How Has Art Affected By The French Revolution?

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The French revolution had a great impact over the years of the revolution and the years following. The Neo-classical period and the Romantic period were influenced in the world of painting as well. From political propaganda to reflrctions on the changes in society, art was effected by the French Revolution in several ways.

The leaders of the French Revolution increased public support by using all kinds of art. Artists could use their work to reach more people including those who did not have regular access to political information (Dowd, 1951). The French Revolution caused artists to lose traditional patrons, such as, the Church and aristocrats. New art patrons while were the private middle-class citizens.

French painting returned …show more content…

Artists studied various themes including the natural world, unreasonable emotions and instincts, and politics; and worked in many different styles (McCoy). Seen as a way of presenting the artist’s thoughts and emotions. Identifiable by the flowing brushstrokes and bright colors Romantic paintings are frequently interpreted as the artist’s “genius (McCoy)”. Romanticism was a time of self-reflection and individualism.

A notable painter of the Romantic period is Caspar David Friedrich. In his painting, Wanderer Above the Sea, depicts a man standing on some with his back to the audience, gazing out over the sea and distant mountains. The painting seems to symbolize independence of the individual, personal freedom, and his own self-interest. Michael Gorra's investigation of the painting, in his book The Bells in Their Silence, relays that the message of the painting is one of “self-reflection,” shown through ‘the wanderer's’ watching and contemplating over the sea of fog

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