Romanticism

“Romanticism: (romantic art): A style prevalent in the first half of the 19^th century, particularly in painting, in which imagination played the dominant role. Referring more to a state of mind then to a style, romanticism was a marked reaction against the rationalism associated with Neoclassicism. One of the chief concerns of the romantic artist was the illustration of literary themes, often derived from contemporary romantic writings. Leading romantic artists included Eugene Delacroix, William Turner, and Caspar David Friedrich.”

Excerpted from: Diamond, David G. The Bulfinch Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms. Boston: Little Brown, 1992.