Romantic Synthesis

Romantic Synthesis Question
Dylan Mulcahy James Jin Jenny Zhan Caleb Ong Amber Austin Period 6, Wylie Team 3
The desire for freedom from the restrictions of classicism and rigidly ordered society had been heavily emphasized during the Romantic period. Even though the Romantics still embraced the Renaissance tradition of ennobling of the common man, they rebelled against the old tendencies of conforming to the narrow-mindedness of organized religion instead focusing on inner spirituality and imagination. Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People is a prime example of Romantic period paintings that embraced a secular glorification of the human condition. As seen in the piece, the fascination of heroes in Romantic art ties in cohesively with the French Revolution and glorifying the common man. The woman in the center of the painting displays an aesthetic beauty that is traditional with the Renaissance period and nature’s clouds are dispersing to further display her significance within the Romantic piece. What also should be noted though, is that even though she is a common woman, she has been made a heroine who is unifying the people of France under her banner and displays great spiritual significance and liberty as they storm the aristocratic Bastille. The reason it isn’t aesthetic beauty associated with organized is because of the spiritual aspect of the painting is entirely nondenominational and depicts her more as an equivalent to common people than overtly superior. In all, this piece has become one of the most well known classics of Romantic period painting because not only does it resonate with so many viewers, yet it emanates the Romantic style of art. (250 Words)