Romanticism (Art and Ideas) (Paperback)

by David Blayney Brown (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Romanticism was 'a way of feeling' rather than a style in art. In the period c.1775–1830, against the background of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, European artists, together with poets and composers, initiated their own rebellion against the dominant political, religious and social ethos of the day. Their quest was for personal expression and individual liberation, and in the process, the Romantics transformed the idea of art, seeing it as an instrument of social and psychological change. In this comprehensive volume, David Blayney Brown takes a thematic approach to Romanticism, relating it to the concurrent, more stylistic movements of Neoclassicism and the Gothic Revival, and discussing its relationship with the political and social developments of the era. He not only looks at how artists as diverse as Goya, Delacroix, Friedrich and Turner responded to landscapes or depicted historical events, but also examines artists such as David and Ingres who are not usually considered Romantics. As a result, the reader is given a clear understanding of a complex movement that produced some of the greatest European art, literature and music.

About the Author
Dr David Blayney Brown is Senior Curator at the Tate, heading the Turner Collection in the Clore Gallery. He has arranged exhibitions (both in the UK and abroad) and written monographs on numerous artists of the Romantic era, including Samuel Palmer, David Wilkie and Turner. He is a frequent contributor to Burlington Magazine and Apollo, and is Vice-President of the Byron Society. Author's residence: London SW6

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (August 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714834432
• ISBN-13: 978-0714834436
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #725,100 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #24 in

  Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Romantic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm glad it's not a coffee table book, June 29, 2005

By	Christian Thoma (High Point, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One of the biggest problems with studying art is finding books you can carry and read. Coffee table books are nice to look at, but I find that most of the time I don't even bother trying to read the accompanying essays (which are rarely comprehensive).

I'm glad I discovered the Phaidon A&I series, because I'm finally able to make a real effort to learn about art. Yes, it's hard to see the illustrations in detail, but the pictures are usually large enough to accurately depict the author's intention in including it in the book in the first place. If you find yourself wanting to look at a picture in more detail, it's likely available on the web.

Why it's good: At around 400 pages it does a great job at being comprehensive (but without being overwhelming). By the time you're done, you feel you've captured all but the nittiest-grittiest of details regarding Romanticism. It can be read by amateurs (which I most definitely am) without feeling lost in a sea of jargon or references that art students are required to know but the average person does not. And you can carry it to work with you to read at lunchtime.

Why only 4 stars: I'm not sure I agree with the author's choice in dividing up the chapters on the basis of themes, some of which are virtually indistinguishable from others. In addition, you don't get a complete picture of some artists because they pop up sporadically throughout the book rather than have whole sections dedicated to them. Personally, I would've divided the book by region (French, German, French, Spanish, English, American), but as I didn't write it ...
My other main concern is the lack of Americans. Yes, I know that Romanticism was largely a European movement; however the Hudson River School of Artists were largely Romantic in nature (pun intended), and the brief discussion of Thomas Cole's Course of Empire should have been expanded (and all 5 works shown, not just the central one) because it perfectly applied to the theme of that chapter.
One final warning: have some small understanding of European history between 1789 and 1848, as the different revolutions and events throughout are touched on as they relate to the art, because if you're unfamiliar with the July Revolution, for example, you may find yourself missing the author's point.

Summary: Ignore the fact that my negative section is larger than the positive; this book is a great and inexpensive way to become educated about Romantic Art. Completists may want to start with Neo-classicism, but if you're looking to get immersed in 19th century art (or art in general), this is a great place to start. I'm looking forward to reading Impressionism next (I'll come back to Friedrich and Turner, available in A&I form as well, later this year).

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but where's the hardcover coffee table size?, October 17, 2003

By	Laura Mars "Laura Mars" (Rogers, MN United States) - See all my reviews

Don't get me wrong, this is a great book. It encompasses almost all critical art and art history of Romanticism, and is complimented by a zesty layout and visually stimulating pictures throughout. But my one question is: WHY DO YOU PRINT THIS BOOK IN THIS SIZE? This book deserves to be two or three times this big... if not bigger. If this book was sold in only a 20'x20' version, you can bet that I would buy it. Maybe a good idea (editors of this book listen up!) would be to make full-size replicas of all the paintings within and sell this book as a series of giant tear-out sheets, so we could display these wonderful pieces of art in our own homes. Then you could keep the text version of the book in its original size and it would accompany the paintings. Another qualified idea is to have photographs or interprative sketches of the artists whose paintings we are studying in this book. It's nice to know what the people who made such beautiful art looked like.