The Rise of Romanticism and the Fall of Neoclassicism

Jacques Louis-David. Oath of the Horatii. 1784-1785

Krissia Keck

To initially prepare ourselves for the crazy world of the history of art movements, we must agree on some things. Art movements behave in an “action-reaction” pattern. It generally starts with an artist trying to achieve complete and utter perfection (much to the annoyance of those of us who cannot draw a single portrait successfully). David is our a prime example. He was inspired by, and followed all the rules of Classicism. But then of course, a couple of "punks" come around, decide that they don't like the way things are going, and that they are no longer going to follow any of these unwritten rules. They are going to do things their way, and follow their own rules, which later becomes the set of rules that the next generations' "punks" are going to have to break. And there you have the beginning of every art movement ever. (Or almost)

Neoclassicism emerged right after the “fall” of the Rococo movement. Pretty, frilly, light-hearted things are great and all, but they somehow fail to depict and embody the events taking place in France in the 18^th Century. They actually mirror to an extent, the political state of France. The decadence and excess of the aristocracy, eventually led to the French Revolution. Artists without a doubt, were endlessly affected by the political events that surrounded them. 

In Oath of the Horatii, not only does David make use of classical ideals such as mathematical proportions, perfect lines, restrained use of color, depth of field, and Roman architecture, but he also uses the grand theme to his advantage. Being a supporter of the Revolution, he chooses to depict a theme that will install the revolutionary spirit amongst his people. The painting illustrates the story of three men taking an oath against their enemies. The only minor problem: the women were related to the enemy family in different ways, so they were all going to lose someone near to them. The best part? The painting was commissioned by the royal government. David's painting was a discreet call to arms. He used the seriousness and power of the Neoclassicism movement to deliver a dose of heroism and call for action to the people of France. 

Francisco Goya. The Third of May. 1808.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and we notice Neoclassicism making way for Romanticism. As previously mentioned, artists threw the rulebooks away, and began painting whatever and whichever way they wanted. Perfect proportions? Nope. Mathematical calculations? Definitely not. This time around, artists began to paint contemporary subjects that appealed to them. Instead of painting a classical story with the hopes of invoking some feeling with the viewers, Romantic artists produced paintings of actual events so that people could react however they chose to. 

Francisco Goya had one foot in France, and one foot in Spain. He was witness to the horrors of war, and became disillusioned with the governing forces in Spain. In The Third of May, Goya depicts the events that actually happened on May 3^rd in Spain, when the French slaughtered hundreds of innocent civilians because a French soldier was shot the night before in the same city. The composition is not perfectly measured out. It has no distinct depth of field. The bodies are not proportionate, which can be clearly seen on the main figure, the man wearing yellow and white. He strategically uses directed lighting to illuminate the defenseless man in he middle of the canvas. His brushstrokes are expressive, and the overall mood is very dramatic. The faces of the soldiers cannot be seen, but we are shown the faces of the victims in the painting, in an attempt to empathize with the people. He uses bright colors to reinforce the drama happening the center of the piece. 

Ultimately, Romanticism prevails (at least for a couple more years). Neoclassical artists working on commissions sought to make their patrons satisfied, by painting grand, classical themes. On the other hand, Romantic artists began to paint for their own sake, and for the first time, artists started choosing the content of their paintings, using the canvas to express their inner reactions to the events happening around them.  

Works Cited:

Eisenman, Stephen, and Thomas E. Crow. Nineteenth Century Art: A Critical History. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994.