Romanticism

sofiawallner
Apr 16
2 min read

This marks the beginning of two large-scale landscape paintings.

Reading about Anna Boberg

https://kunstkritikk.se/man-andas-med-vindens-andedrakt

and — Caspar David Friedrich

“The painter should not merely paint what he sees before him, but also what he sees within himself. If, however, he sees nothing within himself, he should refrain from painting what he sees before him.”

I’m using the art history era of Romanticism as a platform for my new landscape project.

-What happens to accuracy when nature is understood as an intensely subjective experience?

”In Romantic art, nature—with its uncontrollable power, unpredictability, and potential for cataclysmic extremes—offered an alternative to the ordered world of Enlightenment thought.”

Kathryn Calley Galitz

October 1, 2004

https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/romanticism

“Nature possessed an inherent soul, a spirit.

It was often depicted as a living, untamed force capable of expressing both emotion and a particular vision of nature.”

— Nationalmuseum teaching guide on Romanticism

https://www.nationalmuseum.se/assets/3-program-ht24/ROM_La%CC%88rarhandledning.pdf

My project will be grounded in the following points derived from Romanticism-art history.

Composed landscapes: I intend to experiment with creating composite landscapes by combining sketches in order to heighten the dramatic qualities of what I wish to convey.
Inner vision over external reality: The landscape should function as a reflection of the soul. My aim is to communicate feelings and spirituality rather than mere topographical accuracy.
Demand for artistic integrity: I will approach my subject through inner connection and an internal vision.

Slottskogen, Ödledammen. A distinctly “romantic,” even national-romantic, view. This is a deliberate choice that I intend to write about and critically discuss. It also involves a painterly technique I wish to study. Moreover, I will explore the more obvious question: how far the theme can be extended without crossing “to the dark side” in the artistic rendering.

Orust, Rämmedalen Forest and landscape shaped—indeed devastated—by human intervention and storm damage. This, too, provides an ideal motif for testing the boundaries of painterly expression.