The 10 best paintings in Romanticism

When talking about Romanticism, art is without doubt one of the best ways to understand the spirit of this intense historical period—full of contrasts and drama. But remember, Romanticism in art is not the same as the longed-for romanticism of Valentine’s Day. And the works below are a great example of this. Which are the most iconic masterpieces of the Romantic period? We have picked 10 of our favourites below.

01

The Kiss: Francesco Hayez – The Pinacoteca di Brera (Milan)

Any discussion about the best Romantic paintings cannot start without reference to Italian painter Francesco Hayez’s masterpiece. Working mainly in Milan, he combined political narrative with scenes of intense beauty. It is not by chance that this painting has become the face of Romanticism in Italy. The artist even painted three different versions of it.

The first thing we see is two lovers engaged in a passionate embrace, full of the ardour of youth. There is, in fact, a deeper underlying message here: that of national union, patriotism and political and military commitment, all of which are allegorically represented in this incredible painting.

02

The Raft of the Medusa: Theodore Gericault – The Louvre (Paris)

We could talk about this painting for hours. In case you are not familiar with it, this is not only one of the best paintings of the Romantic era, it is also one of the best in the Louvre, thrilling from the very first moment you see it. Theodore Gericault’s large painting of the Raft of the Medusa initially caused considerable scandal and controversy. The painting depicts a real-life tragic event: the shipwreck of 1816 in which hundreds of soldiers lost their lives. That event stunned an entire nation because 150 people climbed onto the raft but only 15 managed to be rescued and survived.

The artist, who was still very young, portrayed the tragedy with surprising realism for the time, by studying the bodies of both the living and the dead. The Neoclassical era, which French art was still very much characterised by, plunged into intense Romanticism. It took time for the work to be fully appreciated, as often happens with great artists, but when it was first put on display the predominant sentiment was one of rejection.

03

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog: Caspar David Friedrich – The Kunsthalle (Hamburg)

This painting expertly demonstrates some of the major themes of Romanticism. The painting depicts a young man from behind, the wanderer, as he gazes at a thick sea of fog. What better representation of the intense, dramatic and melancholy sentiments of the 19th century’s Romantics?

This wonderful painting, unlike the others that we have already described, does not tell a story. It portrays an emotional state, as well as ideas of infinity and roaming, musings on the imperfection of the soul and humanity’s relationship with nature and mortality. Wanderer above the Sea of Fog is a symbol of German Romanticism, which developed differently from its French and Italian counterparts. Art like this is a wonderful medium to express diversity and many different, profound, states of mind.

04

The Fighting Temeraire: William Turner – The National Gallery (London)

Now we move on to the English portrayal of Romanticism through the iconic paintings of William Turner, who had the ability to portray emotions, feelings and Romantic ideas such as the sublime. This masterpiece depicts the last voyage of the once victorious English battleship, the Temeraire, as it is towed to the scrapyard with its white flag fluttering in the breeze, against the backdrop of a sunset. The painting merges contrasting emotions with political implications, a style that was typical of Romanticism.

Back then, Turner’s brilliance lay in introducing landscape as an equally important element in genre art, that is, the realistic painting of scenes from everyday life. Nowadays we consider this obvious, but Turner was revolutionary in his choice of emphasis.

05

The Hay Wain: John Constable – The National Gallery (London)

Staying with the themes of Romanticism and landscape, John Constable is another of English Romanticism’s important painters, and like Turner, he dedicated himself to pastoral landscapes, painting Dedham Vale, near where he was born. The Hay Wain is his great masterpiece.

At the time, this large painting provoked scandal as his technique of using small brush strokes to paint landscape appeared to be almost the same as that used by the Impressionists. In London, this innovation was considered impertinent and deliberately provocative, although it was much loved in France and by Gericault. Nature was definitely Constable’s central theme, but his portrayal of nature was fascinatingly different from that depicted by Friedrich.

06

Liberty Leading the People: Eugene Delacroix – The Louvre (Paris)

This painting hardly needs any explanation given that you are likely to have seen it many times before, reproduced in many different contexts and used to represent revolution, freedom and the victory of the people.

It portrays Liberty leading the united masses against “the oppressor”, one of patriotism’s great concepts. Social class is not important here and Delacroix paints different types of people, which is evident from their clothing. Because of this, the painting has always been considered an icon of political art. This painting is one of the first examples of the genre and is certainly one of the most well-loved.

07

The Hulsenbeck Children: Philipp Otto Runge – The Kunsthalle (Hamburg)

This artist belongs to German Romanticism and stands out due to his portrayal of children, for which he earned the nickname “painter of fairy tales”. He takes his place in Romanticism on account of the allegorical meanings he conveys, as in this painting, The Hulsenbeck Children, which is one of his best.

In the foreground, the painting depicts a friend’s children standing next to some sunflowers. It is a perfect composition of colour and conveys the fleeting significance of childhood, innocence and a “lost age”, which the Romantic era wistfully looked back on.

08

Dido Building Carthage: William Turner – The National Gallery (London)

One of Romantic art’s prerogatives was that of looking to the past, often with a deep, nostalgic longing for distant times. Turner’s Dido Building Carthage is a perfect example of this. Turner admired the artists Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorraine, who preceded him, and like them Turner employed historic themes, starting with the subject of this work, taken from Virgil’s Aeneid.

The observer is captivated by the painting’s natural appearance and by the monumental emotions it stirs up. The essence of the scene depicted is tranquil, but at the same time majestic, dominating and unchallenged.

09

Sea of Ice: Caspar David Friedrich – The Kunsthalle (Hamburg)

Friedrich returns to the shipwreck theme, but this time in a sea of ice. The German artist’s painting is best characterised by his ability to evoke strong emotions through images of landscapes and nature that are full of deeper symbolism.

The shipwreck actually represents man’s never-ending journey and brings to mind humankind’s extreme vulnerability. In a never-ending quest, man is at the mercy of external events and is powerless against them.

10

Chartres Cathedral: Camille Corot – The Louvre (Paris)

First and foremost a landscape painter, Camille Corot features among the Romantic artists because of his attention to nature and its relationship with man, captured here in the beautiful painting Chartres Cathedral.

The painting portrays man’s presence, in the form of the cathedral, in serene harmony with nature. The gothic cathedral is intricately depicted while the figures in the foreground merge seamlessly with the scene around them. This is a painting that succeeded in making all of its different elements equally important.