German Romanticism

German Romanticism, which developed later than the English Romantic period, includes the harmonious attention to detail and flowing lines, however adds a sense of humour and wit to the paintings. This movement was a dominant period in German speaking countries from the Enlightenment period of the eighteenth century until the twentieth century. The Romantics emphasised the importance of the individual and common man, enlightening everyone to have a journey in art and expression.

The Wanderer was the main figure of the Romantic period, with the Enlightenment having pushed for changes in society, the common man was more open to journeying into the imagination and new lands. However, Romanticism was extremely opposed to the rationalism of the eighteenth century. The period of Romanticism also spread into poetry, literature, dance and music, with people carving out new ways of expressing their emotions.

At the centre of all Romanticism is Nature. Nature in Romanticism represents a dynamic presence, who expresses herself to the artists through symbols. The early German Romantics looked to the Middle Ages for its simpler values, and higher respect for Nature, however not all Romantics agreed with looking to this period as they thought it was backward. Many artists were prominent in this period and are still iconic in the modern day including Caspar David Friedrich who is best known for his allegorical landscapes such as Gothic ruins.

As such as dominant period in history, German Romanticism has inspired many Fashion houses to create collections reflecting back at this breakthrough period. As the painters would usually use oil based paints and tones of grey, green, gold and black in their paintings, Fashion houses including Nina Ricci’s collection of 2009 was filled with flowing, fluttery, trail-y dresses short in the front and long at the back using exquisite fabrics to emphasise feminine natural beauty.