Romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement in Europe from the late 18th century to the middle of the 19th century. It can be seen as attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many works of literature, …show more content…
The painting, “Liberty Leading the People” by Eugène Delacroix in1830, commemorates a bloody three-day revolt in July 1830 which toppled King Charles X after he sought to undo the achievements of the French Revolution (Liberty Leading the People, n.d.). Delacroix painted a dramatic story that celebrates the heroic struggle of the general populace. With the outstretched figure of liberty, the vibrant, bold fighters in contrast to the lifeless dead casualties in the foreground, the defiant poses of the people fighting for liberty, the painting illustrates the striving of the people for their liberty, and allows the viewer to empathize with that strife (Liberty Leading the People, n.d.). With loose brushstrokes and the dense texture of the painting, he expresses passion in a subtle way.
In contrast, consider, “The Gleaners” that is an oil painting by Jean-François Millet completed in 1857. It depicts three peasant women gleaning a field of stray grains of wheat after the harvest. The painting is famous for featuring the lowest ranks of rural society in a strikingly soft demeanor. Because of this soft and sombre portrayal of the poorest of the poor, the painting received a poor reception by the French upper classes (The Gleaners,