Neoclassicism was a movement in the European fine arts
community that arose following the popularity of Rococo lightheartedness. Unlike the decorative and pleasure themed
images developed during the Rococo period, Neoclassic paintings and sculptures
recalled the academic rigidity and seriousness valued during classical
antiquity. Heroic godly scenes,
symmetry, sculptural forms, and linearity characterize Neoclassic art
objects. Neoclassical artists used ancient mythologies and literature
reflecting the preferences of their ancient forebears, but used them to illustrate
contemporary cultural events.
Observation of art in French parlors became the pastime of the general population
as opposed to early periods during which paintings and sculptures were produced
for the upper echelons of society. Art
for the people intended to act as propaganda for particular political and
social movements; namely the French Revolution.
French born Jacques-Louis David was one of the sole progenitors of this
movement. David, his students, and his
contemporaries followed an academic tradition that included studying under an
accomplished artist and traveling to Italy to observe the masterpieces that
culminated under the Roman Empire and during the Italian Renaissance. But as artists and perhaps the individuals
viewing the art began to grow weary of such formalities, other genres began to
spring up within creative circles.
Romanticism
grew out of a need to delve deeper into the artist’s psyche and portray a
specific moment of affective intensity.
Less attention was placed on line and more on the movement paint could
express in Romantic works. The emotional
apogee of an instant in time captured through dramatic dynamism, color, and
apparent brush strokes became the modality by which artists shared their
individual interpretations of an event. Themes
rendered during the Romantic period did not showcase ancient myths or heroes. The
stoic idealized figures celebrated during the Neoclassical period were a trend
of the past. Romantic artists preferred creating
emotional impact with their works often depicting tragic current events. Painters and sculptures began rejecting the notion that academic training and study of ancient artistic predecessors was relevant to their own success. Romanticism required the artist to look within and development images that reflected their own psychological understanding of a situation. Those observing Romantic works glean a disparately contrary narrative from their structure and form than the ideas being portrayed during the peak of Neoclassicism. While Neoclassical artists preferred to appeal to the faculties of logic and reason, Romantic artists strove to incite emotional upsurges with their work. Spanish born Francisco Goya was an apotheosis of Romanticism and demonstrated this deviation from the academic rationality of his predecessors by skillfully rendering images that captured universal human emotions.
Comparing the work of French Neoclassical artist Jacques-Louis David and Spanish Romantic artist Francisco Goya demonstrates the differences in each movement's approach and intentions. David's The Death of Socrates 1787 and Goya's The Executions of the Third of May 1808 1814 are examples clearly illustrating the disparities between these two periods. David's painting depicts the historical moment when Socrates holds the hemlock he is about to consume as a result of his heretical teachings. Socrates is chosen as the hero in David's composition because he is an individual willing to die for his beliefs similar to those honorable men willing to perish for the cause of the French Revolution. An individual observing this work is inspired by Socrates' resolve and commitment. In contrast, Goya's work was produced in reaction to French imperialism and the atrocities of war. It illustrates a moment when a Spanish man with raised arms awaits the fate those bloodied and fallen around him have just faced. Goya's painting showcases the bravery of ordinary individuals revolting against the French soldiers. While viewing The Executions of the Third of May 1808 the observer feels the frustration, anger, and melancholy that must have surged through the victims of French imperialism.
www.ibiblio.org
In addition to thematic differences, structural and formal qualities are dissimilar as well. David's figures are so clearly defined by linearity they resemble statues and Goya's characters blend into one another. Socrates and the men who surround him are rendered with great attention to anatomy and the bodies of the Spanish men and French soldiers can barely be discerned under their garb. While David's figures are fixed, Goya's men are dynamic and fall dramatically on top of each other. The Death of Socrates has a smooth crisp finish and The Executions of May 1808 highlights the quality of the paint and the surface of the canvas. Classical architecture adds aesthetic appeal and depth to Socrates' episode while a black sky and architectural elements increase the gloom of the Spanish landscape. Carravaggio lighting illuminates Socrates' plunge into the afterlife and dramatic lighting also shines on the victims of war. David's painting, with its symmetrical lay out and refinement of detail, appeals to a the rational understanding of art. Goya's work invites the viewer to abandon the notion that art needs to be composed mathematically mimicking actual proportions.
Jacques-Louis David and Francisco Goya managed to make their mark on the world with their painterly creations while calling upon vastly different techniques. Both individuals, though coming from divergent schools of thought, communicated to audiences messages pertinent to the artists and their historical moment in time. With every movement comes a counter movement, and Romanticism emerged as an oppositional answer to Neoclassicism. This cultural ebb and flow made possible the emergence of artists and their endeavors that have the potential to strike our intellects like The Death of Socrates or stir our emotions like The Executions of May 1808.
Eisenmen, Stephen and Thomas E. Crow. Nineteenth Century Art: A Critical History. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment