Thursday, September 10, 2009

Romance Part II: Goose Bumps,Tredipation and Awe


Handpicked on Etsy
Today I look at romanticism from the perspective of "trepidation and awe" in which artists invite nature to thrill, titillate, raise goose bumps and send a chill up the spine. 18th Century Romantics weren't merely having a bit of fun with the occult or spooky. They were taking an intellectual stand against a clinically scientific, rational way of viewing and categorizing the world. Emotion, precisely because is was not rational, was embraced by these artists as a source and goal of the aesthetic experience. Endeavoring to elicit strong emotional responses to their works of art and literature, the Romantic Movement not only addressed melodramatic themes of love, yearning, loss and sentiment, but also themes including supernatural powers, and nature's power to evoke a mood, a sense of foreboding or wonder, or literally wreak havoc with a poisonous flower or its stormy turbulence. These aspects of nature would remain mysterious and out of our control, despite scientific advances in our knowledge and understanding of it. Today's compelling selections struck me as being modern-day expressions of similarly romantic themes. Click on the pictures to go directly to these listings. Prices range from $1.00 to $94.95
From top left to bottom right, today's featured artists include: ImagineStudio, judemcconkey, shelostit, magickmermaid, BillyCurrie, twistedsisterarts, lancerika, ara133photography

8 comments:

Laura Trevey said...

wow.. a little scary...

Cait Throop said...

Andria! I love this series on romanticism! Beautiful, evocative, and intelligent! xo Cait

ingermaaike said...

Awesome collection again!

magickmermaid said...

Thanks so much for including my "Full Moon Madness" print amongst all these wonderful, evocative pieces!

Lancerika said...

Surreal,enchanting,misteriously haunting..
a must fascinating chapter,always something wonderful to discover
about the 18th
Century Romantics,so awe inspiring to me..
Great!
Thanks Andria

www.Lancerika.com/erika.html
www.Lancerika.etsy.com

KCR Lehr Studio said...

What a unique experience. Most of these were created by artists whose shop's I had never had the pleasure of visiting. I took the time, thanks to Andria, and was absolutely delighted.
Colleen of
www.kcrlehrstudio.etsy.com

Andria said...

Thanks to each of you for contributing your comments! In a way, Etsy is part of a modern-day Romantic Movement, in which hand-crafted creations made by everyday folks (the 18 Century commoners or peasant class) were elevated to noble status. Then, as now, handmade objects reflected the joy of creation and individual expression that is missing in mass-market products.

ara133photography said...

Oooh these are awesome, I *love* the mood. They're all so stunning and unusual. I love chills, the supernatural, sense of wonder... your description was very interesting! Thank you SO much for including my photography, I'm honored!!