NEOCLASSICISM

Neoclassicism, 1780-1840

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."

The Western movement in decorative and visual arts was called Neoclassicism. It also applies to
literature, theater, music, and architecture that were influenced by the Classical art and culture of
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

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.

Neoclassical art pieces such as paintings, sculpture, and architecture generally portrayed Roman history
which elevated the Roman heroes.

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

*classic geo-structure.

NEOCLASSICAL PAINTING

Neoclassical artists embraced the ideals of order and moderation in which artistic interpretations of
classic Greek and Roman history were restored to realistic portrayals. Neoclassical painters gave great
importance to the costumes, settings, and details of classical subject-matter without adding distracting
details but with as much historical accuracy as possible.

Neo-classical artists

There are a number of neo-classical artists from Europe and the United States. Below are some of them:

Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) France

Famous Artworks:

The Death of Marat (J. David) image from Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

David's masterpiece shows the portrayal of a revolutionary martyr. This is a painting of the murdered
French revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat.

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.

Famous Artworks:

Self-portrait of JEAN-AUGUSTE-DOMINIQUE INGRES

Image from Musée Condé

Portrait of Napoléon on the Imperial Throne (J. Ingres)image from Musée de l'Armée, Paris, France

The painting depicts Napoleon in his decadent coronation costume, seated upon his golden-encrusted
throne, hand resting upon smooth ivory balls. During his reign, the painting was owned by the Corps
Legislatif which was a part of the French Legislature. The painting was believed to be commissioned by
Napoleon as King of Italy.

NEOCLASSICAL SCULPTURES

The neoclassical period was one of the great ages of public sculpture, Artists looked to Rosical period
was one of the great ander the Great for inspiration as well as to mimic their style.

Neo-classical Sculptors

Antonio Canova (1757-1822) Italy

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.

BERTEL THORVALDSEN (1789-1838) Denmark

Thorvaldsen was the first internationally acclaimed Danish artist. He executed sculptures of mythological
and religious themes characters.

Famous Artworks:

Christ (B. thorvaldsen)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thorvaldsen_Christus.jpg photo taken by IbRasmussen

A marble sculpture image of resurrected Christ currently located at the Thorvaldsen Museum.

Neoclassical Architecture

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

Types of Neoclassical Architecture:

TEMPLE STYLE

Temple style building design was based on an ancient temple. These buildings were uncommon during
the Renaissance as 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.

Most famous Temple Style buildings of the Neoclassical age:

PALLADIAN STYLE

Palladian buildings were 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. One of the famous architects in the era was:

Robert Adam (1728-1792) Britain

He was known as the Palladian architect of the Neoclassical who designed two well-known American
civic buildings - the White House and the United States Capitol. He had also designed many country
houses.
CLASSICAL BLOCK STYLE

The building features a rectangular or square plan, with a flat 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 was a huge, classically-decorated rectangular block.

Classical block aesthetic was 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.

Famous Architects of this architectural style were:

A. Henri Labrouste - His masterpiece is the Library of Sainte-Geneviève.

B. Charles Garnier - He designed the most famous classical block of all which is the Palais Garnier (a
Neobaroque opera house).