Both the Romantic era and Renaissance period experienced incredible bursts of creativity and individuality. They also both spurred from eras of more rigid societal values and conventions, which only strengthened movement toward extreme self creation and unconventional methods of expression. From the Renaissance to the Romantic period, the biggest change is perhaps the place of God in the earlier era and His notably smaller role in the Romantic period for artists and writers. This expressionism, separate from God in an almost defiant manner, led to inexplicable turns of fate and the power of nature in literature. The writing and storytelling was dark, ominous, and gave little hope. Poet Edgar Allen Poe and author Nathaniel Hawthorne were among many artists who thrived in this era. Hawthorne, for example, implemented many dark, romantic styles in The Scarlet Letter, a story of human imperfection and guilt. The book places criticism on the Puritan society, one that those of the Romantic era were trying desperately to escape, and the characters go through many moral struggles, however God does not play a part in these discoveries. Human nature, not the nature of religion, prevails in the story.
A focus on the power of nature and fate, not God, is also seen in Thomas Cole’s paintings from the Romantic era. His collection, ‘Voyage of Life’, features a man trying to survive in uncontrollable nature. There is no depiction of God or a higher power in these pieces, only man against a large and whimsical force.
No comments:
Post a Comment