The Industrial Revolution was truly a great
period of societal advancement. There were new jobs, new wonders of
technologies, and new ways to gain fortune that opened doors to many groups,
and in turn, the individuals. Although the response to new machines,
techniques, and iron making were praised by many, others disapproved of the
advancements from industrial life.
In the picture above, William Blake, a prestigious romantic artist, portrays Isaac Newton as young and muscular, rather than the older figure of popular imagination. Here, he is crouching naked on a rock, covered with algae, at the bottom of the sea and his attention is focused on his diagram which he draws with his compass. Blake, critical of Newton’s scientific approach, shows that Newton merely follows the rules of his compass and is completely blind to the colorful rocks behind him.
In protest to these hazardous machines, toxic pollution, and meaningless deaths, Romanticism arose.
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| Newton, William Blake, 1795-c.1805 |
Romanticism was in essence a protest of the
Enlightenment period. The fact that scientific discoveries were being made
about nature, many disapproved and wanted nature to stay as a pure, as a work
of God, not scientific discovery. Public protest was developed into an art form
during the 20th century, known as the Modernist era; thus, playing into the
romantic theme of Individualism and Romanticism as Reaction. Main points of
protest and popular discontent include:
- The Civil
Rights Movement
- The Women's
Rights movement
- The protest against prohibition
