Grade 12 Visual Art
Wexford Collegiate School for The Arts
Neoclassicism: a quick summary for your notes
Instructor: Peter Marsh, 2008
The modern era's rush to modernity started with the not so heraldic beginning of the period entitled “Neoclassicism”, in the late 1700’s. In many ways neoclassicism was a rush to the past rather than the future. The French Revolution of 1789 is a pretty good marker for the beginning of the modern period. It is the first great revolution of many, celebrated in the storming of the Bastille, the cutting off of heads with the guillotine, and the Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities”. Of course the American Revolution was taking place between approximately 1773 and 1800, and it is not to be discounted because in its own way it followed many of the tenets of its French counterpart. One can see immediately that both formed their own republican governments with architecture to match. So although both were throwing off the bonds of monarchial government, courts, and exorbitant taxes, they both look to the past for expression off their newfound republicanism.
Greece is famous for the initial foundations of democracy with its questioning philosophers Socrates and Plato. These thinkers and others established the rights of the individual to express an opinion. Their logical and ‘Socratic’ thinking brought about a similar architecture, constructed on idyllic proportions, carefully styled elements aimed at classical beauty, and lasting principles of design. This “classical architecture”, developed over hundreds of years, became the foundation of the same in Imperial Rome, another society based on republican government, even though it's emperors had great power. To the Greek Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian ‘orders’ the Romans added, the Roman arch, the dome, concrete, and of course massive basilicas. A thousand years later, in the 1500’s and 1600’s, the ruins all of these buildings in Italy were carefully measured and studied in order to revive the great classical stylings of the past, after a lack of equal accomplishment in the dark ages. Although it was a revival of ‘classicism’, in Italy it is called the “Renaissance”, and in the northern Netherlandish countries, it is referred to as the “Northern Renaissance”.
We shouldn't miss the point that the Northern Renaissance was preceded by the Gothic period or Medieval Period which was responsible for the development of the pointed Gothic arch. This new structural invention diverted the huge weight of the arch along thin spindles of stone to flying buttresses. This artifice should not be diminished in its importance, because it overcame the shortcomings of the massive walls of Greek and Roman architecture, and in so doing, opened the interiors of buildings to the tracery patterns and colours of huge stained-glass windows, and the spacious feelings of indoor light.
The historical period following the 1600s of the Renaissance saw a continuous stream of added opulence and styling to the basics of classical architecture. These periods are referred to as the Baroque and the Rococo. Although they are in some ways the pinnacle of artistic development they are also an expression of spending gone mad at the expense of lower levels of society. For the most part, it wasn't the working people who enjoyed the extravagance of these architectural excesses (filled with paintings, sculpture, and gold leaf). It was inevitable that it would come to a blunt end, and that happened in Europe with the French Revolution. Although revolution began in France and America, it was an alert to all other countries conducting themselves in the same manner. Although there is a continuous stream of revolutions in the world, the last great one in the period we are studying is the Russian Revolution of 1917. That is, of course, if you don’t count the two world wars, which also figure greatly in artistic expression.
We are officially studying the period 1850 to 1970, but it seems prudent to start with the French Revolution in 1789, for although it may seem today that modern society is aimless in its direction, it is far easier to look back and sum up what happened in a given era. The voices of the future may have a far different view of today than what we have. In the case of the French, it is easy to look back and say that they got rid of a monarchy and established, at the beginning, republican government. However, this sums up 20 years in 28 words, and the times were far more difficult than the sentence. What we can see in retrospect, however, is a definite nod to the classical past.
Jacques-Lois David is renowned not only as a great artist but also as the propaganda mouthpiece for the new republic. Ironically in this leap into the future David employed the great lessons and myths of the past as expressed in Greek and Roman mythology. You can check this out for yourself in the painting “The Oath of The Horatii”. In this painting you will encounter all the characteristics of classicism, and in order to discuss the artwork of the times intelligently, you will need to remember some points, and here are a dozen that may be useful in discussing “Neoclassicism”:
1. Reference to the classical past.
2. Static rather than dynamic planes.
3. Depiction of classical architecture.
4. Classical, formal or symmetrical balance.
5. Logical rather than emotional, or at least emotions under control.
6. Realistic and relatively subdued colour.
7. Little reliance on brushstroke as a strong element of design in the work.
8. Generally a polished or smooth surface.
9. A peaceful, static, or still, ‘overall feeling’ to the piece
10. A great knowledge of human anatomy, and the drawing of objects with relation to ‘form’.
11. Excellent control of linear and aerial perspective.
12. The artist is painting for a patron rather than for himself/herself.
See if you can decide some of the ways these characteristics are apparent in the Oath of the Horatii below:
Can you see the symmetrical balance?
Three figures on the left, three swords in the middle, three figures on the right?
Three archways housing each grouping?
Each plane is parallel to the picture surface?
Roman costuming painted in 1789!
Classical architecture?
Representational painting with no brushstrokes evident? (you can see them when you view the painting in person if you step closer to the painting, but they are smoothed out carefully)
Painted for a purpose at the time (sacrifice of the person for the good of the republic)
As far as Neoclassical Architecture goes one could immediately refer to the design of The Arch De Triomphe, which although constructed 30 years later was designed in 1806, and was modeled after the Roman Arch of Titus circa 80 AD. The Washington Capitol Building (started in 1793) is also a great example of neoclassical architecture of the time. Neoclassical painting had a much shorter life than neoclassical architecture, and was probably more or less gone with the advent of “romanticism”, but was certainly dead with the arrival of Gustav Courbet and his “social realism”. This is not true of Neoclassical Architecture which continued successfully until well into the twentieth century, Union Station, with its great Roman Barrel Vault being started in 1914, and opened by the Prince of Wales in 1927!
Neoclassical architecture has been so successful that you can find it around the world; likely in every country of the world. It has been used by countries and banks to exude an aura of strength and security, by religions to attach us to our past and take us into our futures, and by every house in Toronto as a welcoming front porch. In fact neoclassicism has lasted up until the present and its elements can be seen in postmodern construction. But its use is now limited, because building methods and cultural stylings have been massively revamped since the establishment of the Bauhaus in 1925. Many neoclassical buildings unlike their historical counterparts have been built over a steel frame. In these cases, the decorative classical outside is just a pretty façade overlaying a steel structure. This construction method was used time and again over a century and a half from the time of the French Revolution until the 1925 German Bauhaus began a revolutionary examination of modern materials and media. This school marked the death knell of neoclassicism and the modern search of the global “International Style”. Visitors to every modern city can readily see great examples of our neoclassical past and our ‘international style’ future.
You can improve your artistic vocabulary by learning some of the words that describe classical architecture. Generally, the three steps at the bottom of classical building are referred to as the stylobate and stereobate. Columns are made of drums, sometimes have flutes, and always have a capital. They are surmounted by an architrave, triglyphs, metopes, pediments, sculpture, coffered ceilings, acroteria, and various other bits and pieces. Each complete design is called an ‘order’. There are three orders each recognizable by the capitals on their columns. The bowl shaped capital is the Doric order. The capital with the curly volutes is the Ionic order. The capital with the spray of acanthus leafs is called the Corinthian order.
The period referred to as neoclassicism is followed by the period referred to as romanticism. Classicism and romanticism are concepts that continuously repeat themselves throughout art history. On the one hand, classicism offers a worldview that insists on order, logic, balance, calmness, formality, and organization. For most people, this is not a realistic view of the world. We all find that this idyllic viewpoint is continuously interrupted by the unexpected, the serendipitous, the chaotic, and the emotional occurrences of everyday life. The logical and the emotional are continuously at odds with one another, both within individual people, within societies, and between countries of the world. As a result, the art history of the world consists of a continuous flow of artistic expression that mirrors these battles.
You would be wise to look for expressions of classicism and romanticism while following the periods we will discuss. You may find them in Social Realism Impressionism, the Fauves, Art Nouveau, Dada, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop and OP. Although the Times change societies have an architectonic structure that cannot be avoided in the discussion of Art.
Wexford Collegiate School for The Arts
Neoclassicism: a quick summary for your notes
Instructor: Peter Marsh, 2008
The modern era's rush to modernity started with the not so heraldic beginning of the period entitled “Neoclassicism”, in the late 1700’s. In many ways neoclassicism was a rush to the past rather than the future. The French Revolution of 1789 is a pretty good marker for the beginning of the modern period. It is the first great revolution of many, celebrated in the storming of the Bastille, the cutting off of heads with the guillotine, and the Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities”. Of course the American Revolution was taking place between approximately 1773 and 1800, and it is not to be discounted because in its own way it followed many of the tenets of its French counterpart. One can see immediately that both formed their own republican governments with architecture to match. So although both were throwing off the bonds of monarchial government, courts, and exorbitant taxes, they both look to the past for expression off their newfound republicanism.
Greece is famous for the initial foundations of democracy with its questioning philosophers Socrates and Plato. These thinkers and others established the rights of the individual to express an opinion. Their logical and ‘Socratic’ thinking brought about a similar architecture, constructed on idyllic proportions, carefully styled elements aimed at classical beauty, and lasting principles of design. This “classical architecture”, developed over hundreds of years, became the foundation of the same in Imperial Rome, another society based on republican government, even though it's emperors had great power. To the Greek Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian ‘orders’ the Romans added, the Roman arch, the dome, concrete, and of course massive basilicas. A thousand years later, in the 1500’s and 1600’s, the ruins all of these buildings in Italy were carefully measured and studied in order to revive the great classical stylings of the past, after a lack of equal accomplishment in the dark ages. Although it was a revival of ‘classicism’, in Italy it is called the “Renaissance”, and in the northern Netherlandish countries, it is referred to as the “Northern Renaissance”.
We shouldn't miss the point that the Northern Renaissance was preceded by the Gothic period or Medieval Period which was responsible for the development of the pointed Gothic arch. This new structural invention diverted the huge weight of the arch along thin spindles of stone to flying buttresses. This artifice should not be diminished in its importance, because it overcame the shortcomings of the massive walls of Greek and Roman architecture, and in so doing, opened the interiors of buildings to the tracery patterns and colours of huge stained-glass windows, and the spacious feelings of indoor light.
The historical period following the 1600s of the Renaissance saw a continuous stream of added opulence and styling to the basics of classical architecture. These periods are referred to as the Baroque and the Rococo. Although they are in some ways the pinnacle of artistic development they are also an expression of spending gone mad at the expense of lower levels of society. For the most part, it wasn't the working people who enjoyed the extravagance of these architectural excesses (filled with paintings, sculpture, and gold leaf). It was inevitable that it would come to a blunt end, and that happened in Europe with the French Revolution. Although revolution began in France and America, it was an alert to all other countries conducting themselves in the same manner. Although there is a continuous stream of revolutions in the world, the last great one in the period we are studying is the Russian Revolution of 1917. That is, of course, if you don’t count the two world wars, which also figure greatly in artistic expression.
We are officially studying the period 1850 to 1970, but it seems prudent to start with the French Revolution in 1789, for although it may seem today that modern society is aimless in its direction, it is far easier to look back and sum up what happened in a given era. The voices of the future may have a far different view of today than what we have. In the case of the French, it is easy to look back and say that they got rid of a monarchy and established, at the beginning, republican government. However, this sums up 20 years in 28 words, and the times were far more difficult than the sentence. What we can see in retrospect, however, is a definite nod to the classical past.
Jacques-Lois David is renowned not only as a great artist but also as the propaganda mouthpiece for the new republic. Ironically in this leap into the future David employed the great lessons and myths of the past as expressed in Greek and Roman mythology. You can check this out for yourself in the painting “The Oath of The Horatii”. In this painting you will encounter all the characteristics of classicism, and in order to discuss the artwork of the times intelligently, you will need to remember some points, and here are a dozen that may be useful in discussing “Neoclassicism”:
1. Reference to the classical past.
2. Static rather than dynamic planes.
3. Depiction of classical architecture.
4. Classical, formal or symmetrical balance.
5. Logical rather than emotional, or at least emotions under control.
6. Realistic and relatively subdued colour.
7. Little reliance on brushstroke as a strong element of design in the work.
8. Generally a polished or smooth surface.
9. A peaceful, static, or still, ‘overall feeling’ to the piece
10. A great knowledge of human anatomy, and the drawing of objects with relation to ‘form’.
11. Excellent control of linear and aerial perspective.
12. The artist is painting for a patron rather than for himself/herself.
See if you can decide some of the ways these characteristics are apparent in the Oath of the Horatii below:
Can you see the symmetrical balance?
Three figures on the left, three swords in the middle, three figures on the right?
Three archways housing each grouping?
Each plane is parallel to the picture surface?
Roman costuming painted in 1789!
Classical architecture?
Representational painting with no brushstrokes evident? (you can see them when you view the painting in person if you step closer to the painting, but they are smoothed out carefully)
Painted for a purpose at the time (sacrifice of the person for the good of the republic)
As far as Neoclassical Architecture goes one could immediately refer to the design of The Arch De Triomphe, which although constructed 30 years later was designed in 1806, and was modeled after the Roman Arch of Titus circa 80 AD. The Washington Capitol Building (started in 1793) is also a great example of neoclassical architecture of the time. Neoclassical painting had a much shorter life than neoclassical architecture, and was probably more or less gone with the advent of “romanticism”, but was certainly dead with the arrival of Gustav Courbet and his “social realism”. This is not true of Neoclassical Architecture which continued successfully until well into the twentieth century, Union Station, with its great Roman Barrel Vault being started in 1914, and opened by the Prince of Wales in 1927!
Neoclassical architecture has been so successful that you can find it around the world; likely in every country of the world. It has been used by countries and banks to exude an aura of strength and security, by religions to attach us to our past and take us into our futures, and by every house in Toronto as a welcoming front porch. In fact neoclassicism has lasted up until the present and its elements can be seen in postmodern construction. But its use is now limited, because building methods and cultural stylings have been massively revamped since the establishment of the Bauhaus in 1925. Many neoclassical buildings unlike their historical counterparts have been built over a steel frame. In these cases, the decorative classical outside is just a pretty façade overlaying a steel structure. This construction method was used time and again over a century and a half from the time of the French Revolution until the 1925 German Bauhaus began a revolutionary examination of modern materials and media. This school marked the death knell of neoclassicism and the modern search of the global “International Style”. Visitors to every modern city can readily see great examples of our neoclassical past and our ‘international style’ future.
You can improve your artistic vocabulary by learning some of the words that describe classical architecture. Generally, the three steps at the bottom of classical building are referred to as the stylobate and stereobate. Columns are made of drums, sometimes have flutes, and always have a capital. They are surmounted by an architrave, triglyphs, metopes, pediments, sculpture, coffered ceilings, acroteria, and various other bits and pieces. Each complete design is called an ‘order’. There are three orders each recognizable by the capitals on their columns. The bowl shaped capital is the Doric order. The capital with the curly volutes is the Ionic order. The capital with the spray of acanthus leafs is called the Corinthian order.
The period referred to as neoclassicism is followed by the period referred to as romanticism. Classicism and romanticism are concepts that continuously repeat themselves throughout art history. On the one hand, classicism offers a worldview that insists on order, logic, balance, calmness, formality, and organization. For most people, this is not a realistic view of the world. We all find that this idyllic viewpoint is continuously interrupted by the unexpected, the serendipitous, the chaotic, and the emotional occurrences of everyday life. The logical and the emotional are continuously at odds with one another, both within individual people, within societies, and between countries of the world. As a result, the art history of the world consists of a continuous flow of artistic expression that mirrors these battles.
You would be wise to look for expressions of classicism and romanticism while following the periods we will discuss. You may find them in Social Realism Impressionism, the Fauves, Art Nouveau, Dada, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop and OP. Although the Times change societies have an architectonic structure that cannot be avoided in the discussion of Art.
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