A Change of Heart

During the romantic period, people were idealistic and have optimistic view of everything they sees. They portray romantic heroes, who fought for justice and save the beauty after defeating the bad guys. The heroes were all selfless and brave. However as we move on to the next period after the civil war, people’s view begins to change. Realism begins to rise that people stop being idealistic and think about the present instead of the bright optimistic future. Poets and thinkers started to realize the cruel reality of the world. They viewed civil war as a bloody and merciless battle between brothers instead of victorious battle against one another. As shown on the painting, it illustrated the after math of a seemingly battle at a forte. As the evening approach with the sun setting, we can see that only a single survivor seems to live through the battle holding a torn flag up high on a forte. Ruins of cannons, walls and mud covered the background, showing the ugliness of war. This painting is an excellent example in showing how Americans started to shift into realism, realizing that war don’t tends to be as heroic as many books portrayed. We live in a cruel world that many things tend to turn out to be negative.