These Romantic Art Cards are printable and intended to be a tool to help you teach your kids about fine art. As we learn more about something we are more able to see with a trained eye and understand with a trained mind. Therefore, the more we understand, the more we enjoy the art. And that is the real purpose of fine art, to bring pleasure and understanding.
The Romantic period in art followed the Neoclassical period and preceded the Impressionist movement, spanning from about 1800 to 1850. Romanticism included many different styles and subjects for painting but was unified by a few characteristics, especially emotion, nature, and current events.
Romantic artists were trying to evoke feelings in their audience with the paintings they made. Often the subjects of the paintings were making social or political statements. Even landscape painters of the time wanted to evoke feelings of regret, longing, or awe in the viewers. The movement was partially a reaction to the scientific dissection of the natural world, politics, and even human nature that had been underway for more than a century. It reverted to the emotions and instincts of mankind.
Print these Romantic Art cards and descriptions onto white card stock. Cut the cards out on the solid lines.
Help your kids become familiar with Romantic paintings and artists by playing matching games, sorting the Romantic art cards, and quizzing over them.
- Place the Romantic art cards face down, with images in one group and description cards in another group. Choose one card from each group. Determine if they match. You can read the description of the painting to see if they do.
- Arrange the paintings in order of date. Can you spot which were painted first? Can you see a progression of techniques or style in the cards?
- Hold up an image card and see if your child can remember the title of the painting. Once he has mastered them all, use the image cards to memorize the titles and artists together. Finally, master the titles, artists, and a little information about the painting.
- Go online and find more art by the same artists. Can you tell which artist painted the piece just by looking at the style?
- Romantic artists nearly always were making social or political statements through their art. Painting declined as photography rose in prominence. Do we use photographs the same way today – to make political or social statements? Do artists do that? Does anyone else you can think of use pictures to try to sway people?
- Think about a modern day political or social issue. How would you compose a visual representation and make a statement about it?
- Romantic artists evoked emotion in their paintings, a reaction to the previous Neoclassical art movement which was very orderly and rational. Compare the romantic art movement and the neoclassical art movement. Which do you prefer and why?
More From Layers of Learning
If you like these printable Romantic art cards, you might enjoy these other art cards as well.