Paintings From the Romantic and Transcendentalist period

During the romantic period, art used feelings, imagination, and mystery to communicate meaning.  It also concentrated on the supernatural, individuality, and heroism, and used nature to convey emotions and provide “divine revelation”.  Also, rebellion and revolution were a fancy of romanticists and came out in the artwork as well.

 One of my favorite series of paintings from this period (that I was fortunate to see recently at the Smithsonian) was “The Voyage of Life” by Cole Thomas:

Childhood:
The series begins with Childhood, in which a small child and its "Spirit Guide" (guardian angel) emerge from a dark cavern in a boat whose figurehead holds an hour glass. The boat's sides depict more figures of the hours. The cavern represents man's earthly origin and mysterious past; the soft light of morning and the abundant flowers and plants growing alongside the "Stream of Life" are symbols of early life. The narrowness of the river banks and the limited scope of scene represent the limited experience of childhood. The Egyptian lotus, in the foreground, provides another symbol of human existence.
http://www.allinsongallery.com/cole/index.html

Youth:
In Youth, the landscape widens and the foliage becomes diversified, with trees overshadowing the bank. Alone in the boat, the "Voyager" takes the helm himself. The "Spirit Guide" now stands on the bank. The Voyager points to the sky where the vision of an exotic dome appears to him, symbolizing the dreams and aspirations of youth.

Manhood:
As the Voyager enters Manhood the landscape shifts to a dramatically dark and stormy setting. The dreams of youth are replaced by the struggles of middle age. The current of the stream has become swift and the Voyager seems to have lost control of his boat. Ahead of him is a waterfall with sinister trees in the foreground. "Life's Passenger" looks toward heaven for guidance, but in the clouds lurk the demons of Suicide, Intemperance and Murder, which Cole thought were ever present in the life of man.

Old Age:
In the final scene, Old Age, the Voyager has navigated the Stream of Life, which has emptied into a tranquil but dark and lonely sea, lined with jagged rocks and cliffs. The boat, damaged from life's storms, reveals that time is nearly at an end for the Voyager. Only now is the Spirit Guide revealed to him, guiding him toward his final destination. Old and gray, the passenger assumes a pious pose and readies himself for his inevitable fate. A shaft of light parts the clouds, and angels descend to usher the Voyager to another life. 

          I chose the Voyage of Life to represent Romanticism because they suitably exhibit supernatural beings, mysterious phenomena, imaginative symbolism in the natural world, and are centered around the life of an individual.  The meaning of the paintings are not entirely explicit, but can be divined by the mood of its colors, minute details, and dramatic scenes.  The series of paintings even reveal, in subtle terms, a quality of the human condition.  Therefore these paintings, to me, are the epitome of the romantic period. 

                        

          The transcendentalist period was based on total self-reliance and independence from society.  Its focus was on the natural world and the most inner, spiritual essence of mankind as it is in the solitude of nature.  Probably the most famous author of this time was Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose story Life in the Woods tells of his life in the two years that he stayed in an isolated cabin in the woods.
          Paintings of landscapes are always popular, but I think the transcendentalists focused more on illustrating the innate beauty, perfection, peace, and timelessness of the natural world.  The following are some of my favorite paintings by Albert Bierstadt that I believe capture these qualities very well:

Looking Up the Yosemite Valley

On the Saco

Conway Meadows New Hampshire

Bierstadt was swept away by the majesty of the American West, and even called it a "Garden of Eden".  He also had a fascination for the Native Americans and lived amongst them, even dressed like them.  Bierstadt saw nature as being almost godlike, a both mysterious and powerful, yet peaceable, entity, and he painted the landscapes according to this vision.  This reverence and respect he had for nature is truly the spirit of the transcendentalists.