Romanticism is perhaps the most misunderstood movement. What is it all about?
Romanticism is about feelings and sentiment; the position of man in relation to nature. In Marinus Adrianus Koekkoek’s painting Figures on a forest path, we see man and nature side by side, nature giving strength to man. What can you tell me about the painting you are holding? Well, at first glance, Jean Beraud’s painting M. et Mme. Galin devant le Jockey Club appears to be a spontaneous, busy street scene with passers-by, horses and carriages. On closer inspection we realize this is a far more structured painting than previously thought – the couple, so carefully observed and painted on the right, were in fact the patrons who commissioned this work. Meticulously executed and detailed almost ‘lifelike’ scenes are often associated with 19th century European works of art. What inpired this characteristic during this period? Due to the Industrial Revolution and consequently, the dispersal of wealth, Art became accessible to more and more people. With this came a rise in the demand for dec
