Neo classical Art18th Century Art Styles

The Neoclassical style in art history is primarily associated with theEighteenth century.

Neoclassicism was a trend approximately in the years between 1750-1820.

Neoclassical style was influenced by several factors:

An artistic reaction against the thoughtlessness of the Rococo period.

Over a comparison with earlier Rococo paintings we would readily observethat the paintings here are thematically harsh, grim and gloomy, somber,serious and plain.

Inspiration of Classical world

Mid 18th centuryDiscovery of ancient Roman citiesHerculaneum and Pompeii

Artifacts and art objectsCreated interest in things Greekand Roman

The art of these civilizationsConsidered by many scholars to berepresenting the height of artisticachievement.

What does the word Neoclassical suggest?

Not only the appearance but also the subjects

Greek and Roman characters, myths, and stories reappear in context oftheme and imageries

The somber, serious works represent the ideals of a style that oftenaspired to high-minded statements - moralistic statements or stating rightor wrong

Artists combined fashion, politics, and a passion for antiquity to producethe Neoclassical style.

Blending the classical and contemporary

What appealed the Neo-classical artists?

One of the most influential and prolific Neoclassical artist.

His ability to capture dramatic moments, and incredible talent and skill as apainter made him an art legend.

Jacques-Louis David relied on ancient history and mythology.

With titles such as Andromache Mourning Hector, Paris and Helen, Lictorsbringing to Brutus the bodies of his sons, The Death of Socrates it is evidentthat David looked to the past for inspiration.

Made the myths and legends come to life by using subjects in relevance tothe contemporary context.

Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825)

The Death of Socrates

Lictors bringing to Brutus the bodies of his sons

Boucher, helped him in his early artistic development (1765).

He won the Prix de Rome in 1774 and spent six years in Rome.

It was during this period (1775-81) that he abandoned the manner of hisearly work, with its Baroque use of chiaroscuro and diagonal compositions,for a stark, highly finished and morally didactic style.

Influenced by the contemporary ideas in Rome and by artists such asHamilton - already experimenting with a Neoclassical idiom

In 1784 the change of style was confirmed by the Oath of the Horatii,which inscribed the classical virtues of masculinity and patriotism, stoicism.

Journey from the Baroque through Rococo to Neo Classical

Oath of the Horatii

David perfectly captured the mood of the time in which he lived.

During the French Revolution, David played an active role by producingnumerous and spectacular propaganda exercises.

Subjective response to an issue through art.

He also attempted to catalogue the new heroes of the age most successfullyin his portrayal of the Death of Marat (1793).

He eventually fell victimized in the confused politics of the 1790s, and wasimprisoned after the fall of Robespierre (1794), and saved by theintervention of his estranged (separated) wife, symbolized in his Interventionof the Sabine Women (1799).

Painter of the Revolution

Death of Marat

Interventionof the SabineWomen

In 1799 David gained a new hero.

Napoleon's demand for grandeurloosened the seriousness of numerouspropaganda pieces that David portrayed

Napoleon in his study

Search for new inspirations

With the fall of Napoleon, David went into exile in Brussels, and his workweakened as the possibility of exerting a moral and social influence receded.

Napoleon at St. Bernard