Baroque Artworks as Golden Age of Imperial Europe - Essay Example

Gellee’s painting titled “Large Landscape” reflects a seemingly peaceful and pastoral imagery of a landscape, in context to the progress in his nation of France was enjoying in that historical period. Cuyp’s painting titled “Landscape near Rhenen: Cows Grazing and a Shepherd Playing the Flute” reflects a peaceful and carefree life in context with the growth and prosperity of the Dutch Republic during that historical period.

            The work of German painter Caspar David Friedrich titled “Seashore by Moonlight” dated 1818 is an example of Romanticist Art. Friedrich is considered one of the pre-eminent and well-known painters of the Romantic Movement, also called Romanticism. The Romantic Movement was a cultural development that swept throughout Europe during the 19th century that affected the areas of art, philosophy, and social and political aspects. Romanticism believes in the power of the individual’s creativity and sense of imagination, and also the unrestrained freedom of emotional sentiments. Romanticists rose in opposition to the scientific, systematic, and highly logical classical learning of the Enlightenment Age. Underlying themes in Romantic expression would be the portrayal of nature in a mysterious, mythical spirituality or fantasy, folk nationalism, and individualism. One could say that Romanticism is an act of cultural rebellion.

            The British painter John Constable is another artist of the Romantic period and is a contemporary of Caspar David Friedrich. Constable’s painting titled “Weymouth Bay with Approaching Storm”, has a similar style to Caspar David Friedrich’s painting “Seashore by Moonlight”. The natural style of Constable’s painting is his representation of a British landscape that seeks to give this imagery the same sense of mystery as that found in Friedrich’s painting. It should also be remembered that the historical setting of the time is the aftermath of the Napoleonic War and Europe is still reeling from the results of Napoleon's ambitious campaign. It would not be surprising that the imagery of Constable’s painting is as dark as it looks. Both Romanticist painters Friedrich and Constable did paintings of their own volition and enterprise freely.

            After the Romantic Period, the art movement shifted towards the Neo-classical Style. Neo-classicism sought to return to the realism and rules of the Classical Style of art during the 18th-century Enlightenment Age. In Achille-Etna Michallon’s painting titled “Landscape Inspired by the View of Frascati”, the artist is trying to bring back the realism of the imagery. Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot’s painting titled “Recollection of Mortefontaine” also followed the Neo-classical art movement by trying to create a close-to-realistic depiction of the scenery. The historical setting by this time can also be related to the political and social shift in Europe. It was only a few years after Napoleon Bonaparte launched his ambitious conquest of Europe, tearing down old classical regimes, and the return of these regimes brought the return of a more conservative and rational social mindset. Romanticist sentiments were being challenged or set aside for Neo-classicism.