Eugene Delacroix's Liberty Leading The People

The time period of 1800-1850 was a time of imposed conservatism and revolutionary action as a result of liberalism and nationalism becoming widely spread. As a response romantic artists, musicians, and writers conveyed their feelings and opinions on the conditions through their work. The romantic movement was one of a heightened interest in nature, individualism, emotion, and usually went against established rules. Among these romantic artists were Eugene Delacroix, Caspar David Friedrich, and Theodore Gericault.

In romantic artwork, artists tended to focus on creating a sense of yearning for nature an evoking some kind of emotion. Eugene Delacroix’s, Liberty Leading the People, depicts the July Revolution of 1830. The July Revolution of 1830 was a protestation against restrictive ordinances. This led to three days of fighting and finally Louis-Philippe becoming the “king of the French”. Delacroix displays liberty holding a French flag which means freedom and revolution. He depicts the dead due to the fighting to show the victory couldn’t have happened without them. Caspar David Friedrich’s, Man and Woman Gazing at the Moon, shows the

Amantine-Lucille-Aurore Dupin, know by pen name George Sand, wrote “Lelia”. This was the story of a woman who was intellectual and went against societal norms. Lelia, the heroine, was written as promiscuous and domineering. A reflection of the author herself. This was very unlike how women of this time were expected to act. This shows Dupin’s view of the oppression of women. Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, displays plenty of imagination. This playwright displays the importance of love. Hermia is expected to marry a man she does not love just because it was arranged by her father. This is not the only time Shakespeare’s toward arranged marriages has shown up in his playwrights. This could show his attitude toward the oppression of