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Period: to
Neoclassicism
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Essay on Criticism
Alexander Pope, 1688-1744. Through his clear reverence for classical thinkers, in this poem Pope creates a statement on neoclassical principles such as logic and order.The admiration of ancient and classical works is the basis of neoclassicism. -
The Coliseum Etching
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian). Many artists of this movement didn't have the chance to travel to Greece and Rome, so they depended on artists such as Piranesi to show them what classical structures actually looked like. They used etchings and drawings like these to get a sense of classical form. -
Judgement of Paris
Anton Raphael Mengs (German/Bohemian). Mengs was an early participant in neoclassicism, and was at one time under the patronage of Charles III of Spain. Clear attention to classical themes and form is evident. -
Agrippina
Benjamin West (American/British). West believed in idealized, beautiful forms, directly influenced by classical artistic principles. -
Thomas Jefferson Portrait
Rembrandt Peale (American). Peale was influenced by the likes of Jacques-Louis David, and inspired by neoclassicism during his travels in Europe. This portrait of Jefferson is iconic, and entrenched in the American canon. -
Monticello
Architect: Thomas Jefferson. This structure was influenced deeply by the principles of the Enlightenment and neoclassicism. Jefferson's work is perhaps one of the most easily recognizable examples of neoclassical architecture for Americans. -
Death of Socrates
Jacques-Louis David (French). Through beautiful color and strict order, David brings to life the classical figure Socrates, and the tale of his politically motivated demise, by hemlock. It is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. -
Mozart
1756-1791. Strictly neoclassical music is associated to another time, the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However these composers were heavily influenced by the work of Mozart, who lived during the neoclassical age. His work, in turn, is often deeply mired in the principles of the Age of Reason and Enlightenment, perhaps allowing us to associate him with neoclassicism. -
Diana and Her Nymphs Bathing
Angelica Kauffman (Swiss). Kauffman considered herself a history painter, and was one of the only women to help found the Royal Academy of Art in London. -
The Death of Marat
Jacques-Louis David (French). Here David details the assassination of radical French Revolutionary figure Jean-Paul Marat as he wrote in the bath due to a skin condition. David clearly indicates his politics here, portraying Marat in a sympathetic light. -
The Illiad
John Flaxman (British). Many neoclassicists didn't actually have the chance to go to Greece or Italy, but Flaxman did. In addition to being a sculptor, he was also a draughtsman. The focus on classical themes is evident here. -
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
Antonio Canova (Italian). Idealized beauty and graceful form give this ancient myth a sense of life. -
Night and Her Children Sleep
Asmus Jakob Carstens (Danish/German). Much of Carsten's work has not survived the test of time, and what has tends to be drawings like these. -
Penitent Magdalena
Antonio Canova (Italian). Canova managed to have a lot of different patrons, from Pope Pious VII to Napoleon. The absolutely supple work he did to marble is especially evident in this piece. -
Arc de Triomphe
Paris, France. Original Architect: Jean Chalgrin. Perhaps one of the most iconic of European monuments. Modelled after the Roman Arch of Titus, classical elements are clear here. Created to commemorate the lives lost during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, thematic hints of the aftermath of the Enlightenment are present. -
Kazan Cathedral
St. Petersburg. Architect: Andrey Voronikhin. Russian Orthodox Church. -
Prado Museum
Madrid. Architect: Juan de Villanueva. Built at the behest of Charles III of Spain. -
Pandore
Jean-Pierre Cortot (French). Cortot is also the sculptor responsible for the details on the Arc de Triomphe. -
Pastoral Apollo
John Flaxman (British).This piece clearly portrays classical elements, both in theme and form. -
Oedipus and the Sphinx
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French). An admirer of Jacques-Louis David, Ingres loathed romanticism, the other dominant art movement at the time. He greatly modelled himself after artists like Raphael. -
Zeus and Ganymede
Bertel Thorvaldsen (Icelandic/Danish). References to classical themes and form are evident here, as is a sense of symmetry and order, typical to neoclassicism. -
Altes Museum
Museum Island, Berlin. Architect: Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Originally intended for the royal Prussian family's art collection, the building still exists as a museum. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
