Masterpieces of 19th century art

The style we call Romanticism explored human emotion and experience, and Friedrich was one of its greatest proponents in painting. In music, you could think of the composer Ludwig von Beethoven. In poetry, you might think of William Wordsworth.

Ancient oak trees rise above the horizon. The frozen ground is covered with old snow. Monks carry a coffin through the ruins of an ancient abbey. Again, Friedrich asks us to think about the shortness of human life and the eternal quality of nature.

This wall of smaller paintings by Friedrich invites us to stop and take in the beauty of nature and to think about our place in the world. From left to right, Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon, The Solitary Tree, and The Riesengebirge Mountains.

Napoleon’s arch was intended to honor the French army, but it was also a way for him to associate himself with the great rulers of ancient Rome.

While the Arc de Triomphe was inspired by the triumphal arches of ancient Rome, Napoleon’s version is much larger and  is inscribed with the victories of the French army. It is a memorial to France’s fallen soldiers from the Revolution and the Napoleonic wars.

The Arc de Triomphe is covered with sculpture. This one commemorates a battle where the French defended the nation from attack. The volunteers—some strong, some young—are all pushing forward, inspired by the symbol of Liberty above them.

But the landscape, trees, ponds, and paths were all constructed according to the design of two architects who won a competition held by the city. All the great cities of Europe had beautiful parks, so it was felt New York City needed one too.

We’re in the very center of the park looking uptown toward a large plaza. In the center we see Bethesda Fountain. The figure with wings outstretched at the very top is called Angel of the Waters. Beyond the lake is a wooded area named The Ramble. 

Just behind the trees, you can see a large rock that was exposed when a giant ice sheet scraped clean the land that is now Central Park during the last ice age that ended about 12,000 years ago.

The Musée d’Orsay also has a particularly strong collection of the work of Édouard Manet, one of the most influential artists of the 19th century. Both of these artists broke with the rules set by the influential royal academies in London and Paris about what art should look like.

You might wonder why Luncheon on the Grass was rejected for the official exhibition in 1863. After all, the painting just depicts three contemporary Parisians having a picnic in a park, but this type of subject was allowable only when the subject was from mythology.

The room was made for an English collector, but it was purchased by Henry Freer who brought it to the United States and donated it to the Smithsonian Institution.

In the Peacock Room Whistler, inspired by Chinese and Japanese art, sought to create “a total work of art”—one that combines architecture, painting, and decorative elements to provide a more complete experience for the viewer.

The room’s original owner, Frederick Leyland, refused to pay Whistler the amount he billed for decorating the room, and offered him much less. As a result, Whistler painted the back wall with two fighting peacocks, one representing the artist, the other Leyland.

We see a standing figure dressed in a gorgeous Asian silk robe in colors of peach, orange and grey. The emphasis is on color harmonies, not telling a story. The European artists who were fascinated by Asian art were using it for their own purposes.

Leading artists and architects called the design “monstrous,” fearing that the fantastic size of this “hateful column of bolted sheet metal” would humiliate the great stone monuments of the past such as the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

The tower’s graceful arches and delicate ironwork soar upward—thanks to the engineering advances of the industrial revolution. Before iron was hidden behind traditional materials such as stone. Here, Eiffel proudly exposes the tower’s iron girders near the center of Paris.

Here we can see one of three observation decks. Elevators and stairs that ascend the legs allow access to three observation levels. The Eiffel tower remains a stunning focal point in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.