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Artwork Connection Activity

"Salisburry Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds" by John Constable (1825)

1.)  In this painting, Constable uses a very deliberate focus and detail on the cathedral.  Notice the intricacies in the cathedral in comparison to the rest of the artwork.  Do you see how it draws the eyes towards the center and the cathedral itself?  The Romantic Era had a major focus on the natural and the supernatural (the natural being nature itself).  What in this painting makes it a Romantic painting?

2.)  The Romantic Era also had a focus on the supernatural and the myths of the classical age of Greece and Rome.  While Wagner focused on the German myth (more commonly known as the Norse mythology), the overall drive was towards something idyllic.  This setting is also considered idyllic, how so?

"Bridal Procession in a Spring Landscape" by Adrian Ludwig Richter (1847)

1.)  This painting was done in the mid 19th Century, however it has Renaissance or medieval garments on the characters.  This time period is similar to Wagner's Lohengrin, which takes place during the Middle Ages.  Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral would have occurred in a similar setting as this one depicted in the painting.  What about this painting can you connect to the music in the processional (note the castle in background and the way the music grows towards the end)?

2.)  Create a short story with these characters in the painting.