Art Objects from Romanticism, Modern and Renaissance Periods

Art has evolved over the years, depending on the influence of movements, politics and social occurrences. This paper seeks to discuss art objects from different periods including romanticism era, modern art and the renaissance era. 

1.      Romanticism

Romanticism is an art movement that with its origins in Europe. The movement gathered pace as 18^th century came to an end. Romanticism involved artistic reactions to the industrial revolution. At its peak, the age of enlightenment had dawned in Europe. As such, there was a scientific realization of nature that was represented in art objects. The art objects were in the form of literature, visual arts and music. What sets romanticism apart from other periods is the artists of this era were free to express their feelings in their objects.

Image 1: Death of Sardanapalus/ La Mort de Sardanapale

La Morte de Sardanapale is an artistic object by Eugene Delacroix. It was painted in the year 1827 and is a classical example of Romanticism movement. As evidenced by the image, the artist poured his feelings using oil on canvas to give observers a glimpse of his erotic mind. Currently, the image is hanged on the wall of Mussee du Louvre—a world-famous Paris museum.

The artist chose to base his painting on a tale of Sardanapalus. He was a King of Assyria, a lost kingdom. What makes the object one of my favorite is the use of warm and rich colors. Additionally, the ingenious use of bold brushstrokes makes the image vivid and bold enough to capture the attention of an observer.

2.      Modern Art

For almost a century, beginning from early 1860s, a new era of modern art took over from Romanticism. Most artists neglected the old artistic styles to experiment on new ways of representing new ideas. While the traditional art was characterized by narratives, modern art relied on abstraction.  

Image 2: Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain

In the year 1917, Marcel Duchamp put his signature (‘R.Mutt’) on a piece of porcelain urinal and named it fountain. It form part of his modern art collection. Later in the year, the Society of Independent Artist received the piece for exhibition. Many scholars regard the object as a landmark in the modern art. It is also viewed as a symbol of modernism.

Fountain attracts the attention of an observer as a representation of the success of a human civilization. It depicts the imagination and innate abilities of a modern society with the reflection of a cultural revolution.  While Duchamp did not create the artistic object, his ability to recognize it as a piece of modern art qualifies him as an artist. His selection of a urinal relaxes the views on art and bares it down to the essentials.

3.      The Renaissance

Renaissance is a European artistic period that stretched between 14^th to 19^th centuries. The period saw artistic objects that represented a bridge between the modern history and the early middle ages. During the late medieval period, pioneer artists in Italy started the renaissance a cultural movement. However, the movement evolved over time to become an artistic representation of humanism, science and literature.

 

Image 3: David by Michelangelo

David is a classical renaissance masterpiece of a male standing nude. The object soars at 17 feet and represent’s the Biblical David. Because David of the Bible is seen by Abraham religions as a hero, Michelangelo’s David in the modern times is viewed as a symbol of civil liberties.