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Romantic paintings

Romantic paintings with stories about their artists and subjects. Explore landscapes, seascapes and historical scenes in detail.

Paintings in this selection

41 artworks. Open a painting to read its story and explore its details.

Heart of the Andes — Frederic Edwin ChurchFrederic Edwin Church

Heart of the Andes

1859The Raft of the Medusa — Théodore GéricaultThéodore Géricault

The Raft of the Medusa

1818–1819The Third of May 1808 in Madrid, or The Executions — Francisco GoyaFrancisco Goya

The Third of May 1808 in Madrid, or The Executions

1814Distant View of Niagara Falls — Thomas ColeThomas Cole

Distant View of Niagara Falls

1830Fishing Boats with Hucksters Bargaining for Fish — Joseph Mallord William TurnerJoseph Mallord William Turner

Fishing Boats with Hucksters Bargaining for Fish

1837–38The Interior of the Palm House on the Pfaueninsel Near Potsdam — Carl BlechenCarl Blechen

The Interior of the Palm House on the Pfaueninsel Near Potsdam

1834Stoke-by-Nayland — John ConstableJohn Constable

Stoke-by-Nayland

1836Mountain Brook — Albert BierstadtAlbert Bierstadt

Mountain Brook

1863Two Men Contemplating the Moon — Caspar David FriedrichCaspar David Friedrich

Two Men Contemplating the Moon

ca. 1825–30Venice, from the Porch of Madonna della Salute — Joseph Mallord William TurnerJoseph Mallord William Turner

Venice, from the Porch of Madonna della Salute

ca. 1835Whalers — Joseph Mallord William TurnerJoseph Mallord William Turner

Whalers

ca. 1845Wanderer above the Sea of Fog — Caspar David FriedrichCaspar David Friedrich

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

c. 1817View of Cotopaxi — Frederic Edwin ChurchFrederic Edwin Church

View of Cotopaxi

1857The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834 — Joseph Mallord William TurnerJoseph Mallord William Turner

The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834

1835The Fighting Temeraire — Joseph Mallord William TurnerJoseph Mallord William Turner

The Fighting Temeraire

1839The Hay Wain — John ConstableJohn Constable

The Hay Wain

1821Saturn — Francisco GoyaFrancisco Goya

Saturn

1820–1823The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak — Albert BierstadtAlbert Bierstadt

The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak

1863View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow — Thomas ColeThomas Cole

View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow

1836The Titan's Goblet — Thomas ColeThomas Cole

The Titan's Goblet

1833The Beeches — Asher Brown DurandAsher Brown Durand

The Beeches

1845A Gorge in the Mountains (Kauterskill Clove) — Sanford Robinson GiffordSanford Robinson Gifford

A Gorge in the Mountains (Kauterskill Clove)

1862The Combat of the Giaour and Hassan — Eugène DelacroixEugène Delacroix

The Combat of the Giaour and Hassan

1826Lake George — John Frederick KensettJohn Frederick Kensett

Lake George

1869

The scale of a figure against nature, the lighting and the chosen moment shape a painting’s effect. Compare these choices across several works, then read their histories. Background about the artist and period helps explain the subject without inventing the figures’ feelings.

Artists

Related art tours

How to explore the paintings

On an artwork page, choose “Explore the painting”. Zoom in, move around the image and hide the text to see the details. Turn on the audio guide to hear the story, or use autoplay to move between passages.

Zoom quality depends on the available reproduction. Each artwork page lists its collection, story sources and image rights. Access is free and no account is required.

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