Neoclassical Art
"The Art of The French Revolution"
1750-1850
Description and Origins of the Neoclassic Art Movement
The heart of Neo-Classical movement was centered in Rome, where expatriate artists congregated around the flamboyant German classical archaeologist and art critic Johann Joachim Wincklemann. Winckelmann gushed about the "noble simplicity and quiet grandeur” of Greek sculpture, which he believed to be the most perfect beauty ever created by human hands, and recommended that artists emulate these classical forms. The period is called neoclassical because its artists looked back to the art and culture of classical Greece and Rome.
Wincklemann wrote about roman archeological excavations and touted the homoeroticism of Greco-Roman art, writing explicit descriptions erotic male sculptures from Classical Antiquity thereby encouraging an interest in Greek antiquities. According to Winckelmanns biographer, Walter Pater, "his affinity with Hellenism was not merely intellectual, that the subtler threads of temperament were inwoven in it, is proved by his romantic, fervent friendships with young men. He has known, he says, many young men more beautiful than Guido’s archangel. These friendships, bringing him into contact with the pride of human form, and staining the thoughts with its bloom, perfected his reconciliation to the spirit of Greek sculpture. "
Neoclassical art is
characterized by its
classical form and
structure, clarity, and
to an degree, realism.
More than just a
classical revival,
Neo-Classicism was
directly connected to
contemporary political
events. Neo-Classical
artists at first wanted
to supplant the
eroticism and frivolity
of the Rococo style with
a style that was orderly
and serious in
character. French
Neoclassism painters
emphasis's patriotism,
as well as a sense of
civility and
honorableness. The
movement was
particularly connected
with the beliefs of the
French Revolution and
was seen as
anti-aristocratic. The
fantasy-based
aristocratic art of the
Rococo
seemed an insult
upon the rights of men and
was vilified by critics
and the general public. In an age of sweeping revolution and transformation Neoclassicism
became the art of
change.
French painter Jacques-Louis David was infatuated with the former grandeur of Rome and even painted the tiny, pudgy Napoleon as a magnificent warrior astride a white stallion. Mythology, folklore, legends, and the calm grandeur of a bygone era were all favored themes for Neoclassical painters.
Principle Artists of the Neoclassical Period
James Barry Irish, 1741-1806
Antonio Canova
Italian, 1757-1822
Jacques-Louis David
French, 1748-1825
Jules Elie
Delaunay French, 1828-1891
Francois Gerard
French, 1770-1837
Antoine-Jean Gros
French, 1771-1835
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres French, 1780-1867
Angelica
Kauffmann Swiss, 1741-1807
Rembrandt Peale
American, 1778-1860
Bertel
Thorvaldsen Danish, 1770-1844
John Trumbull
American, 1756-1843
Elisabeth
Vigee-Lebrun French, 1755-1842
Benjamin West
American, 1738-1820
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