The Arts
September 2025
Picturing the Romantic
New perspectives on European Romanticism(s) in the visual arts
by Elisabeth Ansel, Johannes Grave, Christin Neubauer, Mira Claire Zadrozny
European Romanticism in the visual arts has always been defined by transnational transfer processes. It is surprising that international aspects of Romantic movements have been, in contrast to literary studies, a gap in art historical research. Picturing the Romantic addresses this issue and reveals new perspectives on European Romanticism(s) in the visual arts by reconsidering the phenomenon's traditional canon, geographical dimensions and terminology and analysing various examples of the complex and heterogeneous works of Romantic painting. In sixteen original essays, renowned and early career researchers examine the question of whether to speak of several independently considered Romanticisms or one European Romanticism. They adopt a transnational perspective on Romantic art in and beyond Europe, focusing on the interconnections between the countries.
