Dark Romanticism: From Goya to Max Ernst
Most studies of Romanticism stress its exaltation of nature, its discovery of the imagination, and the ecstatic identification of the artist/poet with both. As this exhibition catalogue's title suggests, the curators of this exhibition from Frankfurt are more interested in the irrational, nether side of human nature that the Romantics unearthed. Their survey is encyclopedic, beginning in the 18th century with the ghoulish images of Goya and the Anglo-Swiss painter Fuseli, and ending with the nightmarish paintings of German surrealist Max Ernst. Of the 13 essays, the first 3 are prefatory in nature. The catalogue takes up the next seven essays, which are chronologically arranged and lavishly illustrated. [...] Equally important are the three last essays, which are devoted to exploring the grisly themes of decadence and death in opera, literature, and cinema. (L.R. MattesonChoice2013-08-01)