Neoclassicism vs. Romanticism
Romanticism
vs.
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism
neoclassicism cont.
The Raft of Medusa
Jean Auguste Dominique
- Studied and copied classical sculpture
- New style of art based on the art of Greece and Rome, this style had been born in the late 18th century
- When buried ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum were found in the 1730s and 1740s the world gained a renewed interest in the classical period and art forms
- Used classical forms to express their ideas on courage, sacrifice, and love of country
- Exhibits of art created by academy members were called salons. they were social events which aimed to create interest in controversy
- Characterized by balanced compositions, following contour lines, noble gestures and expression
Neoclassicism
Romanticism
- Gericault's energetic handling of paint and the rousing scene of this titanic struggle initiated the Romantic era in French which launched Romanticism.
- Was based on the shipwreck of a government ship called the Medusa. The ship was carrying French colonists headed towards Senegal when it sank off the coast of Africa due to the incompetence of the captain.
- The captain and crew took over the lifeboats and towed a makeshift raft piled with 149 passengers. Eventually the rope was cut, leaving the immigrants stranded at sea for 12 days suffering unspeakable torments. Only 15 lived.
- Gericault interviewed the survivors like a reporter, hearing their tales of starvation, madness and cannibalism.
- For authenticity he studied the corpses, sketched decapitated heads and faces of the victims, and built a model raft in his studio.
- The theme of this painting involves the “struggle for survival” that not only captures the past but contemporary reality.
- The painting’s fame broke down the strong influence of the Classical Academy, and conformed French art to stress emotion rather than intellect.
- French neoclassical painter
- Ingres's portraits, both painted and drawn, that were recognized as his greatest legacy
- Ingres is considered one of the last Neoclassical painters. When his life ended, so did the movement
- Considered himself the protector of French academic orthodoxy, and fought against the rising popularity of Romanticism
Values: Order, solemnity
Tone: Calm, rational
Subjects: Greek and Roman history, mythology
Technique: Stressed drawing with lines, not color; no trace of brushstrokes
Role of Art: Morally uplifting, inspirational
Founder: David
Values: intuition, emotion, imagination
Inspiration: Medieval and Baroque eras, Middle and far east.
Tone: subjective, spontaneous, nonconformist
Subjects: legends, exotica, nature, violence.
Genres: narratives of heroic struggle, landscapes, wild animals.
Techniques: quick brush strokes, strong light-and-shade contrasts
Composition: use of diagonal
Jacques Louis David
Eugene Delacroix
Snow Storm: Steam Boat off of Harbour's Mouth
- One of the first artists to work in the neoclassical style. He was involved in politics, and he was a skilled painter
- David became a court painter
- Painted the death of Marat as a tribute to Jean Paul Marat
- Admired noble simplicity and calm beauty of the greek art , he tried to capture this in this paintings
- Was a French Romantic artist
- His use of expressive brushstrokes and his study of the optical effects of colour profoundly shaped the work of the Impressionists
- lithography was also incorporated into his work
- orphan at age 16
- On a trip to Rome, when he first saw Classical art, David had a breakthrough vision
- He excitedly began to draw body parts from every antique sculpture he encountered saying, “I want to work in a pure Greek style.”
- David went to jail and became head of the Napoleon's art program since he was adaptable and a talented painter
- During this period his colours became brighter and he never let his paint strokes show.
- His paintings have a tight, smooth, glossy finish
- For three decades his art was the official model for what French and European art was supposed to be
- Oil paint on canvas
- Shows a steam-boat at the heart of the vortex of a storm
- Theme of dreadful catastrophe
- Turner was able to grasp the nature of the storm better than many other artists
The Raft of Medusa
(1818-1819)
La Grande Odalisque
(1814)
Theodore Gericault
- In his private life he was an archetypal Romantic who dedicated himself to a life of passion.
- He seemed to have no concern for his own well-being. “Safety last” would have been his motto.
- He was called a madman and was banned by Louvre, Paris for brawling in the Grande Galerie.
- Fascinated by horses he died at the age of 32 after a series of riding accidents.
La Grande Odalisque
The Oath of Horatio
The Death of Marat
(1793)
- Oil paint on canvas
- Ingres portrays a courtesan in leisurely pose as seen from behind with distorted proportions
- Her body has been manipulated by the artist for the purpose of visual pleasure, both for the artist and the viewer
Liberty Leading The People
(1827)
- This painting includes three brothers who swear to defeat their enemies or die for Rome.
- Illustrates a new mood of self-sacrifice instead of self-indulgence
- Demonstrates the difference between old and new by contrasting the men’s straight, rigid contours with the curved, soft shapes of the women
- Each figure is arranged like a statue, spot-lit against the plain background of Roman arches
- David ensured historical accuracy by dressing dummies in Roman costumes and helmets he created, that he could then copy
- Marked the death or Rococo and the birth of Neoclassical art which should, David said, “Contribute forcefully to the education of the public.”
Snow Storm: Steam Boat off of Harbour's Mouth
(1842)
The Oath of Horatio
(1784)
Romanticism
The Death of Marat
Liberty Leading The People
Joseph Turner
- Techniques used highlighted the differences between the romantic approach and the neoclassical style
- When the French government bought the painting, officials deemed its glorification of liberty too “inflammatory” and removed it from public view
- Tribute to Jean Paul Marat
- Marat's assassination, a young women stabs him in the bath while he is signing her petition
- Marat suffered from a skin condition. Which caused him to take medical baths
- Romanticism, first defined as an aesthetic in literary criticism
- 1800
- Offers an alternative to the ordered world of Enlightenment thought
- Result of the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789
- Focused on emotions, feelings, and moods of all kinds including spirituality, imagination, mystery and fervor
- British Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist, and print maker
- Artistic style can be said to have laid the foundation for Impressionism
- Regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivaling history painting
- His works of art bridged the gap between "traditional" art and Modernism.