 Neoclassicism emerged during turbulent times in France, in the early sixteenth century  After the French Revolution, France became a democracy. French government was to be modelled on the high virtues and moral principles of classical Rome  Neoclassical artists created paintings and sculptures that depicted inspirational scenes from Roman history  Architecture and interior design began to reflect the neoclassical period. Neoclassical France

Neoclassical Theatre  Began to develop in the 16 th century  Had a great effect on writing, scenic design, and production  Comedies of this time used farce and principles of Commédia dell'Arte  Plays based on unity of time, action, place, etiquette if a play was a neoclassical piece  Costumes and scenery were very intricate and elaborate  Acting characterized by large gestures and melodrama.

 Church plays were banned in 1548 by because of the religious uproar during this period  This ban dealt a painful blow to French theatre, but allowed secular theatre to develop.  In this time the French language was encouraged to be written in plays, strengthening culture. Theatre cont’d

Palais royal, where Moliere and other neoclassical playwrights performed

 Neoclassicism came to an end when there were only two theatres left in Paris  French politics became more and more conservative.  By 1680, the great period of French Playwriting was over  Molière’s company merged with the Marais Theatre to form the Comèdie Française, the first (and still existing) national theatre. End of Neoclassicism

 There were 17,000 to 25,000 noble families in the neoclassical period  Estimates of individuals range from 80,000 to 350,000.  Nobles accounted for 0.05% of the 28 million people in the French population French Social Structure

 A family's prestige was determined by: how long had a given family been noble into what other families did it marry what positions its members achieved and what offices they held what actions they performed  Arranged marriages were common, mainly business relationships created desire and/or need for property, monetary or political alliances.  The revolution abolished the feudal system, however titles were reintroduced in 1806 by Napoleon Social Structure cont’d

  2/jpg/Richelieu-Palace-i.jpg 2/jpg/Richelieu-Palace-i.jpg      html html   istory%0918th+century istory%0918th+century   Bibliography