6/22/2016
(2) Neoclassicism, an introduction | Neo-Classicism | Baroque to Neoclassical art in Europe | Baroque to Neoclassical art in Europe | Khan Academy
Neoclassicism, an introduction
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Nicolas Poussin, Et in Arcadia Ego, 1637-38, oil on canvas, 185 cm ×
121 cm (72.8 in × 47.6 in) (Louvre)
In opposition to the frivolous sensuality of Rococo
painters like Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François
Boucher, the Neoclassicists looked back to the French
painter Nicolas Poussin for their inspiration (Poussin's
work exemplifies the interest in classicism in French art
of the 17th century ). The decision to promote
"Poussiniste" painting became an ethical consideration—
they believed that strong drawing was rational, therefore
morally better. They believed that art should be cerebral,
not sensual. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/neo-classicism/a/neoclassicism-an-introduction
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The Neoclassicists, such as Jacques-Louis David
(pronounced Da-VEED), preferred the well-delineated
form—clear drawing and modeling (shading). Drawing
was considered more important than painting. The
Neoclassical surface had to look perfectly smooth—no
evidence of brush-strokes should be discernable to the
naked eye. France was on the brink of its first revolution in 1789, and
the Neoclassicists wanted to express a rationality and
seriousness that was fitting for their times. Artists like
David supported the rebels through an art that asked for
clear-headed thinking, self-sacrifice to the State (as
inOath of the Horatii) and an austerity reminiscent of
Republican Rome. Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784 (salon of 1785) oil on
canvas, 3.3 x 4.25m (Louvre)
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/neo-classicism/a/neoclassicism-an-introduction
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Neo-classicism was a child of the Age of Reason (the
Enlightenment), when philosophers believed that we
would be able to control our destinies by learning from
and following the laws of nature (the United States was
founded on Enlightenment philosophy). Scientific inquiry
attracted more attention. Therefore, Neoclassicism
continued the connection to the Classical tradition
because it signified moderation and rational thinking but
in a new and more politically-charged spirit (“neo” means
“new,” or in the case of art, an existing style reiterated
with a new twist.)
Neoclassicism is characterized by clarity of form, sober
colors, shallow space, strong horizontal and verticals that
render that subject matter timeless (instead of temporal
as in the dynamic Baroque works), and Classical subject
matter (or classicizing contemporary subject matter).
Essay by Dr. Beth Gersh-Nesic Additional resources:
Neoclassicism on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Nicolas Poussin on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Neo-Classicism
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/neo-classicism/a/neoclassicism-an-introduction
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Neoclassicism, an introduction
David, Oath of the Horatii
David, Oath of the Horatii
David's Oath of the Horatii Quiz
David, The Lictors Returning to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons
David, Study for The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons
Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Marat
David and The Death of Marat
David, The Intervention of the Sabine Women
David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps
Kauffmann, Cornelia Presenting Her Children as Her Treasures
Girodet, The Sleep of Endymion
Canova, Repentant Magdalene
Canova, Paolina Borghese as Venus Victorius
Vignon, Church of La Madeleine
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/neo-classicism/a/neoclassicism-an-introduction
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Soufflot, The Panthéon, Paris
Neoclassicism
David, The Emperor Napoleon in his Study at the Tui
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