Romantilistes

Romantilistes is a term used to refer to adherents of Romanticism, an expansive cultural movement that emerged in the late 18th century and flourished through the first half of the 19th century. The movement developed as a reaction against Enlightenment rationalism and neoclassical conventions, prioritizing emotion, imagination, individual experience, and the sacred or mysterious aspects of life. Romantilistes sought to expand the scope of art and philosophy beyond strict rules and objective truth.

Key characteristics of romanticist thought include an emphasis on subjective experience and personal expression, a reverence for nature and the sublime, and an interest in the supernatural, mysticism, and the supernatural. They valorized originality and artistic genius, often elevating the artist as a visionary capable of revealing deep truths. Folklore, medievalism, and exotic or distant settings appeared as sources of inspiration, while nationalism and cultural identity were commonly explored through literature and art. Critiques of industrialization, conventional morality, and rigid rationalism were common, as were explorations of emotion, memory, and individual freedom.

Geographically, romantic ideas spread from the German-speaking lands and Britain to France, Scandinavia, Italy, Iberia, and beyond, influencing literature, music, painting, and philosophy. Notable figures associated with romanticism include writers and poets such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, and Victor Hugo; painters like Caspar David Friedrich; and composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven. The movement gave rise to related currents and paved the way for later movements such as Symbolism and various national literatures, while remaining a subject of scholarly debate regarding its diverse aims and legacies.