por We explain what neoclassicism is, its historical context, its characteristics, authors and representative works.
What is Neoclassicism?
He neoclassicism It is an artistic movement that began in the 1760s, remaining in force until shortly after 1850, although there are representatives of the style that predate this time and have been classified as neoclassical due to the characteristics of their works.
For neoclassical art, the most important thing was to return to the aesthetic parameters used in the ancient greece and romewhich were based on harmony, moderation and universality.
In general, it can be said that all the art that is inspired by the classical parameters, but that was produced in a post-Greek and Roman era ancient, it is a neoclassical art. The style arose as a way of opposition to the Baroque and Rococo movementswhich predominated in Europe from 1720.
Neoclassicism had a great boost due to the archaeological discoveries that occurred at the same time, in the mid-18th century, particularly the excavation of the Roman cities Herculaneum and Pompeii, events that revived interest in classical cultures.
Origin and historical context of neoclassicism
The neoclassical movement arose in the middle of the 18th centurycriticizing the main baroque and rococo artists of the time, such as the painters Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher, who were interested in exploring other parameters for artistic production, stating that art should be much more rational and less sensual.
Neoclassicism originated as a consequence of enlightenment thought, where reason and thought were fundamental, and science was intended to occupy the place that religious faith had occupied. The discoveries of the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii, ancient Roman cities, in the years 1738 and 1748, respectively, were also important.
Finally, the Industrial Revolution, also started in the 18th century, and the French Revolution were two other determining factors for neoclassical ideas. The artists wanted to express their opinion on the social, economic and political changes derived from these processes, as well as participate in the context of the French rebellion.
General characteristics of Neoclassicism
Mix of aesthetic and technical parameters used in the Greco-Roman art and in European art in the Renaissance period. Artistic creation is taken up again as a reflection of the natural world in which science, mathematics and symmetry intervene.
Seeks differentiate from Rococo and Baroqueemploying a simple, analytical and meticulously planned style, questioning the ornate forms that had characterized previous movements that permeated across Europe.
was trying narrate or tell stories in a rational way, without allowing emotions to influence too much what was being transmitted. For this, the artists relied on science, the laws of nature and avoided fantastic visions or points of view.
In pictorial art and architecture, the search for greatest possible simplicity in lines, shapes and colors, shying away from the elaborate, the overloaded and the visual imbalance. Straight lines and geometric shapes were preferred.
In general, the parameters of neoclassical production were matched with the scientific discoveries, enlightenment ideas and rational analysis of the worldto achieve works and pieces focused on the real environment and not on fantasies or decorative guidelines that did not have a logical foundation.
The artistic production continued an analytical process, based on the scientific methodwhich would allow the use of the best techniques and capture the ideas in a reasonable way and in accordance with all the technological and social changes that were taking place at the time.
HE he rejected vanity and frivolity in which the baroque and rococo artists were immersed. The aim was to get closer to scientific thought and keep up to date with new discoveries in other fields and human disciplines.
Neoclassicism literature
Order, precision and structure were the three fundamental elements.
The authors portrayed the human being as a being full of defects by nature.
Emphasis was placed on self-control, restraint, and common sense.
Conservative thought permeated all literary production.
Among the types of literature common to this movement are parody, essays, satire, letters, fables, melodramas, and rhyming couplets.
It is divided into three periods: the Restoration period (1660-1700), the Augustan era (1700-1745), and the Johnson era (1745-1785).
Special attention was paid to the study of the origin of words or etymology.
Authors of neoclassical literature
Alexander Pope (1688-1744). key works: Translation of The Iliad, pastoral and essay on criticism.
jonathan swift (1667-1745). key works: Gulliver’s Travels and a modest proposition.
daniel defoe (1660-1731). key works: robinson crusoe, Diary of the plague year and a highly revolutionary essay titled About women’s education.
Richard Steele (1672-1729). key works: The funeral and conscious lovers.
samuel johnson (1709-1784). Author who marks the beginning of the second neoclassical era in literature, known as the Johnson era. Key works: The story of Rasselas, prince of abyssinia and The vanity of human desires.
jean de la fontaine (1621-1695). key work: The fables.
Jose Cadalso and Vazquez de Andrade (1741-1782). key works: gloomy nights and moroccan letters.
Charles-Louis de Secondat (Baron de Montesquieu) (1689-1755). key works: Persian letters and Law spirit.
Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) (1694-1778). key works: Fanaticism or Muhammad, candid or optimism, treatise on tolerance and The century of Louis XIV.
Denis Diderot (1713-1784). key works: Philosophical thoughts, the fight for freedom, the nun and The comedian’s paradox.
neoclassicism painting
The main source of inspiration for neoclassical painting was nature and it was chosen to portray it, discarding ugliness and imperfections.
Geometric compositions, balance and symmetry predominated.
Clear and cold lights were used, leaving aside the golden tones.
As for the technique, a refined manufacture was sought, without visible brushstrokes.
Drawing was prioritized and well-defined contours were established in each shaped shape.
The favorite themes revolved around classical antiquity, historical and literary or mythological topics.
The feelings were not shown or appeared very contained, without greater expressiveness.
neoclassical painters
Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825). key works: Seneca’s death, The oath of the Horatii, the death of socrates and Madame Recamier.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867). key works: big bather, the turkish bath and Homer’s Apotheosis.
Maria Anna Angelica Katharina Kauffman (1741-1807). key works: Ariadne abandoned by Theseus, The death of Alcestis and Anna Escher von Muralt.
Fyodor Alekseev (1753-1824). key work: The Moscow foundling hospital.
Joseph Marie Vien (1716-1809). key work: two women in the bathroom.
Marie Gabrielle Capet (1761-1818). Key works: portraits of Madame Adelaide, Madame Victoria and Madame Labille-Guiard.
Christian August Lorentzen (1749-1828). Key works: the battle of copenhagen and the scariest night.
Anthony Canova (1757-1822). key works: study of female figure and three thanks dancing.
Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860). key works: Rubens Peale with a geranieither, George Washington, father of the country and death court.
Sophie Gengembre Anderson (1823-1903). Key works: The time of the lilacs, birdsong, nymph head and At Christmas comes the problem.
neoclassicism sculpture
The sculptures were made directly on white marble without polychrome.
Elegance, harmony and serenity predominated.
There was a great use of the nude, without a connotation of sensuality, which was based on classical proportions.
Predominance of the frontality with meticulously calculated poses.
The sinuous figures characteristic of the Baroque were avoided.
Pictorial backgrounds were not used in the reliefs, giving full prominence to the central figure.
Pure lines with very well defined contours.
neoclassical sculptors
Anthony Canova (1757-1822). In addition to being a painter, this artist also stood out as a sculptor, generating some of his best-known neoclassical pieces. key works: Psyche revived by the master’s kissr, venus victrix, Theseus and the centauroy perseus with the head of medusa.
Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (1714-1785). Key works: Mercury tying the wings, Voltaire nakedoy Statue of a woman removing a thorn from her foot.
Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844). key works: Jason with the Golden Fleece, Ganymede with the eagle of Jupiter and Copernicus.
Thomas Banks (1737-1823). key works: Shakespeare accompanied by Painting and Poetry, Achilles mourning the loss of Briseis and Cupid torments a butterfly.
john flaxman (1755-1826). key works: Mansfield Monument and Lushington Monument.
Lorenzo Bartholini (1777-1850). key works: faith in god, The charity and the Demidoff Monumentmade for the Russian prince Demidoff.
ramon beard (1767-1831). key works: pediment of the main door of the Prado Museum and the medallion representing Velázquez on the facade of the Villanueva Building.
Jose Ginés (1768-1823). key works: Venus and Cupidornamental sculptures in the Puertas de Toledo and the bust of Isabel de Braganza.
Francisco Gutierrez Arribas (1724-1782). key works: Fountain of the Goddess Cibeles, Mausoleum of Fernando VI and piety of the Cathedral of Tarazona.
Damia Campeny i Estrany (1771-1855). Key works: dead lucretia, CleopatraFuente del Viejo and the monument to Galceran Marquet.
Neoclassicism architecture
The sobriety, spaciousness and squared spaces stand out.
It is linked to an urbanism focused on the rational and highly organized.
Materials such as brick and stone are fused, with the columns as decoration.
Structures that recall military triumphs or episodes charged with heroism.
It rejects the excesses that had been committed during the Baroque period.
The architects were inspired by works of the past and their creations were adapted to the needs of their time.
The Pantheon in Rome was one of the constructions that served as a model for many neoclassical buildings.
neoclassical architects
Claude Nicolas Ledoux (1736-1806). Key works: Hôtel d’Hallwyll, Saint-Lambert Pavilion, decoration of the Café Godeau and the Hocquart Pavilion.
Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841). He was a painter and sculptor. key works: Berlin New Guard building, Altes Museum and the Friedrichswerder Church.
Jacques-Germain Soufflot (1713-1780). Key works: the Panthéon in Paris, the Saint-Clair theater in Lyon, the façade of the Hôtel-Dieu in Lyon and the transformations of the Château de Menars.
Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni (1695-1766). Forerunner of…