Art – Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism
Neoclassicism Neoclassicism is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw upon Western classical art and culture (usually that of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome). These movements were dominant during the mid-18th to the end of the 19th century. Used bold colors, heroic images, Greco-Roman themes.
The Death of Socrates [1787] - Jacques-Louis David
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Napoleon I on the Imperial Throne, 1806 Jacques-Louis David The Death of Marat (1793)
Art of the Enlightenment Portraits of Denis Diderot
“The Ploughing Lesson” by Vincent François André
The Romantics change art & literature styles ~1750 The ideas of romanticism included the feelings and emotions of the individual. Romantics also focused on nature as an alternative to just studying books. Artists used color, lines, and facial expression
Ideas of Romanticism Inner feelings, imagination Mysterious & supernatural—sometimes the odd, exotic and/or grotesque The beauty of untamed nature Idealized the past as a simpler & nobler time Glorified heroes & heroic action Revival of folk traditions, stories, music Value on the common people Promoted radical change & democracy
Eugene Delacroix, “Liberty Leading the People”
“Execution of the Defenders of Madrid”
“The Nightmare”
“Cloister Graveyard in the Snow”
“Napoleon Crossing the Alps”
Romantic writers Grimm brothers—German fairy tales Emily Bronte—Wuthering Heights William Blake—English poet Victor Hugo—French—Les Misérables, The Hunchback of Norte Dame (struggles of individual against a hostile society) Mary Shelley--Frankenstein
Romantic composers Beethoven--early years wrote music of the Enlightenment, but his 9 th Symphony is an example of Romanticism. Romantic musicians made music a popular art form—music became part of middle-class life. Ludwig von Beethoven
Realism – response to the Industrial Revolution Tried to show life as it is, not as it should be. Life becomes grim for industrial workers who live in dirty, crowded cities and work dangerous jobs for long hours. By showing the harsh side of urban life they hoped to improve society.
Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist
Caspar David Friedrich
Gustave Courbet
Photography French inventor Louis Daguerre
Mathew Brady photographed the US Civil War and factory and urban slum life
Impressionists vs. Realists 1860s—a group of painters in Paris reacted against the realist style Instead of showing “life as it really is” they tried giving their “personal impression” of a moment in time. Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Showed a more positive view of the new urban society. They glorified the pastimes of the life of middle class people.
Claude Monet
Monet’s version of the urban landscape
Monet’s “Paris Festival of 1878”
Manet
Degas
Vincent Van Gogh, post- impressionist painter
Questions 1.What cultural events were classicism, romanticism, realism, & impressionism a reflection of? 2.What characterized each art period? 3.Which is your personal favorite and why?