Photography and Romanticism

Heaven on Earth by Marc Adamus; Source: marcadamus.com

The Romanticism Movement was a time period where people turned away from the ideal of reason and began to explore the themes of individuality, imagination, emotion, and nature.  Paintings from this time period, especially landscapes, can usually be characterized by having dramatic lighting effects as well as bright colors.  These techniques were used in order to create a sense of wonder and beauty.  Nature was often viewed as a powerful and primordial force, something dazzling and grand.  The goal was to enhance the raw beauty of untamed nature.  In the paintings, nature is made out to be something almost supernatural and ethereal.

Those same effects are used in Marc Adamus' photograph, Heaven on Earth, which is displayed at the top of the post.  The golden rays of the sun are shining between the branches of the tree in order to illuminate the bright and delicate flowers in the foreground of the picture.  The angle the photograph was taken at makes the branches of the tree appear as if they are reaching over the flowers, protecting them, creating a small, private space.  Just like the paintings of the Romanticism Movement, Marc Adamus' photograph enhances the beauty of the forest, making the area appear magical, straight out of someone's imagination.  The vivid colors of the flowers and rays of light create the same sense of wonder that the Romanticism Movement sought to bring.  The tree branches appear powerful, exemplifying the primordial force that nature was hailed as during that time period.