Romantic > Architecture > Intro

Romantics became interested in the universal truths underlying the art and culture of the non-European world. Thus, borrowings from the traditions India, China, and the Muslim world were among the hallmarks of Romantic architecture. Greek rather than Roman styles—more fluid lines, narrower and more graceful pillars, ovals and rectangles rather than circles and squares—underlay many Romantic designs. And creating natural or rural retreats, especially for private homes, was an important hallmark of Romantic architecture, linking it to landscape and garden design in the period.