Gallery of Romanticism at the Virtual Museum

Art

          The painting known as Nightmare by Fuseli is a popular addition to the art created during the romantic period. It was first exhibited in 1782 at the Royal Academy of London, and became incredibly well-known. In this painting, there is a woman lying asleep on a bed, while an incubus can be seen sitting on her while sending us an eerie glare. The horse and the incubus represent the nightmares that go through the woman’s mind as she sleeps.  Its dark concept and demonic imagery makes it an art piece that explores “the dark side of the natural world in pursuit of supernatural forces” (5). 

Poem

Ode to the West Wind

O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,

Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead

Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,

Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou,

Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed

The wingèd seeds, where they lie cold and low,

Each like a corpse within its grave,until

Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow

Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill

(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)

With living hues and odours plain and hill:

Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere;

Destroyer and Preserver; hear, O hear!

(this is only part of the poem)

          Here in Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind, nature is viewed as a source of beauty and experience. Words such as autumn, leaves, seeds, buds, and hill help emphasize the natural elements in the poem. There are clear links to the environment and art through powerful metaphors and imagery, which is very prominent in romantic poetry. 

Literature

          Despite it being written almost 200 years ago, The Hunchback of Notre Dame has remained as classic, and has even been turned into a children's animated film. Written in 1831, Hugo’s story about a disfigured man loving a beautiful woman captured audiences everywhere. This story is considered to be a romantic novel due to its focus on human emotions and the problems tied with society, rather than order and ideals. 

 Historical Quote

“A house divided against itself cannot stand....I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.” (Abraham Lincoln)

My interpretation- Elements of a house that do not work together to support it will eventually lead to its destruction. For a government, it is the same. When a country is divided amongst itself, there will be no order or harmony.

Abraham Lincoln’s view on slavery is a very important issue in American history. He did not support slavery and thus tried to abolish it from the country. He did not remove it immediately, but as part of his platform for the 1864 election, he proposed the 13^th amendment, which officially outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude. It was passed by the senate on April 8^th, 1864, and was the beginning of change in America. 

January 22^nd

      Noboru came home a little later than usual today, with his hair drenched in sweat and his clothes damp from playing in the water fountain. We ate dinner without Ryuji for the first time in weeks, and at half past eight, Noboru went upstairs to his room. I cleaned up and sat in the main room, reading newspapers to pass the time. There was nothing of interest in the news to me but I used it as a distraction as I waited for Ryuji to return. It is 11:25 at the moment, and Ryuji still hasn’t come home. It’s been bothering me for quite a while, my fear of losing Ryuji. I often have dreams where he returns to the Rakuyo for “a little trip”, and I end up being left behind with Noboru. I’ve told him about my dreams, and he promised that if he ever travelled anywhere, that he would go as a family. Poor Noboru was asking me earlier where he had gone, and was sad to know that he wasn't joining us for dinner. My fears are now returning as I wait up for Ryuji’s return. I hope he comes soon. 

                                  -Fusako Kuroda          

Ryuji and Clara's Detachment from the World 

Having studied numerous novels in depth this year, it is hard to miss out on similarities between certain characters of importance. Ryuji from Yukio Mishima’s “The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea” and Clara from Isabel Allende’s “The House of the Spirits” both possess unique methods of detaching themselves from the world at large and its trivial problems. Ryuji’s love for the sea and Clara’s attachment to the supernatural are prime factors that lead to their seclusion. As Ryuji sails out on the sea for weeks on end, he enjoys his independence as he contemplates what true happiness means to him. Believing that there is some sort fated glory for him, he convinces himself that there is “a special destiny in store” for him “that no ordinary man would be permitted” (Mishima 17). For Clara, solitarily consulting spirits with her three-legged table allows her to embrace her passion for the supernatural and for her to be truly content. Often when Esteban sleeps beside her, he is aware that she is “in some unknown, other dimension where he could never reach her” (Allende 130). I find it interesting that although Ryuji and Clara isolate themselves from people and society for two different reasons, they both achieve inner peace in the process.