Storms and seascapes in Watteau and Delacroix paintings

Art

Please take a close look at two paintings of storms: Watteau's the Storm

painting comparison

Watteau's the Storm and Delacroix's the Sea of Galilee

The two paintings in question refer to different time periods in art history and more importantly, to different views about art and life. These views are also reflected in the style and the technique of the two paintings. Art is often a reflection of the times in which it is created. The social values and perceptions as well as the dominant religious and philosophical ideas of the time tend to be represented in art during a certain period. The following two paintings will be compared and contrasted in terms of their unique qualities, as well as in terms of the way they reflect the era and the dominant ethos of the time period in which they were created.

Comparison of Two Paintings

The development in art from Neoclassicism to the Romantic period can be seen in the analysis of these two paintings. However, one has to first ascertain the main characteristics of these two periods.

From the perspective of art history the Neoclassical period was still deeply concerned with the ideals of Greek as well as Roman art. This refers to the latter part of the eighteenth century were there was an increase in the influence of classical antiquity and the styles associated with it ( Neoclassicism). This in turn is linked to the dominance of certain ideals and norms in the society of the time; such as harmony, simplicity and order, as well as a classical Greek emphasis on proportion. These ideals can be clearly seen in the painting by Watteau.

In The Storm, despite the wind and ongoing storm there is a distinct sense of peaceful and ordered life. Everything is clearly and simply depicted and the storm does not seem to overly disturb the figures in the picture. One should also mention the predominant philosophical ethos of the time. This was the period of the rise of rationality and reason -- as opposed to feeling and emotion. The scientific findings and the increasing confidence in reason and logic, with its association with classical order and proportion, was the dominant tone of the era in which this painting was created. These values, and the obvious prevalence of reason over emotion, can be seen in the painting. Everyone in the painting is involved in his or her allotted task. Even though there is a storm there is no sense in the painting of chaos or panic; rather, reason and proportion tend to dominate the style and technique of the painting. All the figures are clearly and simply painted. There is also a strong sense of formal composition in the depiction and placement of the figure and various elements in the painting.

Watteau's painting is also idealized as it shows an image of harmony in its depiction of the rule agricultural landscape. While the people or peasants are keen to get out the storm there is little real panic. The artist also emphasizes structure and form with less focus on color -- all of which contributes to the neoclassical concept of a rational reality and society.

The Romanic era on the other hand was in many ways the opposite of this sense of order and the belief in reason. Instead of the formality and linear technique of the Watteau painting, the painting by Delacroix is filled with wild passion and feeling.

The Romantic era was essentially one in which the norms, values and ideals of the past were interrogated and questioned. A central characteristic of the Romantic era was the emphasis on emotions and feelings rather than on reason and logic. These new values are clearly reflected in many early Romantic paintings as well as in Delacroix's The Sea of Galilee.

The Romantic Movement in all the art forms was essentially a reaction to the rational and mechanical view of reality that had become a dominant feature of Western civilization (Introduction to the Romantic Era in English Poetry). The Romantics turned away from order through science and the structured, mechanical view of life and were more concerned with the dynamic and spontaneous energies of nature. Nature was seen as a symbol of freedom from restriction and constraint, which epitomized the Romantic break with the classical tradition. As one critic comments: "Romantic painters and sculptors tended to express an emotional personal response to life, in contrast to the restraint and universal values advocated by Neoclassical art" (Romanticism in Art).

In the painting by Delacroix we encounter the drama and passion of the storm. The wild and chaotic waves are strongly painted as is the anguish and struggle of the sailors. This is a very different scene to the relatively unemotional and formal reactions of the figures in the painting by Watteau.

The Romantic artists used a more energetic and less formal style of painting. One could say that they were the precursors of Impressionism. The bold brushstrokes in this work depict a sea that is aggressively whipped by the furious winds of the storm, which almost dwarfs the boat and people on it in the immediacy of its power. It is this larger and almost spiritual power and spontaneous and unpredictable aspect of nature that attracted the Romantics. Delacroix is also renowned for his strong use of color, which emphasizes passion and feeling