Romanticism and Art (Revised)

I like very much the books in the Thames & Hudson World of Art series, and this one is no exception. It's a very nice survey, with a LOT of information, not just about the art, but also about the ideas of the age that shaped it. One good book seems to lead me to another, and now I find myself thirsty for a better understanding of the philosophies and the history of the 18th and 19th centuries. The author is wide-ranging in his coverage of Romanticism throughout Europe and America, and his efforts to trace the roots of ideas and experiences that inspired this art is much-appreciated. A previous reviewer felt that the book gives short shrift to 3D arts, but there's enough here about architecture for my taste. As for sculpture, the author explains that the general idea of the time was that sculpture was wholly incapable of conveying the great Romantic notions, and so many sculptors seemed to just "sit this movement out." (I think perhaps waiting for Rodin) The format of these books demands mostly black and white reproductions, which does detract from the impact of much of the work, but, for around $10 I'm not complaining. As an introduction to this difficult and contentious movement, this book worked just fine for me.

This compact and well-illustrated book explains the roots and branches of Romanticism in painting. Not much said about sculpture and architecture, but they are touched upon, and Vaughan certainly places Romantic art in its time. Romantic writings and philosophy are nicely and liberally quoted to fully illustrate the era. Not a coffee table book. This is a medium weight paperback for reading, and it is not difficult to understand. Meaty and complete enough for undergraduate level research, but well-written for the humble art buff who may be on his or her way to the Louvre, the Tate, the Prado or other museum with some collection of Romantic work (late 18th C through the mid 19th C).Dedicated researchers will want additional references, but the average person who just wants to understand this fascinating art movement need not go further. Very nicely written.

This book, as the title suggests deals with art from the Romantic period. The good points in the book are: it gives detailed and informative commentary on artists, sculptors, and architects, paintings, sculptures and buildings of the late 18th and 19th centuries. There are 215 illustations. The book puts the artists and their works in the context of history. The bad things in the book are: only 21 illustrations are in color. This may not seem that bad but color in Romantic paintings is important. The book has many illustrations of Turner's paintings, but if the viewer never saw them in color it is very difficult to get the whole meaning of the works. If the paintings were meant to be viewed in black and white they wouldn't be painted in color. That is why I gave it 4 stars. I recomend ART IN EUROPE 1700-1830 by Matthew Craske. It is cheaper, more informative, has better illustrations, and covers more material.