Neo-Classicism Era | Essay

RUNNING HEAD: NEOCLASSICISM
Neoclassicism Era
Mohawk college
Neelkumar Patel (000761444)
Date of submission: 04/05/2020

NEOCLASSICISM
Introduction
Neoclassicism era is referred to the art movement which majorly drew its inspiration fro
the classical arts as well as Romans and Greek cultures. The era of neo classicism coincided with
that of 18th century era of enlightenment which continued towards the early 19th century. The
neoclassicism era encompassed all forms of arts that included sculptures, painting, decorative
arts, music, literature as well as architecture. The era introduced significant contribution of the
use of straight lines, simplicity, minimal usage of colours and the adherence towards the classical
techniques and values. According to Edgar Allan Poe, the era of neoclassicism during the time of
1780-1820 reflected glory as Greece, and grandeur as Rome. Eighteenth century was the age for
enlightenment that included preaches of the gospel regarding logic and reason by philosophers
(Strickland and Boswell, 2007). This essay will critically analyse the neoclassicism art
movement and its significance in the chapters of the history of art in the light of the contribution
by Jacques-Louis David and Gilbert Stuart .
Discussion
Neoclassicism art
In the Western period of art, Neoclassical Revolution was an influential and widespread
trend in sculpture, decorative arts, and other arts in particular. It began in Rome in 1760s and
continued until the 1850s, influenced by ancient times. Neoclassical painters used an idealist-
style perspective on the drama. With its harmony and beauty, they portrayed the subject. Simple
and precise representation of noble substance was included in neoclassical pieces. Trust in logic
has put order and "ennobling" ideals into neoclassical art (Doing et al., 2017). In the neo
classicism art movement, the paintings focused majorly over the moral message related to

NEOCLASSICISM
patriotism, thus substituting the principles of pleasure. The characteristic of the Neoclassical
style painting was severely drawn figures, that appeared without an illusion of profundity in the
foreground, just as in Roman relief sculptures. The painting surface was smooth, so it seemed
polished and compositions easy to avoid Rococo melodrama. Background generally featured
roman touches such as arches or columns, and irregular curves were replaced by symmetrical
and straight lines (Yan and Fei, 2018).
Jacques-Louis David
One of the most notable artist of this era was Jacques-Louis David who was a French
painter and a trendsetter imitating the roman and the Greek arts towards the inspiration of the
new French republic. Perhaps the last success of conventional history painting was the
Neoclassical quintessent painter, David's colossal canvases. In the latest Greco-Roman tradition,
David combined these ancient subjects with the theory of illumination to create spiritual
examples (Chow, 2019). His paintings have fully dismissed the decorative and painting effects of
the Rococo and produced solid, didactical works of moral clarification with few distractions or
painting flora. The artistic appeal that was specifically conveyed to a large audience was fulfilled
through David's neo classicism paintings. One of his masterpiece is the “Death of Marat”. The
painting significantly contributed to the history of art as the propaganda for the republic for
electrifying as well as planting the seeds of victory as well as devotion towards the fatherland
(Damercheli, Rezvani & Salehi, 2019). Death of Marat was painted after the radical
revolutionary stabbing of one of the closest friend of the painter. The painting portrayed a cold
and black background while the painter furthermore emphasized the blood-stained towel, the box
and knife which were some of the actual objects worshipped by the public as the holy relics.