CHAPTER 7: The Art of the Neoclassic and Romantic Period

NEOCLASSICISM (1750-1850)
● What is the simple meaning of Neoclassical?
The word neoclassic came from the Greek word neos meaning “ new” and the Latin word
classicus which is similar in meaning to the English phrase ”first class”.
: of, relating to, or constituting a revival or adaptation of the classical especially in literature,
music, art, or architecture.
● The Neoclassical movement coincided with the 18th century Age of Reason also known as the Age of
Enlightenment.The art style in this period was brought about by the renewed interest in Greek and
Roman classics.
● Neoclassicism in the arts is an aesthetic attitude based on the art of Greece and Rome in antiquity,
which invokes harmony, clarity, restraint, universality, and idealism.
● Neoclassical art pieces such as paintings, sculpture and architecture generally portrayed Roman
history which elevated the Roman heroes.
Additional Info:
● Rococo painting, which originated in early 18th century Paris, is characterized by soft colors and curvy
lines, and depicts scenes of love, nature, amorous encounters, light-hearted entertainment, and youth.
● The father of Rococo painting was Jean Antoine Watteau (French, 1684–1721)

● CHARACTERISTICS:
Portrayal of Roman history
Formal composition
The use of diagonals to show the peak of an emotion or moment (versus a regular moment)
Local color
Overall lighting
Classical geo-structure

Be careful not to interchange the two terms.

Classical refers to the art forms produced in antiquity or inspired by it afterward, while Neoclassical
refers to the art forms inspired by ancient times, but created later.

NEOCLASSICAL PAINTING
● In 1780`s a purer school of Neoclassical art developed in France.
● Neoclassical artists embraced the ideals of order and moderation in which artistic interpretations of
classical Greek and Roman history were restored to realistic portrayals. Neoclassical painters gave
great importance to the costumes, setting, and details of classical subject matter without adding
distracting details but with as much historical accuracy as possible.
● There are a number of neoclassical artists from Europe and the United States.

FAMOUS NEOCLASSICAL PAINTERS AND THEIR WORKS:

JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID(1748- 1825) FRANCE

● Jacques -Louis David was an influential French painter in the
Neoclassical style and considered to be the preeminent painter of the era .
● He drew rousing subjects in paintings from Roman History.
 EXAMPLES OF ARTWORKS:

● Oath of the Horatii(1784)

● Oath of the Horatii, oil painting by French artist

Jacques-Louis David that was completed in 1785. The work,
depicting a scene from Roman legend, created a sensation
when it debuted and remains one of the best-known
Neoclassical paintings.
● In a composition inspired by classical relief sculpture,
the three Horatii brothers of Rome swear an oath before their
father. They vow to fight to the death against their three
cousins, the Curiatii of Alba Longa, in order to settle a dispute
between the two cities with minimum bloodshed.
● In the painting, the three brothers express their loyalty
and solidarity with Rome before battle, wholly supported by their father.

● The Death of Marat (1793)

● Jacques-Louis David, Death of Marat, 1793, oil on

canvas, Royal Museum, Brussels
● Marat was a leader of the French Revolution, who
was stabbed in his bathtub by Charlotte Corday, a more
moderate revolutionary who denounced the killing of the king
● Suffering from skin cancer, Marat took baths for
hours to relieve the itch; he is not shown with the effects of
cancer except for his turban soaked in vinegar, thought to have
been a cure
● His desk is set up in the tub so he can do work;
killed at the moment of issuing a letter of condolences. Killed with a butcher knife with blood still
on the handle.
● The art elements like color, texture, line, shape, form, and space were applied and utilized.

● The Lictors Bringing to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons (1789)

● Brutus took on unexpected new meanings:

virtue and sacrifice; the violence and courage needed to overthrow
tyrannical kings and maintain liberty; vigilance, loyalty, treason and
death.
● On a canvas of 146 square feet, this
painting was first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1789.
 JEAN- AUGUSTE-DOMINIQUE INGRES (1780 -1867) FRANCE
● Ingres was a pupil of Jacques-Louis David.
● He was influenced by Italian Renaissance painters like
Raphael, Nicolas Pousin, Botticelli, and his mentor, Jacques-Louis David.
● His paintings were usually nudes, portraits, and mythological
themes.
● He was regarded as one of the great exemplars of academic
art and one of the finest Old Masters of his era.

EXAMPLES OF ARTWORKS:

● La Grande Odalisque (1814)

● Odalisque refers to a female slave or member of a

harem.
● It is Ingres' second major female nude, after the
Valpincon Bather (1808). Like its sister, it represents the idea of
femininity - the unchanging and eternal 'feminine ideal' - rather
than a real live woman.
● The design of a painting is its visual format: the
arrangement of its lines, shapes, colors, tones, and textures
into an expressive pattern.

● Portrait of Madame Moitessier (1844-1856)

● The pose of Madame Moitessier with the hand touching her cheeks
is derived from Herculaneum, an ancient Roman fresco of a goddess. To
Ingres, Madame Moitessier represented the ideal of classical beauty.

● ANGELICA KAUFFMAN (1741-1807)

○ Remembered primarily as a history painter, Kauffmann was
a skilled portraitist, landscape and decoration painter.
○ Kauffman is a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a
successful career in London and Rome.
 EXAMPLES OF ARTWORKS:

● Self Portrait (1787)

● Self Portrait is a Neoclassical Oil on Canvas Painting.

● In 1787, she painted, Self-Portrait Hesitating Between Painting and
Music, in which she emphasizes the difficult choice she had faced in
choosing painting as her sole career, in dedication to her mother's death.

● ANTON RAPHAEL MENGS (1728-1779)

○ German painter, active in Dresden, Rome, and Madrid, who
while painting in the Rococo period of the mid-18th century became one of
the precursors to Neoclassical painting, which replaced Rococo as the
dominant painting style in Europe.

EXAMPLES OF ARTWORKS:

● Parnassus (1750s-1760s)
○ a fresco painting by the Italian High
Renaissance with a width at base 670 cm.
○ Parnassus is the place of the Oracle of Delphi,
the center of the Greek World. Apollo in the center plays
music with a modern musical instrument
○ Parnassus is a mountain in central Greece
where (according to Greek mythology) the Muses lived.

● ANNE-LOUIS GIRODET DE ROUSSY-TRIOSON (1767-1824)

○ A was a French painter and pupil of Jacques-Louis David, who
participated in the early Romantic movement
○ He is a painter whose works exemplify the first phase of
Romanticism in French art.
 EXAMPLES OF ARTWORKS:

● The Burial of Atala (1808)

● Atala tells the story of a Christian girl, Atala, who fell in love
with a Natchez Indian, Chatcas. However, this threatens her
obligation to her vow of chastity. Atala ultimately chooses to poison
herself as a resolution to the struggle between love and the duties of
her faith.

● THE PENITENT MARY MAGDALENE (1752)

○ Mary Magdalen, who renounced the pleasures of the flesh for a
life of penance and contemplation. She is shown with a mirror, symbol of vanity;
a skull, emblem of mortality; and a candle that probably references her spiritual
enlightenment.

Conclusions:
Neoclassical painters gave great importance to the costumes, setting, and details of classical subject
matter without adding distracting details but with as much historical accuracy as possible. Overall, Neoclassical
landscape, history compositions, and portraiture have classical themes that highlight the ideal of simplicity and
balance , logic and order and realism and clarity. Neoclassical style gave emphasis to reason and order and
this emphasis led people to enlightenment, helping them find more meaning, purpose and direction by
following the laws of nature. Also, aspired to the attitude based on the art of Greece and Rome in antiquity,
which invokes harmony, clarity, restraint, universality, and idealism.

REFLECTION:
Make a reflection with a minimum of 3 sentences for each question:
1. What can you say about the Neoclassical Period?
2. What are the characteristics of Neoclassical paintings?
3. Do you like the artwork? Why or why not?
NEOCLASSICAL SCULPTURE
● The Neoclassical period was one of the great ages of public sculpture. Artists looked to Roman styles
during the time of Alexander the Great for inspiration as well as to mimic their style.
● It was also assumed the ancient preferred unpainted sculpture; because the painted on the marbles
came off over time.
Characteristics of Sculpture:
Classical tradition: Mythology, portraits,commemorative arches
Desire for the realism
Wrapped in robes but in more realistic contemporary poses
Carved from white marble with no paint added

FAMOUS NEOCLASSICAL SCULPTORS AND THEIR WORKS:

● ANTONIO CANOVA (1757-1822)

● Canova was a prolific Italian artist and sculptor who became famous for
his marble sculptures that delicately rendered nude flesh.
● He opened the idea for portraying discrete sexual pleasures by using
pure contours with his mythological compositions.

EXAMPLES OF ARTWORKS:

● Napoleon (1808-1811)
○ Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker is a colossal heroic nude statue by
the Italian artist Antonio Canova.
○ He holds a gilded Nike or Victory standing on an orb in his right hand
and a staff in his left.
○ Medium: White marble (probably Carrara).
○ Stands 3.45 meters to the raised left hand.

● Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss (1793)

○ It represents the god Cupid in the height of love and
tenderness, immediately after awakening the lifeless Psyche with a
kiss.
○ It is made of a marble sculpture made with measures
155 x 168 x 101 centimeters between 1787 and 1793 by Antonio
Canova.
 ● Jean Pigalle (1714- 1785)
● He was a French sculptor whose work was influenced by both
baroque and neoclassical trends.

EXAMPLES OF ARTWORKS:

● Voltaire(1770-1776)
● Common themes pervade his work: liberty, progress, and equality are
discussed at length and in depth in many of Voltaire's books and pamphlets.
● Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher,
who attacked the Catholic Church and advocated freedom of religion, freedom
of expression, and separation of church and state

● Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823)

● He was a sculptor from London generally considered to be the finest
British sculptor of the late 18th century.

EXAMPLES OF ARTWORKS:

● Venus(1773)
● Venus, goddess of beauty and love in ancient mythology.
● Venus, here carved in a satiny white marble and in the greatest state of
undress
 ● John Flaxman (1755-1826)
● As the Royal Academy's first Professor of Sculptor, Flaxman found
fame through his illustrations of Homer and Dante's legendary tales.

EXAMPLES OF ARTWORKS:

● Admiral Horatio Nelson (1808)

● Flaxman designed this monument to Lord Nelson around the themes of
bravery and patriotism.
● Nelson went on to become Vice-Admiral of the British Navy and was a
leader in the Napoleonic and Revolutionary wars in France. Losing his arm and
an eye in battle, his courage and knowledge of the sea led the British press to
celebrate him as a national hero.

● Bertel Thorvaldsen(1789-1838)
● He was the first internationally acclaimed Danish artist. He executed
sculptures of mythological characters.
● Most characteristic sculptures are reinterpretations of the figures or
themes of Classical antiquity.

EXAMPLES OF ARTWORKS:

● Cupid and Psyche (1796-1797)

● The Story Psyche is so beautiful that the jealous goddess Venus
commands her son Cupid to make her fall in love with an unworthy man.
However, Cupid falls in love with Psyche himself.
 ● Perseus and the Head of Medusa(1797-1801)
● Because the gaze of Medusa turned all who looked at her to stone,
Perseus guided himself by her reflection in a shield given him by Athena and
beheaded Medusa as she slept.

REFLECTION:
Make a reflection with a minimum of 3 sentences for each question:
1. What are the characteristics of the Neoclassical sculptures?
2. How do the artists convey their ideas to their artworks?

NEOCLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE

Brief History of Neoclassical Architecture

Neoclassical architecture is a style that started in the mid-18th century. It turns away from the grandeur
of Rococo style and the Late Baroque. In its purest form, Neoclassical architecture is a style principally derived
from the architecture of Classical Greece and Rome and the architecture of the Italian architect Andrea
Palladio.

Neoclassical Architecture Characteristics:

Clean and elegant lines
simplicity of geometric forms
grandeur of scales
Columns support the weights of the structures

Three Main Types of Neoclassical Architecture

1. TEMPLE STYLE
Temple style building features a design based on an ancient temple. These buildings were uncommon
during the Renaissance; architects of that period focused mainly on applying classical elements to churches
and modern buildings like palazzos and villas.
Many temple style buildings feature a peristyle (a continuous line of columns around a building), a
rare feature of Renaissance architecture.
2. PALLADIAN
Palladian building is based on Andrea Palladio‟s style of villa construction. Some of the buildings
feature a balustrade which is a railing with vertical supports along the edge of the roof. There are vertical
supports within a balustrade known as “balusters” or spindles”. It is also a classical method of crowning a
building that has a flat or low lying roof.
ROBERT ADAM (1728-1792) Britain He is the most famous Palladian architect of the Neoclassical who
designed many fine country houses.
3. CLASSICAL BLOCK
 The building features a rectangular or square plan, with a flat (or roof and an exterior rich in
classical detail.) The exterior features a repeated classical pattern or series of arches and/or columns. The
overall impression of such a building is a huge, classically-decorated rectangular block.
Classical block aesthetic is also known as “Beaux-Arts style”, since it was developed principally by
the French École des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts).
Classical block architecture also flourished in the United States, particularly in New York.
Architects:
1. HENRI LABROUSTE - his masterpiece is the Library of Sainte-Geneviève.
2. CHARLES GARNIER - designed the most famous classical block of all which is the Palais Garnier, a
Neobaroque opera house

Example of Famous Neoclassical Architecture

Most famous Temple Style buildings of the Neoclassical age:

1. Panthéon, Paris, by Jacques-Germain Soufflot --Greek-based

The Panthéon is a cruciform building with a high dome over the
crossing and lower saucer-shaped domes (covered by a sloping roof )
over the four arms. The facade, like that of the Roman Pantheon, is
formed by a porch of Corinthian columns and triangular pediment
attached to the ends of the eastern arm.

2. British Museum, London, by Robert Smirke --Roman-based.

With its four vast wings, 43 Greek temple inspired columns,
triangular pediment and enormous steps, it's certainly not what you'd
expect to see in central London.

The most famous of all Palladian buildings are two American civic buildings designed by Robert Adam:
These mansions illustrate that while Palladian architecture shares certain basic features, (derived from the
villas of Palladio) it takes diverse forms.

1. White House- The overall effect of Adam Style buildings, with their
balance and symmetry, was much lighter. Details and decorations were
both delicate and beautiful.

2. United States Capitol- This architectural style is inspired by

ancient Greek and Roman designs. Some of the trademark elements
of the Neoclassical architectural style include tall columns, domed roofs, symmetrical and geometric designs,
and grand scale.

Classical Block Building

1. Library of Sainte-Geneviève- The large (278 by 69 feet)

two-storied structure filling a wide, shallow site is deceptively simple in
plan: the lower floor is occupied by stacks to the left, rare-book storage
and office space to the right, with a central vestibule and stairway leading
to the reading room which fills the entire upper story.

2. The Palais Garnier is considered a combination of Neo-Baroque

and Second Empire Beaux-Arts design and is filled with sculptures,
ornamentation, and lavish embellishments. The exterior of the building
looks almost the same from all sides and features columns and
sculptures of famous composers.

REFLECTION:
Make a reflection with a minimum of 3 sentences for each question:
1. What can you say about Neoclassical architecture?
2. What are the characteristics of each of the different styles of Neoclassical buildings?
3. Give some example of buildings that has the influences of the architectural style of Neoclassicism in our
country