Expressing the Sentimental, Heroic and Sublime: Neoclassical, Romanticist & Realist Art

Throughout Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism, there was a consistent and pervading influence lent by expression of the sentimental, the heroic and the sublime. Though all three styles varied significantly, Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism each produced fascinating works which exemplify different themes, although sentimental, heroic and sublime art seems to have been produced most prominently throughout the three artistic periods. During the Neoclassical, Romantic and Realist artistic eras, the sentimental was often expressed through highly emotional depictions of scenes, the heroic brought through to viewers by the heroic deeds of certain figures – whether mythical or real – and the sublime was exemplified by grandness intended to awe viewers.

In the Neoclassical, Romantic and Realist eras of art alike, artists used sentimental depictions of scenes to convey emotions in viewers, often through the use of characters whom onlookers could identify with and seemingly understand. In Neoclassicism, many artists emulated the works of Classical Greece and Rome both in style and in theme, as can be clearly seen in Antonio Canova’s “Cupid and Psyche.” In this Neoclassical sculpture, many traditional stylistic aspects of both classical and Renaissance art have been utilized to create a sentimental tone which pervades the work. One of Canova’s clear debts to the classical traditions of artistic depiction involves his use of idealization. Fitting with the Classical and Renaissance tradition of idealizing figures, both Cupid and Psyche have highly idealized features, as demonstrated by both figures fitting within established mathematical ratios used throughout classical antiquity which define “perfect” proportions. Although many of these mathematical relationships were defined only in the Renaissance, the concept of idealized beauty and the perfect figure was one which had already been thoroughly explored by the Classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. The idealization of the figures within Canova’s depiction of the mythical scene contributes to its emotional intensity due to the resulting sensuality of the sculpture. The sensuality of each figure combined with their respective “perfect” appearances combines to make their union a joyous and highly emotional event and allows this piece to express the sentimentality evoked through Neoclassical artworks. Canova’s Neoclassical piece further connects to its classical legacy through its mythological theme and the specific event which it chose. “Cupid and Psyche” by Canova is based on the mythological Ancient Greek story of how Cupid fell in love with Psyche. After Psyche was put into an everlasting sleep by Venus, Cupid’s mother, Cupid awakens the love of his life through a kiss, which is the moment depicted in Canova’s work. The story of Cupid and Psyche was one which most people who viewed the artwork at the time would have been familiar with, and the knowledge of this emotional story certainly lends a degree of emotional intensity to the work. Further, the specific choosing of the part of the myth where Psyche awakens by Canova adds to the scene’s sentimentality since it is trivial for viewers to understand the joy which both lovers must feel upon being once again reunited. Albeit in a different way, Romanticism continued to utilize the sentimentality which had been present in several Neoclassical artworks although the art movement likely emphasized emotion even more in the works it produced. Although Neoclassical art often used idealizations or the context surrounding a depiction to emphasize its emotional intensity, art of the Romantic era attempted to depict emotion in a more direct fashion, often relying on figures in paintings or sculptures to directly show their emotions. One of the most emotional artworks produced in the Romantic era was the “Death of Sardanapalus” by Eugène Delacroix. In this piece, a melancholy mood is exemplified by the writhing figures which express sad emotions as they prepare for death. All of the figures in the painting express emotions of grief, despair and sadness at the collapse of the kingdom and at the fact that most of them will be dead within an hour. In this painting, Delacroix used very direct ways of showing the feelings of the characters experiencing the event. In addition to the emotional expressions on the figures’ faces, the king’s women crowd around the bed in the hopes of dying with the king, thereby exemplifying their feelings towards the rapidly unfolding tragic event. Much as in Canova’s “Cupid and Psyche,” Delacroix used a highly emotional event as an inspiration for his artwork, thereby contributing to the sentimental nature of “Death of Sardanapalus.” This artwork is based on the historical conquest of the Assyrians by enemies. Upon the enemy army entering the capital city, Sardanapalus (the Assyrian king) decided that all of his prized possessions – including his many women – were to be destroyed, and he ordered for himself to also be killed such that he would not need to face the humiliation of surrender and his possessions being taken by the enemy. The historical context of this scene is certainly one which is full of emotion, and this context lends to the emotional intensity and sentimentality of the work when viewed by onlookers. Sentimental themes continued in the age of Realism but were often transformed to study themes of everyday life. Much as in Neoclassical and Romantic art, it was often the event in itself – and not the style of depiction – which lent the greater impact on the sentimentality of Realist works. Realist artists most often chose events which they could see in their own life as the themes of their artworks, as was the case in “The Gleaners,” a painting by Jean-François Millet which depicts three poor female peasants who collect scraps of wheat from the ground. In this painting, we do not get a full view of the head of any of the three women, but Millet gives us various other indicators of their plight to build the sentimentality of the art piece. The rough brushstrokes for the women’s clothing is a way in which the artist shows their poverty, and his use of red tones and enlarged hands is a way in which he shows the grueling manual labor which they must engage in in order to succeed in completing their task. In Millet’s painting, the woman furthest to the left is only half bent downwards, a pose which – combined with the fact that she pushes against her left leg with her left hand seemingly in order to support herself – suggests that the task at hand is backbreaking and grueling work. Though the painting “The Gleaners” never directly shows viewers emotions, Millet’s careful use of symbols throughout his painting as well as the image’s theme allows those who look at the image to feel pity towards the women for their pain and their hard labor, thereby enabling the piece to have a sad and melancholy emotion as it laments the many difficulties which the French peasants experienced at the time. Although certainly not filled with as much emotional intensity as “Death of Sardanapalus,” viewers quickly sense the melancholy emotion which the figures within Millet’s work must be feeling when faced with the difficult and laborious task of gleaning. Sentimentality was expressed in many works of Neoclassical, Romantic and Realist art through a unique interplay of stylistic artistic features as well as the activity portrayed in the artwork and the emotions this activity evoked.

Given the growth of hugely influential figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte during the times of Neoclassical, Romantic and Realist art, it is clear that heroism was depicted throughout these art styles in a variety of ways. Throughout Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism, heroic acts and figures were shown in a way which distinguished them from the surroundings, although this effect was achieved in unique ways in each period. During Neoclassical times, idealization combined with a heroic stance emulating the stances from classical antiquity were the essential elements in achieving a heroic depiction of a character or an event. In his painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps, Jacques-Louis David represented the famous general and emperor Napoleon in command of his army as he crosses the alps. In order to convey the heroic nature of Napoleon, David used two essential elements of Classical and Renaissance art: idealized features and events as well as poses which conveyed a deeper meaning. In David’s painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps, Napoleon’s features are certainly idealized. Emulating Greek and Roman models, the proportions of Napoleon’s face and body are “perfect,” and he is depicted as a large figure who is even taller than his horse (when sat on it). Although it is known that Napoleon was, in reality, a very small man in terms of his length, David idealized Napoleon’s features in order to make the general appear majestic and important to the audience which viewed the painting. In addition to his idealization of Napoleon’s features, David idealized the event itself in order to make Napoleon appear more heroic. In Napoleon’s actual crossing of the Alps, he was at the back of his large army, but Jacques-Louis David here shows the emperor-general at the front of his army to signal Napoleon’s leadership, strength and fortitude. Whilst displaying Napoleon at the back of his army would suggest a slow and relatively undetermined general, David’s placement of Napoleon as leading his army would have immediately brought awe to people viewing this painting at the strength and courage of the general. Finally, in David’s depiction of Napoleon crossing the Alps, the general and his horse have a stance which seems to reflect on prior statues and paintings of great leaders such as that of Alexander the Great by Apelles. Napoleon’s hand gesture as he points forward, his horse which lifts its front legs up and the general composition of the painting all take influence from famous Classical paintings and sculptures which many viewers of Napoleon’s image would have certainly been aware of. By using these Classical portrayals of great leaders, generals and emperors as his guides for his depiction of Napoleon, David seems to suggest that Napoleon also belongs in this group of great and strong leaders, an association which would have certainly been impactful in growing the political support and backing which Napoleon had. During the Romantic era of art, many artists continued to pursue the depiction of heroic themes, although many Romantic artists strayed away from idealization and instead resorted to scenes which used emotion, action and allegorical meaning to suggest their messages about heroes or heroic acts. While the many artists who created images of Napoleon often depicted the emperor as a singular and standalone hero, Romantic artists often conveyed heroic events with no particular person representing a “hero.” One of the most famous works of Eugène Delacroix, “Liberty Leading the People” clearly embraces the use of emotion-filled faces, much action and allegorical meaning in order to convey the heroic act of the revolution against the rule of Charles X. All of the many figures in Delacroix’s composition display strong emotions: a mix of anger against the unjust rule of Charles X and determination to carry through with their rebellion seems to manifest itself in the emotional expressions of each character in the painting. Despite the dead bodies which lie in front of their path, the determined revolutionaries continue on their path, and their anger at the monarchy is very clear from their facial expressions. This determined approach of the figures in “Liberty Leading the People” clearly seems to connect the revolutionaries to great leaders in their spirit of persevering, thereby helping to reinforce the heroic spirit which the painting attempts to convey. The action in “Liberty Leading the People” – which is a key factor in many pieces of Romantic art – is also essential for conveying a sense of heroism which pervades the piece. All of the figures within the painting are moving and are energetic as they prepare themselves for battle (with some already having begun fighting). Delacroix has all of his figures in moving and active poses except for those which lie dead in the foreground, and this active dynamic contributes to the energy which radiates from this piece. In turn, this energetic and determined spirit is a key factor in presenting the heroic acts of the French citizens in “Liberty Leading the People.” Likely one of the most defining characteristics of Delacroix’s famous painting is Liberty, a towering female figure who acts as an allegory for the freedom-minded aims of the revolutionaries depicted in the painting. Since the aim of these revolutionaries is difficult to convey through their action or emotion alone, the use of a symbol for their aim, which is in this case the female Liberty, allows Delacroix to lend meaning to his painting. The use of a larger-than-life figure holding the soon-to-be French flag and marching forwards with determination allows Delacroix to exemplify the French revolution of 1830 as a heroic event, thereby adding to the painter’s success in depicting heroism in his Romanticist artwork. Despite their emphasis on painting and sculpting real objects in a realistic fashion, Realists often had difficulties with representing the heroic while staying completely true to reality, thereby resulting in unique mixtures of Realist-inspired themes with a Neoclassical style of depicting these themes. Because the majority of Realist artworks depicting events or figures showed relatively plain and unheroic acts, this art style was relatively unsuited to properly indicating the presence of heroic figures or demonstrating heroic acts. Despite these challenges, however, several artists were able to take real heroic acts which had occurred around their time and were not mythological and subsequently used a Neoclassical style to hint at the heroism in play in these works. In the sculpture “Forever Free,” Edmonia Lewis shows two recently freed slaves – a topic which was certainly very recent and important to many members of the African American community. In order to convey a sense of heroism in her figures, Lewis depicts the male slave with muscular features following the traditional ways of signaling heroism in Classical sculpture. In both of her figures, Lewis idealizes bodily proportions as she emulates the styles of classical antiquity to exemplify her heroic message. In addition to Lewis’ inclusion of large and visible muscles in the body of the male slave, the fact that he stands on top of his chains is an important metaphorical symbol which Lewis uses to indicate the slaves’ triumph over being slaves and is a way in which the artist celebrates slave liberation. The use of a figure standing atop or holding in their hand a symbol of what they have done is a method of depicting heroism which bears roots in classical Greek and Roman art and continued through to the Renaissance and Neoclassical age. Although most of the stylistic features which are used by Lewis bear much debt to Neoclassical, Renaissance and Classical art, the topic which she represents in her art is uniquely of Realist origin. Fitting with the emphasis which Realists put on choosing real-life subjects, “Forever Free” shows an event which was relatively recent in American history at the time of Edmonia Lewis – the success of the abolitionist movement in finally freeing slaves during the Civil War. By emphasizing recent heroes who had been liberated from the chains of slavery following the Emancipation Proclamation, Lewis chooses a Realist theme with strong heroic roots, thereby further contributing to the heroism depicted in her artwork. Through a mixture of symbolism, emotion, action and idealization, Neoclassical, Romanticist and Realist artists were all able to successfully represent the heroic in their artworks, with each art form choosing a different combination between various stylistic elements and the subject of their heroic act or figure.

Through glorious representations of the magnificent and the divine, Neoclassical, Romanticist and Realist artists were able to depict the sublime and evoke a sense of awe in viewers of these artworks. In Neoclassical artworks, the sublime was often achieved through the use of magnificent settings reminiscent of classical antiquity combined with rich attire and idealized figures. In “The Coronation of Napoleon” by Jacques-Louis David, the use of a Classical backdrop for the coronation combined with expensive and large clothing as well as idealized features of all of the characters involved in the scene allow this Neoclassical painting to evoke a sense of amazement and admiration on part of onlookers, representing one of the key aims of these types of works. Although Napoleon’s coronation takes place in the Notre Dame cathedral, the angle from which David’s painting has been painted allows the backdrop to contain many architectural features of classical antiquity. The grandiose marble pillars use the material which had – centuries earlier – been used in grand constructions in Classical Greece and Rome such as the Parthenon, and the arches which connect these pillars also bear origin in classical antiquity. By highlighting certain parts of the cathedral which were designed in a Classical fashion, David evokes images in onlookers of the grandness and beauty of classical structures in Greece and Rome, and this association plays back into “The Coronation of Napoleon.” At a time when Classical antiquity was viewed with an importance which certainly surmounted that of the art of the Middle Ages, it is clear that allowing onlookers of “The Coronation of Napoleon” to specifically see the features of the church resembling Classical antiquity added to the grand and pompous nature of the piece, thereby further exemplifying its importance and heightening the awe which people would have felt when viewing it. David further increased the sublimity of his painting of the coronation of Napoleon through the extravagant and rich attire donned by the figures within the painting. Napoleon and his wife both wear long, flowing red robes which would have certainly been very expensive pieces of clothing. Throughout the painting, the figures are dressed in extravagant dresses or suits, thereby exemplifying the economically distinguished nature of the figures depicted and further adding to the amazement which many people would have felt when seeing the painting. In a country where many of the people were desperately poor, seeing figures in such extravagant outfits would have certainly struck many poor French peasants with amazement – if not with jealousy – and would have contributed towards the admiration which many people had towards Napoleon due to his seemingly Godlike nature in his sheer extravagance and seemingly unlimited wealth. Finally, following in the Classical roots of the Neoclassical art movement, Jacques-Louis David used a large degree of idealization in his rendition of the figures within the painting. All of David’s figures have idealized bodily features and facial features, thereby contributing to their seemingly endlessly high status and importance. By idealizing the figures in “The Coronation of Napoleon,” David made sure that onlookers would see the figures represented more as Gods or at least “superior” human beings than as simple mortals. Through his large degree of idealization, especially idealization of Napoleon and his wife, David was able to craft a sense of the sublime in his artwork and evoke amazement and almost Godlike admiration on part of viewers of the painting towards the central characters in the painting. The concept of evoking intense human emotion through the grand and magnificent was one also harnessed by Romanticist artists, and many Romantic artworks pioneer depictions of the sublime. In these Romantic artworks, artists often used a combination of energy pervading through the piece as well as strong and striking depictions of the central figures, and the themes chosen were often divine in nature to further exemplify the sublime. In William Blake’s “Ancient of Days,” we see the divine act of creation in which God is in the process of creating Earth. The energy present in Blake’s piece seems to radiate from the painting, as powerful rays of light emerge from God’s orb. In addition, God strikes an energetic pose – his muscles are all tensed and his hair blows dramatically to one side, and the compass he holds seems to consist of two rays of light which shine directly from his hand. Enclosed within the magnificent and strong golden light is a red orb which further contributes to the sense of energy in the painting. In addition to red being a color associated with heat, we can see that the heat from the red orb in which God sits seems to move through the painting, as is seen by the red-tinted clouds which are near the orb. The heat which must be radiating from God’s seating place is immense, and this intensity of heat further builds on the already-present energy throughout the painting. Light, heat and wind all seem to be at their fullest extent in the painting, and God’s muscular stance and downward movement further contribute to the energy present in “Ancient of Days.” In addition to God’s contribution to the energy of the painting, his size and stature both create a striking image of him and his actions. God is shown to be a massive figure who dwarfs even the heavens with his size. Using the long-held Classical techniques of creating an idealized and muscular body for central figures in a painting, William Blake made the God in his “Ancient of Days” a figure with immense muscular strength and was careful to show all visible muscles in a tensed state. Painting God in such a fashion would have certainly helped exemplify the scene and God as sublime, thereby creating wonder and awe in the people who viewed this strong depiction of God. The theme itself – the divine – was also an important contributing factor in creating the sublime in Blake’s artwork and evoking awe, inspiration and admiration in those who viewed the painting. Although the Realist movement largely strayed away from mythological figures or events as the subjects of artworks, Realist artists still made attempts at depicting the sublime in real-life situations. Because of the fact that Realist artists had to choose their subjects from daily life, the sublime was often achieved through dramatic scene elements or certain elements which realistically hinted at the importance of the event unfolding or of the person painted. In “The Gross Clinic” by Thomas Eakin, both dramatic lighting and the nature and content of the scene allow Eakins to heighten a sense of awe at the seemingly undisturbed and heroic Dr. Samuel Gross. In the painting, light plays an essential role in directing viewers where they should look. In “The Gross Clinic,” light clearly illuminates Dr. Gross as well as the surgery table and the assistants helping with the osteomyelitis of the patient. On the other hand, the stands in which students sit to watch the operation are very dark, helping to direct the attention of viewers to the surgery itself in the foreground. The way in which the content is presented in “The Gross Clinic” also seems to contribute to the feeling of the sublime in the painting by inspiring amazement on part of viewers regarding Dr. Gross. Despite the auditorium being dim-lit, we can clearly see that most students – including Thomas Eakins himself – look directly at Dr. Gross, thereby reinforcing the surgeon’s importance as a person in this scene. By directing all attention towards Dr. Gross through both lights and the gazes of viewers, Eakins is able to strategically posit Dr. Gross in a position of importance, and a large painting in which everyone stares at a single figure would have certainly had the effect of awe and amazement as to Dr. Gross and his accomplishments. Throughout Neoclassical, Romanticist and Realist art, the sublime was depicted in a variety of ways but was consistently used to inspire awe, amazement and inspiration in those who saw these artworks.

In conclusion, the sentimental, heroic and sublime through matching themes as well as carefully crafted styles, both of which varied as artistic styles progressed from Neoclassical to Romanticist and eventually to Realist art. The sentimental was often depicted through emotion-filled scenes, the heroic through famous acts or figures and the sublime by inspiring awe and amazement at specific people or events, although the way in which these were each shown varied significantly between Neoclassical, Romanticist and Realist art. Through medium, material, artistic style and topic, Neoclassical, Romanticist and Realist artists all found different ways of evoking similar emotions in viewers.