...ain't this scene so calm and peaceful?...absolutely no indication at all that there was a massive 30 years war going on in europe at the time. typical of romantic art. it's not that romantic artists didn't feel any emotion; rather, they felt plenty of it and sought to get their viewers to feel as they do in their works. when it came to romantic landscape painting however, most of these artists tended to turn a blind eye towards the actual political upheavals occurring around them and instead paint scenes of what they wished their worlds were like. (with the notable exception of german artist caspar david friedrich who painted landscapes that reflected the sorrows and despairs he felt. you go mister casper.)

...much of romantic landscape painting consists of pastoral scenes or settings that showcase the immense quality of nature. human figures often served more as decoration than the focus in these types of paintings. the same can be said of buildings and any sort of man-made structure. our selection is a great example of everything romantic landscape painting was: a calm, dreamy setting in the countryside with some easy-going peasant lazing the day away fishing. pretty idealistic stuff. characteristic of most romantic landscapes, corot used very rich colors to emphasize the grandeur that is nature. the followers of the romantic movement preferred to dwell on thought based in feelings and such tranquil, motionless artworks probably attracted them as a source for introspection.