of the heart influenced a good portion of his work. He liked
champagne and women. His works, Frauenliebe und -leben ('A Woman's Love and Life')
and Dichterliebe ('A Poet's Love') are good examples of his passion for life.
The End of Romanticism:
Richard Wagner (1813-1883) a true romantic and his works clearly show this, in the
recurring theme of redemption through a woman's love in his opera cycles throughout his
career. Most notable are his works, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre The works offer
reflections on every aspect of the human condition.
Antonin Dvorak – (1841-1904) His works display the influences of folk music, mainly
Czech, (his homeland). He wrote dramatic music that could be spirited with a richness of
eloquence. His music was appealing to the public, especially his New World Symphony
and his Slavonic Dances and Rhapsodies.
Art:
Nature during the Romantic Period, many artists painted landscapes that usually showed
either nationalism in painting and sketching the land near them, or the exoticism and
adventure of far-away places. Also, artists often used nature to convey emotions.
Jacques-Louis David
1748-1825
Jacques-Louis David, a French painter who introduced the neoclassical style in France,
was a leading exemplar from the time of the French Revolution to the fall of the French
Emperor Napoleon.
Jacques-Louis David. Sorrow. 1773. Colored chalks on paper. 53.5 x 41 cm. Ecole
Nationale Superiere des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France.
Eugene Delacroix
1798-1863
He was considered the artist that led the Romanatic Movement.
Eugène Delacroix. The Lion Hunt. 1861. Oil on canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago,
Chicago, IL, USA.
Thomas Gainsborough
1727-1788
Thomas Gainsborough was an English painter, and considered to be one of the great
masters of landscape painting and portraiture.
Thomas Gainsborough. William Poyntz. Exhibited S.A. 1762. Oil on canvas. Earl
Spencer, Althorp, UK.
Exploration:
The Romantics "were the language of ordinary men." The "kind" 18th century people
became known as the "Romantics". Romantic values included: imagination, intuition,
emotion, inspiration, and even passion. They wanted art to demonstrate sympathy with
nature.
Influence of American landscapes on romantics began with drawings by
Antonio de Ulloa, and Jorge John. They explored around the equator. The
Andean settings they recorded remained the source of the most powerful
romantic images of America.
Explorers:
Baron Alexander von Humboldt was a great scientist who explored America.
He tried to climb Mount Chimborazo, thought to be the highest mountain in
the world, he had to turn back though because of the severe conditions at the high
altitudes. (September 14, 1769, Berlin – May 6, 1859, Berlin), was a Prussian naturalist
and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher, and linguist
Wilhelm von Humboldt. Humboldt's quantitative work on botanical geography was
foundational to the field of biogeography. Between 1799 and 1804, von Humboldt
traveled to South and Central America, exploring and describing it from a scientific point
of view for the first time. His description of much of this journey was written up in an
enormous set of volumes over a 21-year span. He was one of the first to propose that the
lands bordering the Atlantic were once joined (South America and Africa in particular).
Late in life, in his five-volume work Kosmos, he attempted to unify the various branches
involved in knowledge of the world. Humboldt supported and worked with other
scientists, among them Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac, Justus von Liebig, Louis Agassiz, and
Matthew Fontaine Maury.
Heres a picture of him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_von_Humboldt
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: taught the superiority of natural passions over cultivated
refinement.(June 28, 1712 – July 2, 1778) was a Geneva-born philosopher of the
Enlightenment whose political ideas influenced the French Revolution, the development
of socialist theory, and the growth of nationalism. Rousseau also made important
contributions to music both as a theorist and as a composer. With his Confessions and
other writings, he practically invented modern autobiography and encouraged a new
focus on the building of subjectivity that would bear fruit in the work of thinkers as
diverse as Hegel and Freud. His novel Julie, ou la nouvelle Héloïse was one of the bestselling fictional works of the eighteenth century and was important to the development of
romanticism.
Heres a picture of him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Rousseau
Books to look at:
The Arts Entwined: Music and Painting in the Nineteenth Century (Critical and Cultural
Musicology) by Marsha Morton
The Sense of Music (Paperback) by, Raymond Monelle
The Norton / Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music (W.W. Norton)
Film Resources:
BBC Great Composers
Narrated by, Kenneth Branagh