"What is wrong,
Annie?" asks George. Annie and George casually saunter to the next part of the museum that cover a period of time extending from about 1775 to 1900. It is marked by revolutions and a vast range of political ideas. Suddenly, Annie shows a surprised look and screams.
"What is wrong,
Annie?" asks George.
"Look at that painting. It scares me, it is absolutely gruesome!" exclaimed Annie.
"Oh, you mean Saturn Devouring One of His Children by Francisco Goya? This is my favorite. At this point in time, two political revolutions, the American and the French, had quite an effect on the arts. At first, artists experienced Neoclassicism and they glorified the wars with ideal images. But toward the end of the revolutionary period, artwork reflected bitterness and overall disgust at the wars that had taken so many innocent lives," explained George.
Annie replied, "This painting certainly isn't ideal. It does show horror though. It must be a reaction to the Neoclassicism."
"Yes, it is. Goya saw the upheaval in France caused by Napoleon Bonaparte and only experienced the negative effects of the war," answered George.
"This painting really scares me and I'd much rather talk
about the effect the industrial revolution had on the arts. The
industrial revolution brought a 'back to nature' style to the
arts. This feeling was most common among city dwellers who dreamt
of a leisurely country life," said Annie. She was much more
relaxed now that they were around more natural scenes. 
She points to a very
colorful painting. "However, in Rain,
Steam, and Speed: The Great Western Railway the viewer
feels the impact of the industrial revolution in a different way.
The painting shows a romantic's vision of modern technology as a
threat to nature."
They continue to browse through this section of the museum. "Along with revolutions, this was a time of changing political ideas. For example, in this period alone, France experienced the rule of three constitutional monarchies, two republics, and two Bonaparte dictatorships. As a consequence, French people suffered through a great deal of confusion," George continued.
"England had more stability. They experienced a new form of government called liberalism. That is when the rule of the people is emphasized. Just think, before this time people had never experienced freedom of speech, freedom of press and all of the other rights we enjoy today," Annie exclaimed.
"That's true, but in Russia, this period of time marks the beginning of a long repression. In fact, the Russians still practiced medieval serfdom. Any reforms made only went along with further repression that put the government even more in control," added George.
"In Germany, the nationalism trend became more popular and spread throughout Europe. In the arts, the individual was no longer important. The subject of artwork tended to be national events." Annie, who was much calmer now, pointed at a painting by Theodore Gericault.
"The Raft of the 'Medusa' is an example of an artwork based on a national event. The painting presents the story of a French ship that sunk off the West African coast because of the incompetence of the captain. He and the officers seized the lifeboats and cast the other 149 passengers on a raft. Only fifteen survived," said Annie.
George added, "The hectic scene sure shows the will to survive among the passengers. It concentrates more on the group as a whole rather than one certain individual."
"Well, that's it for this part of the museum. What's next?" asked Annie.
Created by Jami Podhradsky.