Romanticism

c. 1780–1850

Romanticism emphasized emotion, imagination, and nature. Artists reacted against rationalism and industrialization. Dramatic landscapes and personal feeling were central. Art became deeply subjective.

Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth

J. M. W. Turner

1842

A dramatic seascape filled with swirling storm and light, capturing nature’s force.

The Valley Farm

John Constable

1835

A Romantic English landscape celebrating rural life and the harmony of nature.

Liberty Leading the People

Eugene Delacroix

1830

A Romantic painting of Liberty personified, leading rebels in the 1830 July Revolution.

View of the Round-Top in the Catskill Mountains

Thomas Cole

1827

A luminous American landscape painting, blending grandeur of nature with Romantic symbolism.

The Raft of the Medusa

Theodore Gericault

1818–1819

A vast Romantic painting of shipwreck survivors on a raft, full of despair and dramatic realism.

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog

Caspar David Friedrich

1818

A Romantic icon of a lone figure gazing over misty mountains, embodying introspection and the sublime.

The Third of May

Francisco De Goya

1814

A haunting image of Spanish civilians executed by Napoleon’s troops, symbolizing resistance and sacrifice.

The Nightmare

Henry Fuseli

1781

A Gothic Romantic painting of a woman in troubled sleep, haunted by a demon and a ghostly horse.