Revolution and art. George Sand and Richard Wagner toward the Springtime of the Peoples

This article shows two opposite reactions to the revolutionary events of 1848‐1849. For George Sand June Days meant the end of dreams of the social revolution whereas for Richard Wagner, who was a participant of the Dresden Revolution of 1849, they became the direct inspiration to outline the utopian project of the art revolution. The rejection of the idea of revolution inclines George Sand to the concept of evolution which would lead to the social republic in the future. Richard Wagner, by contrast, in his essay ‘Art and Revolution’ supports the idea of the revolution based on art. This turnaround, which in fact is evolutionary, shall lead to the political and esthetic development as well as to the inception of the ‘artistic humanity’