Rick Steves' Europe
Art Bites 190: Romanticism and Romantic Era Painting
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Epic, melodramatic canvases, images that stir the emotions, and an embrace of nature.
Romantic art embraced more than traditional romance. It expressed the full range of human emotions with melodramatic, epic-scale canvases, images that stir the emotions, and an almost religious embrace of nature.
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Rick Steves' Europe
Art Bites 190: Romanticism and Romantic Era Painting
Clip | 2m 43sVideo has Closed Captions
Romantic art embraced more than traditional romance. It expressed the full range of human emotions with melodramatic, epic-scale canvases, images that stir the emotions, and an almost religious embrace of nature.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipIn the early 1800s, in the wake of the French Revolution, Europe█s masses were hungry for freedom, both political and personal.
That urge expressed itself in art that was not cerebral, but about letting hearts run wild.
It was called Romanticism.
Sure, Romantic art embraced traditional romance.
But it was much more.
It expressed the full range of human emotions: from the highest of highs█ to the lowest of lows█ the awe-inspiring grandeur of nature█ a dreamy nostalgia for times past█ and a fascination with the exotic.
The Romantic style is melo-dramatic, with epic scale canvases, and images that stir the emotions.
To appreciate Romantic art, it helps to understand what preceded it.
Back in the 1700s, in the Age of Enlightenment, so much— including art— was subjected to “the test of reason.” Art and architecture was Neoclassical— clean, simple, and logical█like this.
In Neoclassical paintings, heroes were posed█ death scenes were stoic█ and idealized nudes sat calmly while deep in thought.
But, the Romantic-style art which followed-- like this super-charged orgy of drama and violence-- was an unruly explosion of emotions.
This fearless Romantic heroine, storms the barricades in the cause of liberty as guns blaze, smoke billows, and bodies fall█ as she leads the common people to victory.
And what could be more stirring than shipwrecked souls lost at sea.
It█s a human pyramid of emotion, from the depths of despair█ to a hope-filled pinnacle of ecstasy as they spot the rescue ship.
If Romantic art controls your heartbeat, this is a masterpiece.
The Neoclassical and Romantic styles seem like opposites.
Yet, both styles coexisted for█decades, mirroring the conflicting social trends of the times.
Travel Bites 971: Passeggiata and Rome After Dark
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Clip | 3m 59s | Join Romans for the beloved evening passeggiata. (3m 59s)
Travel Bites 970: Jewish Rome and Monti
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Clip | 5m 6s | Rome’s ancient Jewish community shares its extraordinary story of endurance and resilience. (5m 6s)
Travel Bites 969: Rome's Colorful Trastevere Neighborhood
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Clip | 4m 23s | Across the river, Trastevere invites travelers into intimate lanes. (4m 23s)
Travel Bites 968: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
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Clip | 2m 22s | The popes’ vast collection leads through ancient Greek and Roman masterpieces. (2m 22s)
Travel Bites 967: St. Peter’s and Vatican City
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Clip | 4m 45s | Cross into the world’s smallest country to explore magnificent St. Peter’s Basilica. (4m 45s)
Travel Bites 966: Borghese Gallery’s Baroque Masters
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Clip | 3m 2s | Rome’s fabulously wealthy patrons transformed collecting and commissioning art into dazzling display (3m 2s)
Travel Bites 965: Art in Rome’s Churches
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Clip | 2m 45s | Step into Rome’s often unassuming churches to discover masterpieces in their original settings. (2m 45s)
Travel Bites 964: Rome’s Back Street Riches and Piazzas
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Clip | 4m 4s | Rome’s public spaces transform an ordinary morning stroll into a memorable sightseeing adventure. (4m 4s)
Travel Bites 963: Testaccio: A Roman Food Tour
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Clip | 5m 40s | In earthy Testaccio, a lively food tour through a neighborhood market provides a delicious taste. (5m 40s)
Travel Bites 962: Catacombs and Early Christianity
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Clip | 5m 29s | A bike ride along the ancient Appian Way leads underground into Rome’s catacombs. (5m 29s)
Travel Bites 961: Pantheon: Rome’s Perfect Temple
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Clip | 1m 33s | The best-preserved temple of ancient Rome showcases engineering genius. (1m 33s)
Travel Bites 960: Imperial Rome in Art
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Clip | 3m 18s | Trajan’s Forum, the Circus Maximus, and Rome’s National Museum reveal the empire at its peak. (3m 18s)
Travel Bites 959: Colosseum and Caracalla Baths
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Clip | 3m 28s | Rome’s colossal engineering comes alive at the iconic Colosseum. (3m 28s)
Travel Bites 958: Eating Like a Roman
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Clip | 2m 23s | A convivial Roman meal celebrates seasonal ingredients and regional specialties. (2m 23s)
Travel Bites 957: Capitoline Hill’s Ancient Treasures
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Clip | 3m | Rome’s historic Capitoline Hill brings ancient Rome vividly to life. (3m)
Travel Bites 956: Its Birth Story
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Clip | 4m 4s | Tracing the story of Rome in a nutshell. (4m 4s)
Travel Bites 955: Paris: A floodlit tour
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Clip | 2m 10s | The fabled “City of Light” is also the city of flood light. (2m 10s)
Travel Bites 954: Paris’ Other Great Museums
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Clip | 5m 35s | After Versailles, the Louvre, and the Orsay, Paris’ less famous museums are also worth a visit. (5m 35s)
Travel Bites 953: Versailles, Europe’s Palace of Palaces
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Clip | 3m 40s | This ultimate royal palace is Louis XIV’s lavish explosion of baroque bling. (3m 40s)
Travel Bites 952: The Orsay Gallery
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Clip | 3m 8s | The paintings of the Orsay take you from 1848 to 1914. (3m 8s)
Travel Bites 951: Paris's Louvre Museum
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Clip | 5m 38s | The Louvre—with masterpieces from Ancient Greek to Renaissance and Romantic—is a must to visit. (5m 38s)
Travel Bites 950: Paris: Boulevards, Les Invalides, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees
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Clip | 5m 38s | Grand boulevards like the Champs-Élysées connect great sights with edible memories. (5m 38s)
Travel Bites 949: Paris: Haussmann buildings and grand boulevards
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Clip | 1m 37s | The elegance of Paris is no accident. Broad boulevards, grand monuments, people-friendly greenbelts. (1m 37s)
Travel Bites 948: Eating French Cliches at a Parisian Bistro
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Clip | 3m 55s | Grab a seat for lunch to enjoy a kir, French onion soup, escargot, croque madam, steak tartare. (3m 55s)
Travel Bites 947: Paris’ Marais neighborhood
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Clip | 4m 6s | The Marais is a hub of Parisian history and culture—with its Jewish Quarter, and Bastille prison,. (4m 6s)
Travel Bites 946: Shopping for Dinner on Paris’ Rue Cler
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Clip | 4m 6s | Paris’ most inviting market street is Rue Cler. (4m 6s)
Travel Bites 945: Two Grand Parisian Churches: Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle
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Clip | 2m 28s | Paris’ two most popular churches are the beloved Notre-Dame and the exquisite Sainte-Chapelle. (2m 28s)
Travel Bites 944: The Eiffel Tower
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Clip | 2m 15s | Paris’ Eiffel Tower, a muscular symbol of France’s Industrial Age, has been entertaining since 1889. (2m 15s)
Travel Bites 943: Paris’ River Seine
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Clip | 4m 35s | The Seine River defines Paris’ Right and Left Bank. (4m 35s)
Travel Bites 942: The Regeneration of London’s Industrial Heritage
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Clip | 6m 23s | London’s once abandoned industrial corners have morphed into popular people and culture zones. (6m 23s)
Travel Bites 941: The British Library
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Clip | 2m | London hosts the national archive with 12 million books and one Treasures Room. (2m)
Travel Bites 940: A Proper Afternoon Tea
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Clip | 2m 6s | Afternoon tea is a great British tradition and London does it with style. (2m 6s)
Travel Bites 939: London’s East End Food Tour
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Clip | 4m 40s | London’s happening East End survives and thrives just beyond a tsunami of skyscrapers. (4m 40s)
Travel Bites 938: London’s Victoria and Albert Museum
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Clip | 4m 34s | “Albertopolis” is the corner of London built by and celebrating the vision of Prince Albert. (4m 34s)
Travel Bites 937: The Tower of London
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Clip | 2m | The Tower of London entertains and inspires. (2m)
Travel Bites 936: St Paul's Cathedral, London’s Pride
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Clip | 2m 37s | St. Paul’s Cathedral is architect Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, the greatest dome in Britain. (2m 37s)
Travel Bites 935: The City of London
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Clip | 3m 34s | London’s historic core is called “The City.” (3m 34s)
Travel Bites 934: Britain’s National Portrait Gallery
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Clip | 2m 35s | The National Portrait Gallery is the perfect place. (2m 35s)
Travel Bites 933: London’s Westminster and Whitehall, Home of Britain’s Government
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Clip | 8m 40s | The core of royal London. (8m 40s)
Travel Bites 932: Istanbul's Grand Main Drag, Istiklal Caddesi
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Clip | 4m 38s | The best way to feel the pulse of urban Istanbul is to explore its teeming main boulevard. (4m 38s)
Travel Bites 931: Whirling Dervishes
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Clip | 2m 24s | Mystic Sufi monks whirl themselves into a meditative trance as they embrace the poet Rumi’s wisdom. (2m 24s)
Travel Bites 930: Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar
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Clip | 3m 27s | Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar remains enchanting, perplexing visitors with its maze-like network of lanes. (3m 27s)
Travel Bites 929: Istanbul, the Great Port on the Bosphorus
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Clip | 5m 53s | Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus Strait that separates Europe and Asia. (5m 53s)
Travel Bites 928: Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace
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Clip | 5m 14s | Here we find the storybook image of the Ottomans—sultans, eunuchs, harems. (5m 14s)
Travel Bites 927: Hagia Sophia, the Great Church of Constantinople
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Clip | 3m 6s | This magnificent church-turned-mosque offers the visitor an opportunity to be inspired. (3m 6s)
Travel Bites 926: Islamic Art, Ramadan, and the Blue
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Clip | 4m 57s | Istanbul offers a chance to better understand Islam. (4m 57s)
Travel Bites 925: A Turkish Bath in Ottoman Splendor
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Clip | 3m 9s | The splendor of Istanbul’s Ottoman Empire is best experienced in a hammam. (3m 9s)
Travel Bites 924: Istanbul when it was Constantinople
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Clip | 4m 36s | For thousands of years, this place, where East meets West, has been a crossroads of civilizations. (4m 36s)
Travel Bites 923: A Leisurely Day on a Burgundian Canal
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Clip | 5m 39s | A crack-of-dawn trip to the bakery before breakfast on our barge. (5m 39s)
Travel Bites 922: Burgundy: Wine, Vineyard, and Chateau
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Clip | 3m 3s | France’s famed Côte d’Or, or “Golden Slopes,” is all about fine wine. (3m 3s)
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