Europe and America 1800 1870 Romantic aritsts Delacroix and Gericault

Summary

This video script explores key works from the Romanticism movement, highlighting Jericho's *The Insane Woman* and Delacroix's *The Death of Sardanapalus*. Both artists embrace emotional intensity and the rejection of Enlightenment rationalism. Jericho's portrayal of madness challenges traditional portraiture, revealing raw, unfiltered emotion. Delacroix, inspired by Lord Byron's poem, intensifies the dramatic scene of an Assyrian king’s demise, using vivid color and dynamic composition to evoke shock and awe. Both works exemplify the Romantic fascination with extremes, imagination, and the emotional depth of the human experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 Jericho’s *Insane Woman* (1822-23) captures intense emotional realism, contrasting with Enlightenment ideals of reason and order.
• 😀 Romanticism, as seen in Jericho’s work, often focused on extreme emotions and the raw truth of human experience, such as madness and death.
• 😀 Portraits in the Romantic era aimed to reveal the true emotional state of individuals, unlike the artificial nature of earlier Grand Manner portraiture.
• 😀 The 'Insane Woman' shows the subject's emotional reality, with no attempt to mask or idealize, revealing a raw, unfiltered portrayal.
• 😀 Delacroix’s *Death of Sardanapalus* (1827) embodies Romanticism through its dramatic composition, vivid colors, and intense emotion.
• 😀 The *Death of Sardanapalus* is based on Lord Byron’s poem, where the Assyrian king chooses to destroy his treasures and loved ones rather than surrender them.
• 😀 Romanticism often featured themes of horror, the sublime, and the macabre, as exemplified by Delacroix’s chaotic and violent scene.
• 😀 Both Jericho and Delacroix used imagination to enhance emotional impact, creating art that evoked strong, visceral reactions from the viewer.
• 😀 The use of swirling lines and dynamic compositions in both works ensures the viewer feels immersed in the emotional and chaotic scenes.
• 😀 Romantic works frequently employed exotic and erotic subjects, and both *Insane Woman* and *Death of Sardanapalus* delve into these themes of excess and destruction.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the Romantic works discussed in the video?

The main focus is on two Romantic works: Jericho's *Insane Woman* and Delacroix's *Death of Sardanapalus*, both of which showcase the intense emotional force and dramatic style characteristic of Romanticism.

Why did Jericho choose to depict an insane woman in *Insane Woman*?

Jericho chose to depict an insane woman to challenge the Enlightenment ideals of reason and rationality, focusing instead on the raw emotional and psychological state of the subject. This portrayal is a break from the idealized, rational depictions common in earlier art.

How does *Insane Woman* align with Romanticism's focus on emotion and truth?

*Insane Woman* is emotionally raw and honest, revealing the subject’s true character without the artifice or idealization often seen in traditional portraiture. Romanticism favored depicting genuine emotion and the inner truth of individuals, especially in states of madness or death.

What does the artist's study of insane asylums and guillotine heads reveal about Romantic ideals?

Romantic artists studied subjects like those in insane asylums and criminals at the moment of death to capture the raw emotional truths that these individuals represented. They believed the face could reveal a person’s true character, especially in extreme emotional states or just before death.

How is *Insane Woman* different from the traditional Grand Manor portraiture?

Unlike Grand Manor portraiture, which often presented idealized, unrealistic depictions of women in serene settings, *Insane Woman* portrays a raw and unfiltered emotional state. The subject’s madness is depicted without any attempt to mask her true nature, highlighting the emotional depth Romanticism sought to explore.

What is the significance of Delacroix's use of color in *Death of Sardanapalus*?

Delacroix's use of color in *Death of Sardanapalus* is pivotal in creating an emotional response. The stark contrast of white against red, especially in the depiction of bodies and fabric, heightens the intensity and drama of the scene, making it visually striking and emotionally charged.

What is the narrative behind Delacroix's *Death of Sardanapalus*?

The painting is based on a poem by Lord Byron and depicts the Assyrian king, Sardanapalus, who, after hearing of his army's defeat, orders the destruction of all his treasures, slaves, and women to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. The scene portrays the horrific aftermath, with chaos and violence everywhere.

How does Delacroix's *Death of Sardanapalus* demonstrate Romanticism's fascination with horror and emotion?

Delacroix's work exemplifies Romanticism’s fascination with the horrific and emotional. The chaotic, nightmarish scene, with its raw and disturbing moments—such as women being killed and a horse being stabbed—intensifies the emotional reaction of the viewer, aligning with Romantic ideals of intense, visceral experiences.

What role does the artist's imagination play in Romantic works like *Death of Sardanapalus*?

In Romanticism, the artist's imagination is crucial for creating vivid, emotional responses in the viewer. In *Death of Sardanapalus*, Delacroix amplifies the dramatic narrative from Byron’s poem, pushing the imagination to evoke a stronger emotional reaction, especially through the exaggerated chaos and violence depicted.

How does Delacroix's use of composition and space in *Death of Sardanapalus* enhance the viewer's experience?

Delacroix forces the viewer to be uncomfortably close to the chaos by eliminating neat boundaries in the composition. This technique pulls the viewer into the scene, giving the impression that the horror continues beyond what is visible, creating a sense of unease and heightening the emotional impact.