NaturalNeoclassical.ppt“Natural” art and
Neoclassicism
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Jean Jacques Rousseau—the great 18th century writer believed that art, science, society, and civilization in general, had corrupted humanity. He argued for a return to nature writing that “nature alone must be the guide” and that “all our natural inclinations are right”. He believed in the importance of FEELING over REASON.
Denis Diderot—was one of the first art critics and a contributor to the first Encyclopedia (sponsored by Madame de Pompadour). Despite his affiliation with the mistress of Louis XV, Diderot disliked the work of the court painter, Boucher. He called Boucher’s painting “a misuse of talent” because of his subject matter devoted to “infantile garlands, chubby crimson bottoms (…) all kinds of follies” that lack ”originality, tenderness, or magic”. Instead he championed the work of the “natural” painter Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin.
INFLUENTIAL VOICES THAT LEAD TO NATURALISM
Evolving philosophical ideas about life and liberty were manifested by a renewed interest in genre paintings which examined scenes from everyday life—touting the virtues of modesty in clothing and demeanor, and challenging the perceived power of women like Madame de Pompadour.
Examples of this style can be seen in the work of Jean-Baptiste Chardin, Jean-Baptiste Greuze and Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Lebrun.
JEAN-BAPTISTE-SIMÉON CHARDIN, Saying Grace, 1740. Oil on canvas, 1’ 7” x 1’ 3”. Louvre, Paris
Chardin’s work reflects the values of Rousseau because this scene is considered to be a representation of “natural” life.
The painter Chardin reflected the values of the influential writer Rousseau and was highly praised by Diderot, one of the philosophes and an important figure in progressive French thinking. Diderot praised the Chardin by saying that “to look at Chardin’s paintings he only needed the eyes that nature gave him”. In other words he wrote that Chardin’s subject matter was not contrived or artificial like the work of Boucher and his contemporaries. He liked the fact that Chardin worked against the style of other Rococo painters and instead demonstrates a mother teaching her children. Chardin was admired for the quiet and contemplative mood, for portraying the modest virtue of the woman and her daughter who she is instructing, reminding her daughters to pray and be thankful. She is the opposite of an ambitious woman like Madame de Pompadour and was content to be a mother and spiritual guide to her children.
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Diderot, the important French philosopher art lover and critic says about François Boucher on the right: “Barely able to handle a brush and palette (he) tortures (himself) stringing together infantile garlands, painting chubby crimson bottoms, and hurl himself headlong into all kinds of follies (...). Of Chardin whose painting we see on the left Diderot writes: “To look at (Chardin’s paintings) I need only the eyes that nature gave me. Oh Chardin it’s not white, red or black pigment that you grind on your palette but rather the very substance of objects.” Diderot characterizes his technique as “magic”.
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JEAN-BAPTISTE GREUZE, Village Bride, 1761. Oil on canvas, 3’ x 3’ 10 1/2”. Louvre, Paris
An idealized “natural” genre scene depicting a wedding in a small village
This painting by Greuze depicts another paintings considered to be “natural” because it depicts an event from everyday life, in this case a village wedding. Regardless, it is very idealized and sentimental narrative with a moral that happiness can be attained by living simply. It represents a new appreciation of a different kind of art by patrons of the bourgeoisie who were gaining financially and finding upward mobility because of changes in the economic system (industrial revolution, a stronger merchant class). This work was greatly admired when it was exhibited in 1761 at the Salon of the Royal Academy. Diderot reported that so many people crowded around this painting that it was hard to get near it. Greuze was probably inspired by Dutch painting. He shows a young country bride shyly linking arms to her new husband who is received a dowry from the bride’s father while a notary (at the desk) records the event. All of the participants reveal a range of emotions including the tender mother, the sad younger sister clinging to the bride and an envious older sister standing behind the father. Like Dutch paintings we see overt symbolism in the foreground like hen with her chicks, and a small bird standing on a nest.
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ÉLISABETH LOUISE VIGÉE-LEBRUN, Self-Portrait, 1790. Oil on canvas, 8’ 4” x 6’ 9”. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
The court painter to Marie Antoinette under the reign of Louis XVI, Vigée-Lebrun painted the Queen as a doting mother (next slide) intended to perpetuate the idea that that she was not an extravagant woman concerned only with pleasure.
One of the two most successful female painters of the 18th century Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, became the court painter to Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France. We have now left behind the era of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour and are in the era of the ill fated Louis XVI and his Queen. Vigée-Lebrun’s father was a portrait painter who was also her teacher but her fame far outpaced his and she was skilled enough to have patrons by the time she was 15 years old. Marie Antoinette’s influence allowed Vigée-Lebrun to become a member of the Royal Academy, a rare honor for a woman. In this self-portrait we see her at her easel probably overdressed for work but presenting herself in a plain black silk gown with a red sash (which may symbolize her connection to Queen) and a lace ruffled collar and tulle head wrap. Her hair is short and plainly styled and she appears to be filled with self-confidence.
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Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
Marie Antoinette
1787
This was painted two years before the storming of the Bastille and the beginning of the French Revolution which marked the end of the monarchy.
Here is one of many portraits that Vigée-Lebrun painted of Marie Antoinette. At this point in the reign of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette things were not going well in terms of their image. There was famine, a heavy burden of taxation on the poor, and revolution was in the air, not only by the poor, but by some aristocrats who wanted to convert to a parliamentary monarchy on the model of the English system. Although Louis XVI was weak, he refused to change the monarchy. Marie Antoinette was universally disliked by the people, seen as a party girl who spent lots of money on clothing and lavish life style. Here Vigée Lebrun seems to paint an image of her that counteracts the public perception. She is shown with her three children two princesses and the prince who would have been the heir to the throne. Two years after this was painted, the Bastille was stormed on July 14, 1789 and the monarch began to topple.
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ADÉLAÏDE LABILLE-GUIARD, Self-Portrait with Two Pupils, 1785. Oil on canvas, 6’ 11” X 4’ 11 1/2”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (gift of Julia A. Berwind, 1953)
After Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun, this painter, Adelaide Labille-Guiard was the second most famous female painter in France. She had royal patrons including the aunts of Louis XVI, although she never painted the King or Queen. Vigée-Lebrun continued to support the monarchy during the Revolution and somehow survived and continued to prosper in post-revolutionary France, Labille-Guiard sided with the revolutionaries and painted a portrait of Robespierre, the de-facto leader of France during what is now called the Reign of Terror, a man who called for the death of Louis XVI. In this painting the artist focuses on her role as teacher. The portrait bust highlighted by the diagonal of her easel is that of the artist’s father. She married and divorced, then remarried fellow painter whose father had been her teacher. She was admitted into the Royal Academy on the same day as Vigée-Lebrun (there were only 4 places open to women) and after the Revolution Labille-Guiard worked hard to open up more places for women in the Academy. Being a member guaranteed that you would have a chance to exhibit your work at the Salon.
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WILLIAM HOGARTH, Breakfast Scene, from Marriage à la Mode, ca. 1745. Oil on canvas, 2’ 4” x 3’. National Gallery, London
In England, William Hogarth satirized a pretentious young couple
This was a period when some artists questioned the values of society and there were social changes occurring in both France and England. William Hogarth was proudly British and took exception to the fact that many aristocrats hired painters from the Continent, including France, Belgium, and Germany. In this painting, Hogarth satirized the growing ranks of the bourgeoisie in England with this painting, part of a series. This was a period in England when satire was popular and featured prominently in contemporary literature. Hogarth specialized in making narrative series that commented on society and political issues and which read like a book or play. Prints made from his paintings were extraordinarily popular with the public. He was inspired by the Rococo aesthetic but used that style to make commentaries on different aspects of British society. In this painting called The Tête à Tête, from the series Mariage à la Mode. We see a young married couple already tired of each other. In the series you see the wife at home playing cards with friends while the husband is out in the company of another woman. This is hinted at by the lacy cap in his pocket. Their home is filled with clues about their dissolute lifestyle.
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THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH, Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1787. Oil on canvas, 7’ 2 5/8” x 5’ 5/8”. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C
Portraits by Thomas Gainsborough emphasized naturalism presenting a young aristocratic woman in simple attire in a wild landscape.
Another glimpse of England we see the work of Gainsborough who was Inspired by the color palette and soft breezy landscape of Watteau. Gainsborough, an English painter depicts this aristocratic woman simply dressed and seated in an outdoor setting. She is not sitting in the splendor of her estate or adorned with jewels, coinciding with the trend of many wealthy patrons to avoid the appearance of conspicuous consumption. Her plain style of dress and her soft hair and face are a stark contrast to aristocrats on the Continent who wore makeup, ostentatious clothing, and fantastically dressed and powdered hair. It is not surprising that Gainsbourough began as a landscape painter based on the care he has taken with this setting.
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SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS, Lord Heathfield, 1787. Oil on canvas, 4’ 8” x 3’ 9”. National Gallery, London
Joshua Reynolds presented Lord Heathfield in a pose that accentuates a heroic demeanor while at the same time emphasizing the natural apsects of this portrait.
Joshua Reynolds is another artist who specialized in naturalistic portraits, but usually of important or significant people of the late 18th century. The influence of the writings of Rousseau and other Enlightenment philosophers was to emphasize the character of the subject, and not their wealth. This painting of is of Lord Heathfield who was a military man and the commandant of the fortress at Gibraltar. Although he certainly came from wealth Reynolds depicts him as noble and patriotic and is not shy about showing him as a burly man with a ruddy complexion. The key in his hands represents his successful guardianship of the fortress in Gibralter against the invasion of the Spanish and the French. Although the sitter is portrayed honestly, Reynolds poses him in a heroic manner with the key and his eyes skyward with the smoke of battle and cannons as a backdrop.
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BENJAMIN WEST, Death of General Wolfe, 1771. Oil on canvas, approx. 4’ 11” x 7’ National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (gift of the Duke of Westminster, 1918
This painting of a contemporary event is remarkable because it borrows from the tradition of historical painters depicting the death of a saint. West is equating death in the service of one’s country as a form of martyrdom.
West, an American artist from Pennsylvania, became well known in England where he went to study and found success. He became the official painter of the English King George III. In this portrait of a military battle we see the British Commander General Wolfe about to die. He is credited with defeating the French in the battle of Quebec in 1759 which gave Canada to Great Britain, this conflict is known here at the French and Indian war with different Native American tribes siding either with the French or the British. This is a significant painting because it depicts a contemporary event with nearly accurate contemporary clothing only in the style of a heroic history painting with the action beautifully choreographed as the participants of the battle cluster around the dying General. The painting is inspired by different versions of the lamentation of Christ, a popular subject with Renaissance artists who show the dying Christ surrounded by mourners. West offers European audiences a rare glimpse of Native Americans who participated in this conflict. Both the British general Wolfe, and the French general Montcalm died in the conflict which was a major victory for Britain.
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JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY, Portrait of Paul Revere, ca. 1768–1770. Oil on canvas, 2’ 11 1/8” x 2’ 4”. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (gift of Joseph W., William B., and Edward H. R. Revere).
Copley is another American artist who lived in Massachusetts during the colonial period of American history. This is a portrait of Paul Revere the American revolutionary hero. A silversmith by profession, Copley portrays Revere as a plainly dressed craftsman, and the viewer has with no idea from the humble nature of this portrait that Revere that he would be the one to alert the Colonial militia that the British troops were arriving. Despite his mild appearance, he was in fact an active member of the American revolution. This painting draws influence from similar European portraits that attempt to attain a degree of honesty regarding the sitter, but sharp detail, somber color, and minimalist background, as well Revere’s down to earth appearance makes it distinctly American.
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Art and Society: The Grand Tour and Veduta Painting
ANTONIO CANALETTO, Riva degli Schiavoni, Venice, ca. 1735-1740. Oil on canvas, 1’ 6 ½” X 2’ 7/8”. Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo
By the 18th century it was easier and safer to travel around Europe. One of the most popular destinations was Italy because of the mild climate and the scenery including a fascination with the antiquities of the ancient world, particularly since the revival of classicism. A growing number of Europeans travelers from Western Europe took what we call the Grand Tour and made stops in Rome, Florence, Siena, Milan and other cities including Venice. Artists in Italy took advantage of the desire for souvenirs from Northern European visitors and produced what was called the Veduta (literally scenic views) made entirely for the consumption of tourists. Canaletto, one of the best known and most skilled of the Veduta painters is represented here. He used a camera obscura to sketch as exactly as possible the scenes that tourists admired then completed them in the studio using Renaissance standards of perspective and great attention to detail. The British were especially enamored of this work and Italy was seen as a sunny and beautiful contrast to the colder and darker climate the British Isles.
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Pompeo Batoni, Charles John Crowle, c. 1761-62. Oil on canvas, 8’-1-5/8” x 5’ 7-3/4”. Musée du Louvre, Paris
A typical Enlightenment era painting
This is a typical Enlightenment era painting of an Englishman who had made the Grand Tour, probably more than once. Charles John Crowle was a member of the British Parliament and is depicted by Pompeo Batoni with objects that demonstrate his status as a connoisseur of art, and a learned man. Travelers like Crowle helped to stimulate the revival of what we call Neoclassicism. Around this time, the ancient cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii were being excavated. Located near Naples, they were destroyed by a volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in the year 79 CE. The ash preserved much of the town, including beautiful fresco paintings and statues, allowing excavators and tourists to get a glimpse into the lives of people who lived in the First Century during the height of the Roman Empire. Two miniatures of classic ancient statues on his desk indicate Crowle’s knowledge of antiquities including a replica of the Farnese Hercules from Naples and a copy of the sleeping Ariadne located in the Vatican. The globe on his desk also demonstrates that he is a man of science. Crowle was a member of a group called the Society of Dilettanti, a fraternity of British admirers of Greek and Roman art. Although the word “dilettante” has come to mean someone only superficially educated in a particular subject, in the 18th century it meant that someone was an expert although an amateur.
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Farnese Hercules. Original by Lysippus, 4th c. BCE, copy by Glykon, 216 BCE
Sleeping Ariadne. Copy of Hellenistic era original from around 117-138 BCE
Robert Adams Etruscan Room from Osterly Park House, Middlesex England c. 1761
Neoclassical décor influenced by the rediscovery of Pompeii in 1748
In the 1730s and 40s, the ancient cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii were excavated. They had been buried in ash since the eruption of the volcano Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. Because the towns had been preserved by ash, wall paintings, sculpture and other artifacts were retrieved in remarkably good condition. Collectors purchased these items, something that would be absolutely forbidden today, and took them back to their homes. Eventually some of the objects obtained in the 18th and 19th centuries by wealthy tourists were eventually donated by their families to museums like the British museum. The Pompeiian style seen here became a major decorating trend, especially in England as demonstrated by this room at Osterly Park House owned by Robert Adams, who was an aristocrat and an archeologist. This trend completely supplanted Rococo design and influenced furniture, painting, decorating, accessories, jewelry, design and fashion for decades afterwards.
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NEOCLASSICISM
Johann Joachim Winckelmann
Portrait by Raphael Mengs
Winckelmann, one of the first true art historians wrote an influential book in 1755 about Ancient Greek art.
His “scientific” approach to art marks the beginning of art history as a discipline
His writings also fueled the Neoclassicism.
Although there were art critics prior and artists biographers prior (Giorgio Vasari during the Renaissance and Denis Diderot in the 18th c. among others), Johann Winckelmann is credited as being the first art historian. He wrote an influential book entitled History of Ancient Art in 1764 in which he suggested that classical art was the greatest of all art forms and a model for contemporary artists to follow. Although he concentrated on ancient art to the exclusion of all else, he did provide the first modern art historical method, a organized system of describing and classifying art, which was inspired by Enlightenment ideals of ordering knowledge and is largely credited for helping to inspire the popularity of Neoclassicism.
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- The Geometric harmony of Neoclassical design augmented Enlightenment ideals of rationality and balance
- Ancient Greek and Roman culture was seen as a model for enlightened government since Rome had been a republic with “representative” government
- Roman art and perceived Roman “values” (Republicanism) influenced political thought, imbued art with propagandist properties, and helped to fuel the ideas that underpinned the French and the American Revolution
NEOCLASSICISM REPLACED ROCOCO
NEOCLASSICM’S IMPACT ON WESTERN EUROPEAN SOCIETY:
JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID, Oath of the Horatii, 1784. Oil on canvas, approx.
10’ 10” x 13’ 11”. Louvre, Paris.
The French painter Jacques-Louis David was the leading proponent of Neoclassical art. He was a champion of Greek art and spoke of its importance in terms of inspiring heroic and patriotic subjects. He studied in Rome and was so inspired that he turned away from Rococo painting and only worked in the Neoclassical style believing that painters had a duty to impart important moral lessons in their work. This painting, Oath of the Horatii was not only intended to celebrate classicism, it was also intended as a political statement. Citing Enlightenment ideals, David believed that art should teach and inspire the viewer. The story depicted here was familiar to the French in the late 18th century—all educated men (and women) were familiar with ancient narratives of Livy and the story was retold in the 17th century by French playwright Pierre Corneille. The narrative pays homage to the sacrifice of the men pictured here, the Horatii family who pledge to die for Rome. In the corner at the right are the wife and sister whose fiancé is a member of the Curatii, the enemy of Rome. Those familiar with the subject know that her fiancé will die in the battle between the two families and the painting suggests that loyalty to country is more important than personal happiness. For many in pre-Revolutionary France, this painting resonated strongly. Although we think of the Revolution as a peasant’s revolt, it initially had strong support from the upper classes as well. Although David wasn’t necessarily advocating revolution, but many of the viewers who saw this work took that message, and David became the visual propagandist of the French revolution.
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“ The arts should help to spread the progress of the human spirit, and to propagate and transmit to posterity the striking examples of the efforts of tremendous people who, guided by reason and philsophy, are bringing back to earth the reign of liberty, equality and law.
The arts must therefore contribute forcefully to the education of the public...
Jacques-Louis David, 1793
Jacques-Louis David, Self-Portrait, 1794
JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID, The Death of Marat, 1793. Oil on canvas,. 5’ 5” x 4’ 2 1/2”. Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels.
The French revolution began in 1789 after the taking of the Bastille. David allied himself with the most radical of the many revolutionary parties and became an unofficial minister of propaganda. While the Oath of the Horatii employed the use of a story from antiquity to rally French citizens, this painting, the Death of Marat depicts a contemporary event. Jean-Paul Marat was an important writer who was an inspiring voice of the Revolution and a friend of David’s. In 1793, a political rival of Marat’s and David’s, Charlotte Corday stabbed Marat to death in his bathtub. Marat suffered from a skin condition and took medicinal baths on a daily basis to alleviate the pain. He converted his bath to a desk by placing a table like writing platform across the tope. David’s stark testimony to the aftermath of the killing pares down the composition to its essentials. It shows Marat in a pose reminiscent of the Christ figure in Michelangelo’s Pieta, and includes the symbols of the event including blood, the knife, and the letter Corday used to gain entry to Marat’s private quarters. David presents a quasi-religious contemporary version of martyrdom. On the right of the composition is Marat’s ink stand and quill with contains the words: To Marat, from David and the year functioning both as a place to dedicate the work to Marat and act as a symbolic tombstone to mark his death.
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ANGELICA KAUFFMANN, Cornelia Presenting Her Children as Her Treasures, or Mother of the Gracchi, ca. 1785. Oil on canvas, 3’ 4” x 4’ 2”. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond
Angelica Kauffmann was the most well known female proponent of Neoclassical art. She was born in Switzerland, trained in Italy, and spent most of her life in England where she was one of the founders of the British Royal Academy of Art. This painting by Kauffmann is a quintessential example of Neoclassical art. The subjects are clothed in Roman garb and renders them in statue like poses. Kauffmann offers a visual narrative of the story of Cornelia, a Roman matron, who was the mother of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, future reformers and political leaders of Rome. When a female visitor shows Cornelia her jewels and asks to see Cornelia’s treasure, Cornelia calls to her children to show the woman that she considers her children to be the most precious of all her possessions. This is a morality tale, and a model for female behavior.
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Neoclassical Architecture
JACQUES-GERMAIN SOUFFLOT, Pantheon (Sainte-Genevieve), Paris, France, 1755-1792
Inspired by Roman ruins of the Temple of Jupiter in Lebanon
The Parisian Church of Sainte Geneviève now called the Pantheon located in Paris was inspired by the Roman ruins at Baalbek in Lebanon, particularly the colonnades of the temple of Jupiter. This is a perfect example of the influence of Neoclassicism on architecture which was so pervasive in Europe, and also America, that it continued into the early 20th century, especially for civic structures including churches, government buildings, and banks. The layout of the building including the Corinthian columns are inspired by ancient Rome but the structure uses the building principles of Gothic cathedrals.
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RICHARD BOYLE and WILLIAM KENT, Chiswick House, near London, England, begun 1725.
This demonstrates a rejection of the Baroque style and the influence of Palladio
Chiswick House, an English villa on the outskirts of London built by Boyle and Kent demonstrates how strongly the British embraced Neoclassical art and design as an aesthetic statement and also as a political one. A rejection of the opulence of the Baroque, this house exemplifies the simplicity and balance of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. Many of the Neoclassical buildings in England were inspired by Vitruvius, the ancient Roman architect, the 16th century architect Andrea Palladio, and the 17th century architect Inigo Jones. The dome of Chiswick House is inspired by Palladio. The interior was more lavish and modeled after a Baroque aesthetic while the gardens were planned, yet freer in form than the heavily manicured French gardens, replicating the look of untouched nature, a popular style that would eventually become more common than the more formal French style.
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HENRY FLITCROFT and HENRY HOARE, the park at Stourhead, England, 1743–1765
A rejection of the manicured French style gardens and the addition of “faux” ruins
The park at Stourhead was designed to be picturesque. Although it was carefully planned, the idea was that the perfect garden should be natural looking as opposed to following the geometric lines of French gardens from the previous century. Gardens in this style often incorporated structures that evoked antiquity. In the foreground we see a a bridge inspired by Palladiio’s bridge at Vicenza. In the distance we see temples that are designed to resemble classical buildings like those at Baalbek in Lebanon and the Pantheon in Rome. Flitcroft intended the landscape to resemble a painting by Claude Lorrain.
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Above: Claude Lorrain Landscape with Aeneas at Delos, 1672
Right: the Park at Stourhead
THOMAS JEFFERSON, Monticello, Charlottesville, United States, 1770–1806
Jefferson, a Francophile, embraced Neoclassical design which he saw when abroad
Neoclassical ideas spread through Western Europe and also to America. When Thomas Jefferson acted as a minister to France, he studied Palladio’s books and visited an ancient Roman structure at Nimes in France. When he returned home to Virginia he remodeled his estate, Monticello, along Neoclassical lines, similar in style to Chiswick House and inspired by Palladio’s Rotunda. Jefferson, like many other of the founding fathers believed in Enlightenment ideals and allied those principles to Neoclassical design. Jefferson chose Benjamin Latrobe to be the architect of the U.S. Capitol building as a way of connecting the idealized belief in Roman Republican government and Greek democracy. Jefferson founded the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and designed the Rotunda to follow Roman architectural designs.
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Rotunda and Lawn, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1819-1826
Jefferson’s enthusiasm for NEOCLASSICISM helped shape American architectural design in the 19th century and was modeled after classic Greco-Roman principles which tied into the founding fathers belief in art and design which complemented Enlightenment ideals.
However, our nascent Republic was not a true democracy.
JEAN-ANTOINE HOUDON, George Washington, 1788-1792. Marble, 6’ 2” high. State Capitol, Richmond.
HORATIO GREENOUGH, George Washington, 1840. Marble, 11’ 4” high. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
George Washington portrayed as a Greco-Roman general and orator
The sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon (on the left) presents George Washington, our first president, in contemporary clothing but poses him in classic contrapposto stance after Greek and Roman statues. The column that Washington leans against is a symbol of the Roman Republic and contains 13 rods referencing the 13 colonies. Behind him is a plow referencing Cincinnatus, an ancient Roman patriot. ON THE RIGHT: This statue by Greenough is inspired by the great Greek sculptor Phidias and his statue of Zeus, likening Washington to a god. The statue measures 11 feet in height and further enhances the sensation of majesty of the subject while at the same time allying Washington to Neoclassical ideals and the Enlightenment. As mentioned in the text, when this statue was created in 1840, the popularity of Neoclassical art was waning. However, neoclassical architecture remained popular into the early part of the 20th century.
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Terms to Know
NEOCLASSICAL
ENLIGHTENMENT
GENRE PAINTING
VEDUTA
POMPEIIAN DESIGN
PALLADIO
Quiz 1—opens today, Monday, Sep 17 @ 6:30 p.m.
Quiz will close on Sunday, Sep 23rd @ 5:00 p.m.
- Quiz is open book, open notes
- You have 1 attempt
- You will have 1 hour
- To get the full hour you must begin the quiz no later than 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sep 23rd
- Quiz will close promptly at 5:00 p.m. even if you are in progress
- NO MAKEUP EXAM (except in cases of documentable serious illness or catastrophe)
- This is worth 50 points!
- There will be 13 questions, multiple choice, one matching, one true/false.
