The Romantic Revolution

Art expert Simon Schama explores the elixir of rebellion and the idea that imaginative passion can create an art for the people. Though the Romantic period was one of bloodshed, revolution and terror, extraordinary works by William Blake and Mary Wollstonecraft leapt out of the tumult. Contemporary thinkers and artists explore how these ideas are still integral to our cultural lives.

Historian Simon Schama explains how the Romantics, driven by the failures of the French revolution and horrors of the industrial revolution, retreated from public life to take a journey into their own minds. He investigates the strange, unsettling images created by Victor Hugo as well as Thomas de Quincey's opium-fueled exploration of the boundaries of madness.

There has been a resurgence of populist, nationalist movements across the world in recent times. But this is far from a modern phenomenon. The Romantics were also fascinated by the idea of ‘homeland’ and many artists were dedicated to feelings of national belonging. Simon Schama looks at the poetry of Burns, the music of Chopin and the notion of ‘nostalgia’ that was first expressed at this time.