Slide 1 : Neo-Classicism By: Ms. Susan M. PojerHorace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY
Slide 2 : Overview of Neo-Classicism Art produced in Europe and North America from the mid-18c to the early 19c.
More than just an antique revival ? a reaction against the surviving Baroque & Rococo styles.
Linked to contemporary political events:
Revolutions established republics in France and in America. [Neo-Classicism was adapted as the official art style].
Association with the democracy of Greece and the republicanism of Rome.
Napoleon ? used the style for propaganda.
Slide 3 : Origins of
Neo-Classical
Art
Slide 4 : 1. Excavations of the Ruins of Italian Cities Herculaneum in 1738. Pompeii in 1748.
Slide 5 : 2. Publication of Books on Antiquity James Stuart & Nicholas RevertAntiquities in Athens: 1762-1816.
Slide 6 : 3. Arrival of the Elgin Marbles Thomas Bruce,7th Lord of ElginBritish Museum, 1806 From the top façade of the Parthenon in Athens.
Slide 7 : 4. Johann Winckelmann’s Artists Circle German art historian. Artists should “imitate” the timeless, ideal forms of the classical world.
A circle of international artists gathered about him in the 1760s in Rome.
Slide 8 : Characteristics of Neo-Classicism Return to the perceived “purity” of the arts of Rome.
Model the “ideal” of the ancient Greek arts and, to a lesser, extent, 16c Renaissance classicism.
A conviction that there is a permanent, universal way things are (and should be), which obviously entails fundamental political and ethical commitments.
Sometimes considered anti-modern or even reactionary.
Slide 9 : Neo-Classical
Architecture
Slide 10 : Robert Adam Scottish architect & designer Syon House1760s Syon HouseThe Red Salon
Slide 11 : Claude Nicholas Ledoux Designed a pavilion in 1771 for the Comtesse du Barry at Louveciennes. Designed a series of city gates for Paris (1785-1789).
Slide 12 : Claude Nicholas Ledoux Rotunde de la Villette, Paris
Slide 13 : John Wood “The Royal Crescent [Circus]” at Bath, England (1754).
Slide 14 : The “Empire Style”: Charles Percier & Pierre François Léonard Fontaine Napoleon’s official architects.
They remade Paris in the intimidating opulence of Roman imperial architectural style.
Slide 15 : Greek-Inspired Architecture Bank of England RotundaSir John Soane, 1796 British Museum PorticoSir Robert Smirke,1823-1847
Slide 16 : The “Federal Style” in America 1780 – 1820.
Thomas Jefferson’s influence. Monticello, VA University of VA U. S. Capitol
Slide 17 : The “Greek Revival Style” in America Second Bank of the USPhiladelphia, 1824
Slide 18 : Neo-Classical
Painting
Slide 19 : “Parnassus”Anton Raphael Mengs, 1761 Mengs was the leading artist of early Neo-Classicism.
Slide 20 : “The Oath of Brutus”Gavin Hamilton, 1767 The oath was sworn as a promise of individual revenge against a corrupt monarchy.
Slide 21 : “The Death of Socrates”Jacques-Louis David, 1787 The death of Socrates was a symbol of republican virtue.
Slide 22 : “The Oath of the Horatii”Jacques-Louis David, 1784 A depiction of dutiful patriotism.
Slide 23 : “The Consecration of Napoleon & Josephine”Jacques-Louis David, 1805-1807 A very different theme:The celebration of worldly splendor and power.
Slide 24 : “The Apotheosis of Homer”Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1827 This assembly of great artists and writers of all ages gathered to honor the ancient Greek poet before a classical temple.
Slide 25 : “Romulus—Victory over Acron”Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1812 Painted for Napoleon’s palace in Rome.
Slide 26 : “The Sabine Women”Jean Auguste Ingres, 1799
Slide 27 : Neo-Classical
Sculpture
Slide 28 : Neo-Classical Sculpture Profoundly influenced by ancient art since the Renaissance.
Neo-Classical sculptors avoided the dramatic twisting poses and colored marble surfaces characteristic of late Baroque and Rococo sculpture.
They preferred:
Crisp contours.
A noble stillness.
Idealized white marble forms.
Slide 29 : Antonio Canova “Apollo Crowning Himself,” 1781 “Perseus with the Head of Medusa,” 1804-1806
Slide 30 : Antonio Canova “Paulina Bonaparte,” 1808 “Hercules”
Slide 31 : Bertel Thorvaldsen “Jason,”1803-1823 “Adonis,” 1808-1832
Slide 32 : Neo-Classical
Decorative Arts
Slide 33 : Furniture The furniture designs used Greco-Roman motifs.
Became known as style étrusque [“Etruscan style”] in France.
Were favored by the court of Louis XV and later by Napoleon I.
Slide 34 : Josiah Wedgwood Greek vases found in excavations became models for this new type of ceramics.
Slide 35 : Neo-Classicism Continued Into the 19c and Beyond…. By the mid-19s, several European cities were transformed into veritable museums of Neo-Classical architecture. Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Buckingham Palace, London The Gate of Alcala, Madrid
Slide 36 : American Renaissance” Movement A Neo-Classical expression in Beaux-Arts architecture. Lincoln Memorial American Museum of Natural History National Gallery of Art
Slide 37 : The “Sunset” of Neo-Classicism Sir Edwin Lutyan ? a monumental city plan for New Delhi during the British Raj. Rashtrapati Bhavan[President’s House] India Gate Monument