Far and away one of my favorite artistic styles and among the only paintings within the Louvre that were worth taking a second glance at, Romanticism evokes within people something hard to perfectly describe without perturbing its delicate nature. Of course there is beauty, but this is but a novice analysis of something as profound as, say, Thomas Cole's four part "The Voyage of Life", whose elicited emotions can almost not be put into words. undefinedIngenious is this particular example in its relatability, an allegory for all human life. Beginning at the head of a river emerging from a cave, the boat makes its way into youth where the boy is eager to move towards a vague but righteous goal, no longer with the aid of the angel, a deep contrast to the humbled and groveling man whose end has grown near, a fate, sad though it may be, that everyone in one sense or another has or will have shared. But such specifics are beside the point. Romanticism is at its core something that yields from its viewer, listener, reader, ect. a feeling that makes the heart ache, though not exactly in a detrimental way, as there exists a stark difference between yearning and despair, two halves of an anxious sphere. Is that then what it is? Anxiety at one's sudden realization that this romantic piece presented before you possesses far greater grandeur than your own life can reciprocate? To me this seems the closest to what is 'romantic', a thing which provokes a fire within to become great, to, if possible, reach that vague but righteous goal before youth is shed off for adulthood and that for senility. And in this way, as with "The Voyage of Life", there is an infinite number of possible impressions that one can walk away with, though of course the artist may have only one in mind. Enter James Cameron's Avatar. Itself a cinematographic masterpiece, the film was among the first of its kind to transcend the worry of achieving an accurate depiction of what had before only been perfectly played out in a director's mind. Shackled no more to such (now novel) restrictions, James Cameron was able to delve into the romantic of his field in a way never before attempted. Anyone can tell you Avatar is an emotional roller-coaster, with all the downs to accent the ups, and in that sense it is clear that the director has succeeded in achieving something pure, something which cannot at times be put into words. How can you describe the way your heart beat as the protagonist took his flight atop a banshee, the way you couldn't blink when Tsu'tey assaulted the Valkyrie? Immersion unto this experience is in part to thank for what I believe to be a connection that goes far beyond the suspension of disbelief. It strikes you at the core of what we hold in our hearts, our minds to be romantic. To go to a place of supreme alienation, far from the world you know now, to forget what it means to be a human and become 'reborn' as a being of simpler existence? Therein lies what so entices, so mystifies the audiences. You were not aware there was such an option! And for the foreseeable future, it won't be. But the possibility, that the grandeur of nobility, of simplicity is capable of coming into being on a screen many feet from your eyes is evidence enough that there is something better out there.

~I think at this point I must digress and note that when I say better, of course that in itself is a romantic statement open to the interpretation of whoever is reading it. No my life nor yours should come to a screeching hault because of something of even this gravity. All I wish to point out is that underlying all human wants and needs exists a desire to be rid of all wants and needs, the ultimate want if you will. There is great peace to be found in simplicity.~

Then what is this fire that rages on inside without aid which cannot be with any methods extinguished? A realized sense of yearning that exists within everyone to find something greater, grander, than is currently available. But "The Voyage of Life" rings true for us all and there exists no exceptions to that particular piece of romanticism. All must in due time face the end of their river towards the sea of eternity. Now then, what are you waiting for? Go for God's sake, go and be greater!

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest, please ignore me >_<