Romantic Art: Realist vs. The Hudson River School

Introduction

The Romantic Era or Movement began at the end of the 1700s but reached a peak during the early 1800s. The type of art that filled this era was filled with emotions surrounding many different things such as spirituality and imagination (“Art History and Artists.”). The two styles of art that I will be talking about are the Realist Style and the style adapted by The Hudson River School. These styles are very different from one another and contrast each other in many ways. The Realist style typically focused on people in situations that occurred on a regular basis. The Hudson River School was a group of people that painted landscapes during this time, influenced by Thomas Cole who painted one of the paintings that I will be discussing. 

Realist Style

The Third of May 1808 in Madrid or "The Executions" painted by Francisco Goya in 1814

Francisco Goya painted The Executions in 1814 to commemorate these gruesome days experienced by hundreds of Spaniards on the second and third of May in 1808 (Zappella, Christine). This piece has been very impactful to many artists and continues to be impactful through the fearful emotion that it portrays since the clothing that Goya painted on the men is nondescript it makes the piece timeless (Zappella, Christine). This piece invokes a lot of feelings in me that I am able to understand that Goya intended to portray. Not only can you feel the emotions through the expressions on the peoples faces but you can also feel it through the elements of art that Goya uses. The use of lighting in the piece creates a sort of spotlight on the Spaniards that are illustrated. The darkness traps the Spaniards and creates a sense of no escape that they probably felt in these moments as they were executed. Goya also uses loose brushstrokes which creates movement throughout the piece as well as using dull colors which makes the blood in the painting really standout to the viewer.

Guillotine Heads painted by Theodore Gericault in 1818-1820

Theodore Gericault painted Guillotine Heads during 1818-1820 to depict those who died from the crash of the French on the coast of Africa (“The Severed Heads.”). Similarly to The Executions, as a viewer, you can begin to see the feelings that Gericault intended to portray through many of the art elements that are used. The use of a limited and somber color pallet somehow creates a sense of eerie calmness. Unlike Goya's painting, Gericault does not use a very loose style in his brushstrokes, in fact, the painting is rather detailed and there is a lot of texture that is created in the piece which you can see in the facial hair and cloth in the painting. The lighting in the painting also makes the piece much more dramatic and highlights a lot of the gruesome details in the piece like the blood and severed necks.

Both of the paintings that I have discussed that are under the influence of The Realist style are good examples of the pieces that I am not the biggest fan of. Though I can appreciate the impactful message that both artists created in these paintings, they are very saddening and gruesome and definitely not paintings I would be able to personally look at for too long. I do not like the limited and dark colors that are used, I really prefer bright and vivid paintings that have a more lighthearted and happy feeling to them. These paintings make me feel a sense of dread and sadness that not many artworks have been able to do but the only place I would be able to even think of viewing these artworks at is a museum or something of that sorts.

The Hudson River School

The Titan's Goblet painted by Thomas Cole in 1833

This painting is a beautiful landscape piece that was done by Thomas Cole in 1833, titled The Titan's Goblet. This painting, unlike other works by Cole, is actually a landscape painting that is fictional. This landscape painting is, however, believed to be inspired by either a Norse legend, Greek myth, or even a combination of the two (American, Thomas Cole). As explained in the introduction, Thomas Cole is regarded as the "founder" of The Hudson River School since his works were a major influence and impact to the creation of this group of people (Avery, Kevin J.). Cole created many other landscape paintings that are very famously known such as The Oxbow and Distant View of Niagara Falls. This painting features the use of a lot of cool colors as well as vibrant light colors. These colors create a sense of peace and calmness in the piece which I find to be incredibly beautiful. There is also a lot of texture in the painting that you can see in the clouds, the cliffs and mountains, and even in the bushes and grass. The lighting in this paintings is also very powerful as it plays a major part in the execution of the water that is in the piece. The reflections and what appear to be waterfalls would not be there if it wasn't for the presence of the light and shading that Cole uses.

The Heart of the Andes painted by Frederic Edwin Church in 1859

Frederic Edwin Church painted The Heart of the Andes in 1859 as a romantic depiction of a South American landscape that was inspired by Church's second trip to Ecuador in 1857 (“The Heart of the Andes.”). Similarly to Cole's The Titan's Goblet, Church uses a lot of cool colors which creates a peaceful scenery for the viewer. There is also a lot of texture used in this piece in the different parts like the mountains and trees. Something that I find very interesting is that Church uses very loose brushstrokes in the background but then use extreme detail and precision in the foreground; perhaps this is to help with the illusion of depth in the piece.

Both of these paintings that are done under the influence of The Hudson River School are by far my favorite. The style that The Hudson River School uses is something I greatly enjoy for many reasons. I love the light yet vibrant colors and being able to look at such beautiful scenery. These paintings are so detailed that they almost could be mistaken for photographs which I think is so amazing. I would love to own a piece like either of these because I could look at them for hours and be able to feel a sense of calmness the entire time, unlike the Realistic style pieces which I would never be able to look at in a calm manner.

Citations

American, Thomas Cole. “Thomas Cole: The Titan's Goblet: American.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/10499.

“Art History and Artists.” Ducksters, https://www.ducksters.com/history/art/romanticism.php.

Avery, Kevin J. “The Hudson River School: Essay: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.” The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, 1 Jan. 1AD, https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hurs/hd_hurs.htm#:~:text=The%20Hudson%20River%20School%20was,the%20time%20of%20the%20Centennial.

“The Heart of the Andes.” Theartwolf, 2 Aug. 2021, https://theartwolf.com/masterworks/landscapes/church-heart-andes/.

“The Severed Heads.” The Severed Heads by Theodore Gericault, https://www.thehistoryofart.org/theodore-gericault/severed-heads/.

Zappella, Christine. “Francisco Goya, the Third of May, 1808.” Smarthistory, https://smarthistory.org/goya-third-of-may-1808/.