German Romanticism and Pre-Raphaelite Landscapes

 Asli Akansel

Upon discussing Pre-Raphaelites I could not help but realize a parallel between the Pre-Raphaelite movement and the Sturm und Drang movement in Germany. Sturm und Drang (translated as Storm and Stress) was a brief, proto-Romantic, intellectual movement based in the Germany of later 18^th century. Writers such as Goethe and Schiller are most popular members of this movement. The movement tried to depict the power of nature and feelings over the controlled rationalism much praised by the enlightenment (More on theories of aesthetics of the Storm and Stress movement in Baumgarten’s  Aesthetica or Sulzer’s Worterbuch der Schonen Kunste.). I associated the Sturm und Drang artists with the Pre-Raphaelites not only because both were groups of (almost) all male artists protesting against a set of traditional rules, but also because both movements tried to go back to nature and base their work on experience rather than on abstract rules. In order to show ties between the Pre-Raphaelites and the German art, I have decided to also consider examples from German Romanticism, which followed Storm and Stress. Athough we cannot necessarily describe the German Romantic movement as a unified ideology, I would like to dwell on aspects of the ‘German manner’ that show similarities with the Pre-Raphaelite art. I will compare the two styles’ approach to the subject of landscape.

Romanticism in Germany strove to dissolve of the illusion of harmonious simplicity in paintings. In response to the “protest against medievalism” of the German Aufklarung, the German Romanticists went back to old German art and subject matter. They focused on nature in relation to mankind, and on nature as an escape from industrialized daily life.

            It is not a coincidence that the Pre-Raphaelites resembled German romantic art. Pre-Raphaelites knew about the German artists’ works through prints (for example of Resch). They were also familiar with the subject matter. For example, Rossetti tried to illustrate a Faustian storyline (p.151).  (Mephistopheles listening- plate 79). Similarly, Millais’ Romeo and Juliet version is very similar in its style and arrangement to Resch’s outline drawings of the same subject. Moreover, William Holman Hunt made a statement about how he admired that German romantics went against the prevalent art tradition at their time (William Holman Hunt, vol.1. p.130). Ruskin once argued that Hunt’s The Light of the World looked a lot like P. Veit’s Christus an die Seelenture Klopfand (p.225. John Ruskin pointed out the resemblance in Modern painters III p. 429 in 1824). German art was popular in England at the time, because the Victorians had a taste for didactic and monumental art. We had seen that the Nazarenes, for example were known to have influenced the Pre-Raphaelite with their revival of medieval art.

(From Vaughan, German Romanticism and English Art. 1979)

The landscape paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites and the German Romantics had some common aspects. Both schools rebelled against the proposed set of rules. In England Reynolds led a style that was relatively more generalizing with its Raphael-like contours. Similarly, the style of Claude Lorrain required a shadowy foreground, so that the viewer would be “unobtrusive”. Moreover, the trees and other natural elements would function as coulisses to frame and stage the landscape as in theatre. Landscapes also had to have repoussoirs in shape of roads or water bodies to lead the eye towards the back of the painting (Prettejohn, p.184).

Pre-Raphaelites challenged the hierarchy of representation in their landscape paintings. They did not conform to the artistic rules that required a shift from foreground to background. The extreme detail in every component in the landscape forces the viewers spend more time in front of the painting, as if standing before the landscape itself (Prettejohn, p.178). The distinctive feature of Pre-Raphaelite landscapes was that it involved no suggestions of forms; everything was rendered in truthful form.

The Pre-Raphaelite tradition of working from nature reflects the Erlebniskunst tradition in Germany during the Romantic Movement. Erlebniskunst meant “art from experience”. Rather than abstraction, the artists of German Romantic Movement relied on the concrete experience alone in art and knowledge (Chapter 2 The Aesthetics of Storm and Stress). They thought that the viewer had to be able to relate to the subject matter in order to appreciate the art. Similarly, the Pre-Raphaelites were drawing scenes in an English setting (as in Millais’ The Carpenter Shop). They more or less tried to replicate the models and the setting as is. This scientific study of objects is also essential to Pre-Raphaelite landscape paintings. As Ruskin pointed out “Every Pre-Raphaelite landscape is from the thing itself. Every Pre-Raphaelite figure is a true portrait of the living person.” (Ruskin November. Works, vol 12. P. 157-8 as cited in Prettejohn. Pre-Raphaelites. Tate Publishing. 2007).

For example, John Brett’s Glacier of Rossenlaui 1856 reminded me of Caspar Wolf’s Alpine Studies. Both worked on the same terrain, and both rendered the landscape with outlined, watercolor-like brushwork. Brett depicted the landscape of Rosenlaui without any human figures, focusing on geographical structures (http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/brett-glacier-of-rosenlaui-n05643/text-summary ) (Prettejohn, p.181). Taken as a whole, Brett’s painting conveys the power of nature. It shows us a Sturm und Drang type of nature that overwhelms the viewer. Caspar Wolf (1735-1783), a German romantic painter, made a series of paintings of the Alpine landscape about a century before Brett. Wolf had set out to make studies of the terrain for Abraham Wagner, who was working on encyclopedic recordings of the Alpine landscape. Wolf’s paintings were meant to be true to nature. Nevertheless, they also manage to capture a more sensual side of the nature, making him the perfect example of the Sturm und Drang artist. Wolf did paint figures in the landscape, but the mountains overwhelm the human figures, which is in line with the Sturm und Drang theories. (For paintings of Wolf: http://www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch/en/exhibitions/current/caspar-wolf/ ).

Pre-Raphaelite landscape paintings also reminded me of Caspar David Friedrich’s (1774-1840) landscape paintings. Pre-Raphaelites and Friedrich’s landscapes show similarities in their detail, arrangement, and use of light.

Friedrich’s landscapes were viewed as not fitting the 18^th century customs of landscape paintings because they did not conform to the style of Poussin and Lorrain, containing harmonious arrangements of different plains, and contrasts of light and shadow (Humphries, p.50). Friedrich’s paintings also lack the traditional hierarchy of composition. His Fir Trees in the Snow, from 1828 shows that Friedrich also rendered nature in extreme detail. His paintings were often associated with the Erlebniskunst (painting from experience rather than abstraction) tradition at the time. Friedrich also painted specific locations as in The Watzmann.

However, Friedrich’s painting diverges between the concrete world, and its potential link to the infinite (Koerner, p. 210). His words, “The divine is everywhere even in the grain of sand” (as cited in P.22) shows that in his naturalist depictions were embedded with religious, and almost pantheistic messages. (Koerner, J. Caspar David Friedrich and the Subject of Landscape. 2009. Reaktion Books). He would compose his artwork in a way that would create a symmetrical composition with crossing diagonals (Koerner, p.12). In 1816 Goethe suggested to Friedrich that he make pictorial studies of different types of clouds (Koerner, p.226). Friedrich did make a series of studies, but he was more interested in the heavenly look of the clouds rather than their scientific classification. Friedrich believed that if he copied landscape too precisely he might decrease its ‘higher’ meaning. Here, Friedrich’s style diverges from Pre-Raphaelite hyper-realism.

Pre-Raphaelites did not make simple photographic reproductions of the landscape either. Their paintings also included embedded symbols and messages. For example, Hunt’s Our English Coasts of 1852 was more than a landscape painting with sheep; it included a political message about unprotected coasts (p.177 Prettejohn).

 Friedrich used the twilight shadow extensively in his paintings. A Pre-Raphaelite painter, Wallis, H. used the twilight effect in The Stonebreaker in 1857-8, which was seen as unusual for early the Pre-Raphaelite style (Prettejohn, p.239). Similarly, Millais’ Vale of Rest of 1858 uses the twilight effect.

Sources:

Humphries, L  & Hermitage Amsterdam. Caspar David Friedrich and the German Romantic Landscape. 2008

Koerner, J. Caspar David Friedrich and the Subject of Landscape. 2009. Reaktion Books

Prettejohn, E. Pre-Raphaelites. Tate Publishing. 2007

Ruskin, John. Modern Painters. London: Dent , 1907

Vaughan, German Romanticism and English Art. 1979

Applying Mulvey to the Pre-Raphaelites: Mikayla's second blog post

Applying Mulvey to the Pre-Raphaelites

Laura Mulvey’s 1975 work “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” became an influential writing on what she viewed as the dominating male gaze in classic Hollywood films as analyzed through a psychoanalytic lens. While Mulvey’s piece may focus on Hollywood movies in particular, our discussion of her article (during Class 17: Theorizing the Gaze) allowed us to apply her ideas to Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Mulvey stated in her article that women are often and usually the image while the man is strictly the bearer of the look (5).

In “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Mulvey expressed the notion that women are often categorized as objects of desirability who at times are elevated to the status of an icon within Hollywood films. Consequently, the idea that women should be looked at first and foremost is presented and supported. Within Pre-Raphaelite paintings, the female figure is time and time again the central figure of a composition if not the only figure of the composition. Consider works such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Venus Verticordia of 1868 (Figure 1) and John Everrett Millais’ A Huguenot on St. Bartholomew’s Day of 1852 (Figure 2). In both of these works, the women are without a doubt the primary focus of the composition. Furthermore, both women appear to have an almost deadpan gaze. Their lack of facial expressions makes it ambiguous for the viewers to understand their psychological states. As Mulvey would highlight if she were analyzing these paintings, this indifference to women’s feeling stems from their position as second-rate citizens in a male dominated society. Their low social status disabled them to convey anything meaningful through gaze, with the fact that gaze suggests the awareness of a self. 

This seems strange though. If women are considered less-than within the hierarchical structure of society, why are they being elevated in high art forms such as paintings by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood? Remembering Mulvey’s point about women being objectified by the male gaze, this confusion turns into a general understanding of her point. Think about who had influence and power at the Royal Academy — men. And who was painting the majority of works showcased at highly advertised exhibitions? Men. Within these paintings, the women are not being adorned and glorified for their knowledge, personalities, or accomplishments, but rather their pure façade and physique. Thus, Pre-Raphaelite paintings support the notion of man as the bearer of the look set and woman as mere pretty object to be scrutinized.

Reference

Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Screen, 1975.

Danni's Blog Post 1

      Danni  Blog Post 1

  

  Untitled: Territory, oil on canvas, 80 x 120 in., 2012

  Untitled: Lizzie in the snow, 2010, oil on paper, 42x60 inches

The works above look like photographs but are actually paintings by the New York-based Israeli painter Yigal Ozeri, who is famous for creating hyper-realistic cinematic portraits of young women. Photography and reproduction are major sources for Ozeri’s work. He first takes pictures of beautiful women in natural scenery, then he archives pictures on his computer, chooses the ones he wants to use, alters them with Photoshop and prints them out. In the painting process, Ozeri will first draw a grid on the paper, a technique that allows him to capture specific details from the actual photograph.  He then uses oil on canvas or paper to create small brush strokes that help his painting look like a photograph. 

Ozeri has been greatly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites. He had stated that he admired how artists like Millais and Rossetti painted freely, and that they would bring models to nature and paint without relying on the academic work that came before them.   Like Rossetti, who painted beautiful women whom he knew in real life, Ozeri likes to get to know his models intimately, at which point he will photograph them outside. Instead of directing their poses, he lets models pose freely in nature and uses the camera to catch the moment. Through these means, Ozeri’s paintings tend to express the spirit of freedom. Since Ozeri has made a close relationship with his models, he knows how to capture their emotions and personality through their facial expressions and pose.

On the other hand, the elegant composition and sumptuous details in Ozeri’s painting also reminds viewers of the Pre-Raphaelites.  As seen here, most of his works portray long- haired, beautiful and elegant women surrounded by a lush and decorative background in nature, which gives a sense of ethereality and romance. For example, the one on the top looks like John Everett Millais’s Ophelia, in which the well-dressed figure is peacefully immersed in the river, and seems to almost melt in the water and transform into part of the natural environment. Moreover, in most of his paintings, like Rossetti, Ozeri favors women’s faces instead of their bodies. As in Rossetti's stunning images of women, such as Lady Lilith,  Ozeri uses the face as an emblem of the woman’s sexuality and charm. The woman in the bottom painting wears very simple clothes and her face is highly emphasized. Her gaze, along with her facial expression and the texture of her hair, makes her sensuous.

Yigal Ozeri believes that our world is serious and violent, and that we therefore need freedom and romance. Women in his paintings are mostly depicted in dreamy and contemplative states.  Inspired by Pre-Raphaelite paintings with bright colors, appealing beauties and lush landscapes, Ozeri hopes his works can provide people with an enjoyable appreciation of beauty and encourage people to pursue their dreams.

Amanda Rabito Post #1: Ambiguity and Aestheticism

Gender representation in the Aestheticism movement has been a topic of recent class discussion that has particularly captured my attention, especially in relation to current trends in many fashion arenas. Aestheticism was born out of the Brotherhood when the sexual orientation of the subject began to be examined.Cultural assumptions between biological sex and gender identification was being reassessed in artwork at this time. In Laus Vernier by Edward Burne-Jones (image on the left)

 there appears to be a lack of clarity in gender looking at the female figure and its features. Burne-Jones removes the physical “gendering” qualities society expects via his physical representation on the figures. For example, the body expression has changed overall and there is an ambiguous gender presented. A degenerated figure opposite of the ideal female body is produced, and a new defiant woman challenging man’s power is introduced. Additionally, these elements create an aesthetic and sensual quality, rather than a societal standard of gender representation. 

In regards to the current trends of gender ambiguity that have been circulated for the past couple years, there is a sudden push for aesthetic quality in fashion and questioning gender representation similar to Aestheticism. As seen in a photo of Lanvin’s design on a model (image above on right), the cut of the clothing suggests an ambiguous figure that harnesses both male and female qualities. For instance, the clothing has become more masculine and has moved toward a powerful woman that is opposite society’s typical female figure, thus disrupting masculinity. These decisions reflect designers’ response to current social norms dealing with biological sex and gender identity. Essentially, the way “gendering” society has performed was questioned in the late-18th century; moreover, these questions are brought up many years later in a physically similar manner through fashion trends on the runway.

Kirsten Soderholm's October Post

Valentino is one of the most famous fashion designers in the world and his studded heels and flats can be spotted from a mile away. Valentino, who is known solely by his first name, was born in Italy and is widely known for his exquisite and elaborate couture gowns. The outfits in his latest runway show,  ‘Haute Couture Fall Winter 2014-2015’ included features that were Pre-Raphaelite in nature, which we have seen and distinguished in many paintings. Suzy Menkes, a writer for Italian Vogue, wrote an article on this show titled, “From Pagan goddesses to Pre-Raphaelites,” confirms that association. Menkes asserts that the show was, “bringing back a sense of female privacy…as Pre-Raphaelite paintings by artists like Alma-Tadema filled the mood board, along with images of Roman goddesses.” The runway was sided with tall green bush-like grass, while the models had very pale skin and strong, striking features. The models resembled the women in Pre-Raphaelite paintings we have studied, such as in Millais's Ophelia, and the couture reflects that influence.

In the collection there were elaborate coats, skirts, and dresses embroidered with a variety of floral colors and materials. In all of the pictures I saw you could hardly ever see the models feet, as Valentino is famous for the quote, “An evening dress that reveals a woman’s ankles while walking is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen.” While scrolling through some of the images I found many similarities between Ophelia and the models. The way the greenery lines the models, their pale striking faces, and big detailed, complex dresses all overlap with Millais's Ophelia. It is so interesting that even centuries later, the most famous fashion designers in the world are still influenced by this era of art. Clearly the Pre-Raphaelites affected many people in their day and continue to do so more than 100 years later, continuing a tradition of astonishing couture in our present day.

Valentino, "Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2014-2015"

Featured in Suzy Menkes' Article, "From Pagan Goddesses to Pre-Raphaelites." July 14, 2014

 

http://www.vogue.it/en/suzy-menkes/suzy-menkes/2014/07/from-pagan-goddesses-to-pre-raphaelites#ad-image

Kaitlin Dunn's Blog Post 1

Collaborative Efforts and the Reward

 
            While discussing Pre-Raphaelite art, the inner workings and relationships among the members and associates have become more visible. They coined their own title as a brotherhood and it is important to always remember that it was not just a brotherhood because it was a group of guys hanging out, being rebels, and creating art they all loved. It was a like-minded community that supported each other and felt a bond toward their art and beliefs that brought them together as tightly as kinship. The complexities and decline of some of the members’ relationships with each other illustrate obvious difficulties and strain that can be put on interpersonal relationships of such intensity. Despite their issues, however, they still managed to create a community that supported the growth and development of their beliefs in art.

                                     

                                                                        Oxford University Mural 1857-59

            Having an encouraging space or community can be taken for granted when it comes to achieving personal success and accomplishments. The Brotherhood, in both its first and second wave of members, cultivated a space for creation and progress of their ideology of art to flourish. Recently I have been thinking about effort and success and the relationship between the two. All of the Pre-Raphaelites were creating and perfecting their craft, but that does not mean that they could have achieved the same success and personal growth without a supportive system of associates. The same idea can be applied to any social situation: school, careers, any type of personal development. The collaboration between artists, writers, critics, and artisans allowed for success. The Brotherhood as well as Morris & Company all found success despite the lofty and eccentric ideas they were trying to manifest.
            Collaboration does not have to be perfect to succeed. The problematic, tenuous, and dramatic relationship among collaborators is not an ideal environment to be in, but that never distracted from the art’s future. Having been a part of a competitive rowing team for seven years gives me the opportunity to look at how collaboration and success can be connected. Wanting success and actually creating an environment for success are two entirely different things. This difference can also be seen in Victorian England between the Royal Academy and the Brotherhood. The Academy wanted a specific result and trained artists in order to achieve that, but that could never be mistaken for the collaborative community that dominated the behavior of the Pre-Raphaelites.

               
                          Morris & Company, founded 1875            
           
            Clearly, collaboration was apparent in the Brotherhood, but it can be utilized in any situation. Their success was not a guarantee, as usually is the case with success. The art world is a subjective place and a few of the associates even drifted out of the picture due to underachievement in their field; even Ford Madox Brown considered leaving Europe when his art career was stagnant at the beginning. Fortunately for us many of the Pre-Raphaelites continued with their careers and continued to work in and promote each other’s type of art. Rewards and success of all kinds are always a goal, but the achievement of those goals is heavily reliant on collaborative efforts and one’s supportive environments.

Chenguang's Blog 1: Imaging the Past: Pre-Raphaelite History Paintings and Contemporary Historical Dramas

Pre-Raphaelite artists worked in a number of different genres; however, they devoted much effort and passion toward history paintings. Such works covered a wide range of subjects derived from antiquity and the Middle Ages. The inspirations ranged from biblical stories and Arthurian legends, which fascinated Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt, to the classical mythology that captured the interest of the second generation of the Pre-Raphaelite movement—William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones, and John William Waterhouse. Striving for a realistic depiction of the natural world, these artists did meticulous studies for their history paintings. Hunt journeyed to Egypt to observe the environment of the biblical stories, and Millais studied historical costumes in the British Museum for his paintings.

Despite such study and emphasis on realism, Pre-Raphaelite history paintings can hardly be considered as a faithful depiction of the past, as many of the works contain historical inaccuracies and anachronisms. For instance, although Burne-Jones’ The Doom Fulfilled (c.1884-85, Figure 1) portrays a Greek legend, the armor covering the majority of Perseus’s body resembles medieval armor rather than ancient Greek armor, which usually only had helmet, breastplate, and greaves.

Anachronistic points also exist in the medieval world depicted by Pre-Raphaelite artists. Burne-Jones accurately painted a German suit of armor circa 1480 for the knight in The Merciful Knight (1863, Figure 2); however, the narrative of this painting is about an eleventh-century Florentine knight, Sir John Gualberto, who could not have possessed fifteenth-century articulated plate armor.¹ The Pre-Raphaelite artists’ adherence to realism did not necessarily mean that they averted historical inaccuracy.

The Pre-Raphaelite artists’ interest in recreating the past is also seen in contemporary culture. For example, there are a number of very popular historical films and TV series. In recent years, such films have appeared in cinemas in every season, and almost all major TV channels have iconic historical TV dramas. However, just as people in the twenty-first century share the interest of nineteenth-century artists in the recreation of history, today’s historical films and TV series also share the historical inaccuracies and anachronisms of history paintings in the Victorian era. Printed flyers in Gladiator (2000 film), the ironclad warship in 300: Rise of an Empire (2014 film), the Battle of Bosworth Field happened in a forest in The White Queen (2013 TV Mini-Series)… the list of historically inaccurate plots and scenes in films and TV series is seemingly endless.

There are multiple causes of historical inaccuracy in Pre-Raphaelite paintings. One can begin by blaming the problematic ideas and preconceptions of the artists themselves. Based on his understanding of the Orient as a land without change, Hunt believed that what he saw in the Middle East was exactly what the people in biblical stories experienced, and thus he recreated the past in a present setting. These artists probably also faced the problem of limited access to accurate sources. Had Burne-Jones had the opportunity to study an 11th-century Italian armor, he may not have depicted a 15th-century German armor in his The Merciful Knight. More importantly, it is likely that these artists only wanted to use the historical subjects to evoke a mood or to emphasize certain values, such as the piety and chivalry in the story of Knights of the Round Table or the gender roles in Greek legends in which the heroic male rescues and protects the vulnerable female. In the case of The Doom Fulfilled, the large collection of Greek pottery in the British Museum provided Burne-Jones adequate sources for studying the ancient Greek armor, but Burne-Jones did not believe that only a completely faithful depiction to the past could convey his ideas. He felt that people could understand the role of Perseus as a protector of the female no matter what kind of armor he wore.

Similar to such ideas in the 19th-century, it is unlikely that a contemporary director wants his or her films or TV series to be a perfectly accurate recreation of the past. After all, the primary concern of entertainment media is gaining profit by providing amusement. Although the making of many historical dramas involved consulting historians, these films and TV series have the liberty to change or eliminate some historical stories and add fabricated plots to increase the attractiveness of the films. In some stories, the writer or director seeks for a connection between the past and present—probably trying to make the story more attractive and understandable to contemporary audience or using a story in the past as the critique to contemporary phenomena and ideas. In an article in History Today, Suzannah Lipscomb points out that Henry VIII, his six queens and his courtiers in The Tudors (TV Series 2007–2010), “were really secularists with modern ideas about sexuality.”² She argues that this question—“whether such tellings can be authentic to the conceptual realities of the time they seek to depict”—is what we need to cared about more, compared with the anachronistic objects or stories.

In both the nineteenth century and the contemporary era, people have attempted to recreate the past; however, their efforts are rarely based completely on historical reality. Their recreational works about history are grounded on their own objectives of such recreation, as well as their own understanding and interpretation of the past. For the legend of Perseus and Andromeda, the historical evidence about ancient Greek costume or even the conventional story itself are less important. Perseus can wear the medieval armor in The Doom Fulfilled or develop a romantic relationship with his father Zeus’ lover Io in Clash of the Titans (2010), as long as the creators of these works were satisfied.

1 Stephen Fliegal, "Gothic Art for the Industrial Age: The Middle Ages Revisited in the Art of the Pre-Raphaelites," Aldus Past Programs, accessed Oct. 26, 2014, http://www.aldussociety.com/fliegal_speech.htm.

2 Suzannah Lipscomb, "Does Fantasy Fiction Beat Period Drama?" History Today 64, issue 4 (2014): 31. Online Version: http://www.historytoday.com/suzannah-lipscomb/game-thrones-does-fantasy-fiction-beat-period-drama.

Figure.1. Edward Burne-Jones, The Perseus Series: The Doom Fulfilled, c.1884-5. Bodycolor. 153.8 × 138.4 cm (60½ × 54½). Southampton City Art Gallery.¹ Picture derived from: http://uploads3.wikiart.org/images/edward-burne-jones/the-doom-fulfilled-1885.jpg.

1 David Peters Corbett, Edward Burne-Jones (London: Tate Publishing, 2004), 53.

Figure 2. Edward Burne-Jones. The Merciful Knight, 1863. Watercolor. 101.4 × 58.6 cm. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.¹ Picture derived from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Edward_Burne-Jones_-_The_Merciful_Knight.jpg.

1 “Watercolor—The Merciful Knight,” Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, accessed Oct. 26, 2014, http://www.bmagic.org.uk/objects/1973P84.