Romanticism
1780–1850The sublime, terrible, emotionally overwhelming. Sensation over reason, nature over civilization.
New industrial pigments — chrome yellow, cobalt blue, viridian. Larger canvases, bolder brushwork.
Francisco Goya
1746–1828Spanish
From court portraitist to painter of nightmares. The Black Paintings — darkest vision in Western art.
Late Black Paintings on plaster with palette knife and fingers. Minimal palette: black, ochre, red, white.
Further reading: Goya (Taschen Basic Art) — Rose-Marie Hagen, Rainer HagenPigments: Bitumen · Bone black · Ochre · Sienna · Lead white · Umber · Lamp black
J.M.W. Turner
1775–1851British
Dissolved form into atmosphere, anticipating abstraction by 50 years.
Exploited new industrial pigments. Late works are almost pure light with minimal form.
Further reading: Turner (Taschen Basic Art) — Michael BockemühlPigments: Chrome yellow · Prussian blue · Lead white · Lamp black · Zinc white · Vermilion · Red lead · Green earth · Ochre
Eugène Delacroix
1798–1863French
Leader of French Romanticism. Discovered complementary color shadows decades before Impressionists.
Optical color mixing — complementary colors side by side. Journals document systematic experiments.
Further reading: Delacroix (Taschen Basic Art) — Gilles NéretPigments: Vermilion · Red lead · Ultramarine · Cobalt blue · Green earth · Viridian · Ochre · Lead white · Madder and the red lakes · Naples yellow · Chrome yellow
Caspar David Friedrich
1774–1840German
Painter of sublime loneliness. Rückenfigur — figures facing infinite landscapes.
Restricted palette — cold blues, pale golds, dark silhouettes. Protestant meditation.
Further reading: Caspar David Friedrich (Taschen Basic Art) — Norbert WolfPigments: Umber · Lead white · Lamp black · Bone black · Naples yellow · Chrome yellow · Prussian blue · Green earth · Ochre · Sienna
John Everett Millais
1829–1896British
Co-founder Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Ophelia — most famous PRB painting, painted outdoors over months.
Wet white ground — paint into fresh white surface. Characteristic PRB luminosity.
Further reading: John Everett Millais — Jason RosenfeldPigments: Emerald green · Viridian · Vermilion · Lead white · Ochre · Ultramarine · Madder and the red lakes · Cobalt violet · Green earth · Umber · Lamp black
Théodore Géricault
1791–1824French
Bridge between Neoclassicism and Romanticism. The Raft of the Medusa — monumental suffering, painted from corpses.
Studied cadavers for flesh tones. Bitumen-heavy palette that has darkened dramatically over time.
Further reading: Theodore Gericault — Nina Athanassoglou-KallmyerPigments: Prussian blue · Umber · Lamp black · Green earth · Ochre · Lead white · Sienna · Bitumen
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