Neoclassicism
Started: 1750
Ended: 1850
KEY ARTISTS
 | Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Quick View  Artist Page |
| Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres |  |
| Ingres was one of the last painters of the French Neoclassist tradition, whose charismatic portraits opened the path to the more passionate and modern Romantic movement. Art Story: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Artist Page | ||
 | Jacques Louis David Quick View Artist Page |
| Jacques Louis David | |
| Jacques Louis David was a French neoclassical artist who is best known for his historical, iconic paintings include 'The Oath of the Horatii,' 'The Death of Marat' and 'The Coronation of Napoleon.' Beyond tremendous talent and influence, David proved adept at working with multiple political regimes during the turbulent years of the French Revolution. Art Story: Jacques Louis David Artist Page | ||
 | William-Adolphe Bouguereau Quick View Artist Page |
| William-Adolphe Bouguereau | |
| Bouguereau was a French Academic painter that epitomized the Neoclassical tradition in his idealized bodies and setting. His work was later derided by the Impressionists, who found oldfashined his artistic style and his continued instistance on the Neoclassical approach to art. Art Story: William-Adolphe Bouguereau Artist Page | ||
 | Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun Quick View Artist Page |
| Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun | |
| The portraits by Vigée Le Brun were highly regarded and even Marie Antoinette was a sitter with some portraits scandalous while others more royal. Art Story: Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun Artist Page | ||
 | Jean-Léon Gérôme Quick View Artist Page |
| Jean-Léon Gérôme | |
| Exotic and sometimes scandalous subjects were Gérôme's specialty, and he led Neoclassicism and Orientalism art genres Art Story: Jean-Léon Gérôme Artist Page | ||
 | Arnold Bocklin Quick View Artist Page |
| Arnold Bocklin | |
| Arnold Bocklin was a Symbolist and Romantic Swiss painter whose mythological and fantastical figures are often combined with bizarre subject-matter. Art Story: Arnold Bocklin Artist Page | ||
"There is but one way for the moderns to become great, and perhaps unequalled; I mean by imitating the ancient...especially the Greek arts."
Summary of Neoclassicism
New classics of the highest rank! This was the rallying cry of populations immersed in the 18th century Age of Enlightenment who wanted their artwork and architecture to mirror, and carry the same set of standards, as the idealized works of the Greeks and Romans. In conjunction with the exciting archaeological rediscoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum in Rome, Neoclassicism arose as artists and architects infused their work with past Greco-Roman ideals. A return to the study of science, history, mathematics, and anatomical correctness abounded, replacing the Rococo vanity culture and court-painting climate that preceded.
Key Ideas
Beginnings:
Neoclassicism adopted the hierarchy of painting that was established by the French Royal Academy of the Arts in 1669. History painting, which included subjects from the Bible, classical mythology, and history, was ranked as the top category, followed by portraiture, genre painting, landscapes, and still-lifes. This hierarchy, was used to evaluate works submitted for the Salon or for prizes like the illustrious Prix de Rome, and influenced the financial value of works for patrons and collectors. The works of Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain were revered as the ideal exemplars of history painting, and both artists were primary influences upon Neoclassicism.
Important Art and Artists of Neoclassicism | |
  | Death of General Wolfe (1770)Artist: Benjamin West Artwork description & Analysis: This painting shows the death of Major-General James Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham at the Battle of Quebec in 1759 during the Seven Years' War, known in the United States as the French and Indian War. Wolfe was killed by musket fire in the brief battle as he led the British forces to victory, setting in motion the conquest of Canada from the French. We see him lying on the battlefield as he is surrounded and comforted by a group of officers. His figure, creating the base of a pyramidal grouping that rises to the partially furled flag above, and his pale face are lit up with a Christ-like illumination, making him the visual and emotional center of the work. To the left a group of officers stand in attendance, conveying a distress reminiscent of depictions of the mourning of Christ. In the left foreground, a single Indigenous man sits, his chin in his hand, as if deep in thought. Two more officers on the right frame the scene, while in the background the opposing forces mill, and black smoke from the battlefield and storm clouds converge around the intersecting diagonal of the flag. A sense of drama is conveyed as the battle ends with a singular heroic sacrifice. Oil on canvas - National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada |
 | Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss (1777)Artist: Antonio Canova Artwork description & Analysis: The work draws upon the mythological story of Cupid and Psyche as told in The Golden Ass (c. 180) a Latin novel written by Lucius Apuleius. Venus, the goddess of love, was jealous of Psyche, widely admired for her beauty, and sent her son, Cupid, so that his arrows would make the girl marry the ugliest of men. Instead, Cupid fell in love with her, and, learning that the two were lovers, Venus sent Psyche to bring back a jar containing a "divine beauty" from the underworld. Though instructed to not open the jar, Psyche did so, only to fall into the sleep of the dead, as the jar actually contained the "sleep of innermost darkness." This sculpture depicts the moment when Cupid revives Psyche with a kiss. The flowing lines of Psyche's reclining form are echoed in the drapery that partially covers her, and Cupid's melting embrace. Dubbed in his time as the "sculptor of grace and youth," Canova here creates a sense of heroic and innocent love, triumphing over death itself. Marble - Musée du Louvre, Paris, France |
 | Voltaire (1778)Artist: Jean-Antoine Houdon Artwork description & Analysis: This bust depicts the noted French philosopher and writer, François Marie Arouet de Voltaire, whose wit and intellectual prowess dominated the Neoclassical era. The work is remarkably realistic, its modeling capturing the features of the philosopher toward the end of his life, his thinning hair, the smile lines around his mouth, and his wrinkled brow. Depicted tête nue, or bare-headed without the wig that was fashionable for French aristocrats, the portrait takes on the realism and simplicity of classical Roman busts, allowing the force of the subject's personality to shine forth unimpeded. Houdon captures the sense of Voltaire's shrewd intelligence, as his gaze seems amused with his own interior thoughts. Marble on grey marble socle - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York |
More Neoclassicism Artwork and Analysis:
Content compiled and written by Rebecca Seiferle
Edited and revised, with Synopsis and Key Ideas added by Kimberly Nichols
" Movement Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. . TheArtStory.org
Content compiled and written by Rebecca Seiferle
Edited and revised, with Synopsis and Key Ideas added by Kimberly Nichols
Available from:
First published on 09 Nov 2018. Updated and modified regularly. 
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