Dark Romanticism : from Goya to Max Ernst /

Most studies of Romanticism stress its exaltation of nature, its discovery of the imagination, and the ecstatic identification of the artist/poet with both. As this exhibition catalogue's title suggests, the curators of this exhibition from Frankfurt are more interested in the irrational, nether side of human nature that the Romantics unearthed. Their survey is encyclopedic, beginning in the 18th century with the ghoulish images of Goya and the Anglo-Swiss painter Fuseli, and ending with the nightmarish paintings of German surrealist Max Ernst. Of the 13 essays, the first 3 are prefatory in nature. The catalogue takes up the next seven essays, which are chronologically arranged and lavishly illustrated. Many of the artists (Blake, Gericault, Friedrich, Munch) will be familiar to American readers; thus, the value of the book is in its introduction of relatively unknown artists (Klinger, Delville, Kubin, Mellery, Khnopff), whose work has been discussed in less accessible publications. Equally important are the three last essays, which are devoted to exploring the grisly themes of decadence and death in opera, literature, and cinema. This is an important supplement to the conventional reading of the movement. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers. L. R. Matteson formerly, University of Southern California