Romanticism was a movement that originated in Europe and was embodied in the arts, music and literature. The Romanticism movement was based on feeling and expression. “The emphasis on innate feeling led to an interest in the primitive – that is, in the simple life unmediated by the authority of established institutions, and nature untouched, unspoiled by human presence” (Cunningham et al. par 17.2).
There was a powerful belief and care for the importance of nature. Romantics had a strong belief and interest in nature and gave detail when describing nature. Romantics wanted to remind others of the importance of nature.
Romantic artists believed that sense and emotions were important to understand and experience the world. Romantic art contained landscapes, religion, revolution, and tranquil beauty. John Constable was an English Romantic painter. “His paintings convey not only the physical beauties of the landscape but also a sense of the less tangible aspects of the natural world” (Cunningham et al. par. 17.19).
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Constable was known for his painting of the English countryside, The Hay Wain. The Hay Wain is an artwork depicting the rural landscape as a part of nature. Constable wanted to portray that man did not stand back to observe nature but to become a part of nature.
Romantic poets had an interest in the natural world. Romantics viewed nature as an “organic” whole. Romantics gave detail to describing nature accurately. Romantic writers were concerned with nature. The Romantics bought a new light to poetry showing a love for nature.
William Wadsworth focused on nature for subject matter and inspiration (Module 1). In Wadsworth’s poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, the main theme is nature. He describes the beauty of nature as in the daffodils dancing and joyful. He also expresses the theme between human beings and nature. The English countryside was a source of poetic inspiration for Wadsworth.
Romantic composers showed a great sense of emotion. Romantic music had contrasts of dynamics and pitch. Smetana was a nationalist composer that sought to capture the features of his fatherland with a type of musical landscape (Module 1). Smetana’s, “The Moldau”, is the second of six symphonic poems. It describes two small springs that are unified into a single current through many different landscapes including woods and meadows, nearby rocks, and a farmer’s landscape.
Romantics had a strong belief and interest in nature. Romantics felt that once an individual experiences nature, the individual becomes more aware of his feelings and this leads to moral values. The belief is that nature makes people know what they truly are. Romantics believed that a connection with nature was important.
The Romantic Movement influenced not just literature, but art and music in its many forms. Many believed that humans were meant to live in a natural world rather than in the city. Nature to the Romantics was viewed as a renewal. The beauty of the natural world was used by artists, composers, and poets to capture the interest of their audience.
