Romanticism Art Movement – Characteristics

1. The skies are gloomy or cloudy as a sign of imminent danger and fear of the unknown, e.g. Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich.

2. A focus on nature – mystical landscapes with dark mysterious ambience; dark in both a literal and figurative sense, e.g. Der Heuwagen by John Constable.

3. Dramatic scenes of man or nature, occasionally with undertones of nature’s triumph over man, e.g. The Course of Empire Destruction 1836 by Thomas Cole.

4. The sky is prominent and overwhelming, often taking over around half of the painting, e.g. Venice Grand Canal by Joseph Mallord William Turner.

5. Dramatic scenes (similar to Baroque art but) painted in visible brushstrokes, as typical of the Romantic style, e.g. Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix.

6. Horrific and gothic images, where faces express feelings such as intense pain, anguish, anger or fear, e.g. Saturn Devouring his Son by Francisco de Goya.