The Massacre At Chios, And Percy Bysshe Shelley s Alastor...

Although various thinkers and artists from the Romantic era utilized unique approaches within the spectrum of their work, historians have grouped many viewpoints as being part of a category called the â€Å"Romantics.† The artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement known as the Romantic era began in 18th century Europe and ended in the mid 19th century (Day, 1996). Romantic art uniquely places a large emphasis on emotional content, the individual, and in celebrating the past and the ways in which one interacts with the nature that surrounds them (Day, 1996). The emotions which were most widely used included terror, horror, and awe; as it was believed that these processes contributed to the overall aesthetic appeal (Day, 1996). This†¦show more content†¦The French were also more aligned to the Greeks in terms of religion, since both held Christian values, while the Turks were largely Muslim, and at the time seen as the outsiders within the conflict (Fraser, 2004). The painting depicts some of the Greek survivors on the island of Chios, as they are in anguish since they’re surrounded by the Ottomans whom are holding weapons, and whom are presumably capturing these individuals for slavery. Some of the figures are wounded, some appear to be dying, but the survivors will presumably be taken away. There are various individual moments of suffering being illustrated, each of which holds a unique conception of the current state, all of whom are emotionally dealing with the circumstances as best as they can. This piece has no hero, and it does not display any relative form of optimism. Instead it illustrates the fact that suffering is prevalent, and each individual copes with such suffering in a unique manner. The point of unification lies in the mere fact that the Greeks are overpowered by the Turks. This is a painting about human suffering, and individualism, and it emphasizes the importance of color, nature in the background, and clas sical figures being painted in an effort to create an