MMA132: 4 Romanticism and Neo-Classicism in France

was a widespread and influential movement in painting and the other visual arts that began in the 1760s, reached its height in the 1780s and ’90s, and lasted until the 1840s and ’50s.

Neoclassicism

In painting it generally took the form of an _____, using archaeologically correct settings and costumes.

emphasis on austere linear design in the depiction of classical themes and subject matter

attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many works of literature, painting, music, architecture, criticism, and historiography in Western civilization over a period from the late 18th to the mid-19th century.

Romanticism

Romanticism can be seen as a ___ and late 18th-century Neoclassicism in particular. It was also to some extent a reaction against the Enlightenment and against 18th-century rationalism and physical materialism in general. _____

* rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality that typified Classicism in general
* Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental

How Romantic art got its name? The word ____ had multiple meanings during its long history, but in the context of art, it’s a _____ that was prevalent at the dawn of the 19th century.

* “romance”
* reference to strong emotions associated with an art style

a period that glorified rational thinking, secularism and scientific progress.

Age of Enlightenment

The first operational steam engine, built in 1712, could be regarded as the beginning of the Industrial Revolution which later swept the Western hemisphere. Steam engines and cotton mills symbolized that Industrial Revolution. Industrialization transformed economies of Western Europe and North America, driving them from dependence on agriculture to manufacturing. However, at the turn of the 19th century, ___. Their reaction against the ongoing industrialization became a comprehensive movement – Romanticism. _____

* not everyone believed that science and reason could possibly explain everything.
* They looked beyond reason, and sought inspiration in intuition and imagination. Being emotionally engaged was the ultimate aim of their artwork

Began in Germany and England

Romanticism

Entered Europe in 19th century

Romanticism

Deeply connected with politics and was the voice of changes that Europe went through

Romanticism

was a movement that began as a reaction to the constraints of Neoclassicism.

Romanticism

It swept across Europe and helped to inspire many nationalist movement.

Romanticism

The artwork of ROMANTICISM is not linked by common artistic style but rather by the following characteristics:

* A desire to express personal emotions
* A link to the ideas of Rousseau who rejected reason in favor of intuition
* A renewed link to the mysteries of religion and faith
* Inspiration taken from medieval art, literature and the beauty of nature, including:
* Heroes and miraculous events of the Middle ages, especially of the Gothic period.
* Natural phenomena such as raging rivers, storms and misty mountains

Themes depicted in Romantic Art

Far off lands
The distant past
Dreams
Night and moonlight
Rivers, lakes and forests
Nature and the seasons
The joy and pain of love
Fairy tales
The supernatural
Magic

The leading figures in 19th century French art were:

* Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
* Eugene Delacroix

The champion of color

Eugene Delacroix

The champion of line

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

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Each represented the rival schools of Neoclassicism and Romanticism, as seen in this 19th century caricature depicting the two artists jousting in front of the Institut de France

A pupil of Jacques Louis David and was the leading exponent of Neoclassicism, and was renowned as the champion of crisp line and contour, as indicated by the fine tipped pen that he wields as his weapon

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

was the leading representative of Romanticism, and was known for his bravura use of color and painterly effects, indicated by the paint brush that he carries as his weapon

Eugene Delacroix

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The rivalry between these two giants of the 19 th century Academy replayed the 17th century academic debate between the Poussinistes (who favored drawing and design) and the Rubenistes (who favored color)

Identify the picture

**Apotheosis of Homer** by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

This painting by Ingres was submitted to the Salon of 1827, and was a kind of manifesto of Neoclassicism

**Apotheosis of Homer** by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Based on Raphael’s School of Athens, the painting depicts the Greek poet Homer enthroned before a Greek Classical temple

**Apotheosis of Homer** by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

In Apotheosis of Homer, Allegorical figures representing his two great works, _____ are seated beneath his throne, symmetrically arranged like mirrored images of one another

The Odyssey and The Iliad

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The blind poet is crowned by a winged Nike, and he is surrounded by famous artists and writers from history, who acknowledge his great achievement

Name them.

1. Poussin
2. Phidias
3. Michelangelo

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Symmetrical, ordered, and balanced, the picture is a tribute to the rational values of the classical tradition

Identify the picture

**Self Portrait at Age 24** by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Identify the picture

Self Portrait by Eugene Delacroix

Ingres’ chief rival in the 19th century French Academy was Eugene Delacroix, who rejected the values of Neoclassicism (an entry in his diary reads: _____)

“I dislike reasonable painting”

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While Ingres’ style is slick, polished, and reserved (his teacher Jacques Louis David told his students: “never let your brushwork show”), Delacroix’s style is loose, spontaneous, and impetuous, expressing an unrestrained passion that contrasts with Ingres’ cool Neoclassical style

“I paint with my head”

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

“I paint with my heart”

Eugene Delacroix

He painted with precision and calculation

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

He painted with passion and spontaneity

Eugene Delacroix

Identify the picture

**Death of Sardanapalus** by Eugene Delacroix

is a classic example of Romanticism

**Death of Sardanapalus** by Eugene Delacroix

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by Eugene Delacroix

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The painting is based on a story recounted by an ancient Greek historian about an Assyrian King whose city was under siege by an enemy army

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Rather than suffer the humility of defeat, he orders his soldiers to slaughter his horses and his concubines, before setting himself on fire

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The scene is one of chaotic violence, as naked bodies and horses struggle to escape their fate

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The sadistic king reclines impassively on a massive bed, decorated at the corners by carved elephant heads

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His decadent taste for luxuries is evident in the splendor of his surroundings, and the heavy jewelry worn by his concubines (in fact, the king himself wears rings on every toe!)

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Eugene Delacroix Unlike Ingres’ Apotheosis of Homer (which was exhibited at the same Salon) Delacroix’s picture does not pay tribute to a noble hero.

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Instead, it depicts a scene of sadistic violence and passion, betraying a morbid fascination with human depravity rather than noble virtue.

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The style is also dramatically different

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While __Ingres’ work is balanced and restrained__, with clear even lighting, cool colors, and crisp outlines.

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Delacroix’s painting is chaotically arranged, with swirling bodies, and a strong diagonal that rushes headlong into space

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And in contrast to Ingres’ precisely rendered figures, Delacroix’s style is loose, sketchy, and impetuous – as if painted quickly, and with passion

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The colors, too, are rich, lush, and fiery, rather than cool and detached, providing a visual equivalent to the dark passions of the theme

Delacroix’s use of color was influenced by _____, but it was also informed by new scientific theories about the properties of color, as seen in this color wheel from a book that belonged to the artist

Rubens, and by the Venetian masters of the Renaissance

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The diagram shows primary and secondary colors, with their complimentary colors at the other end of the axis

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Color theory teaches us that complementary colors intensify one another – a red against a green, or a blue against an orange, makes the colors pop with an intensity they would not have against a different background

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Delacroix used this understanding of color extensively in his paintings, as in this detail where we see a green sash draped haphazardly across the king’s bed

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The complimentary colors intensify one another, making the colors literally “pop,” and adding to the overall drama of the picture the picture

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The contrast between these two works sums up the competing values of Neoclassicism and Romanticism

Emphasis on reason and virtue

Neoclassicism

Emphasis on feelings, emotion – “human nature,” which is not always virtuous or noble

Romanticism

Style: painted with the “head”

✓ Smooth finish

✓ Balanced, ordered, harmonious

Neoclassicism

Style: painted with the “heart”

✓ Loose, sketchy brushstroke

✓ Expressive color, dynamic composition, dramatic lighting

Romanticism

Subject Matter

✓ Historical

✓ Exemplars of virtue

Neoclassicism

Subject Matter

✓ Themes from literature & the imagination

✓ Exotic people & places

✓ Horrific events

Romanticism

He is profoundly respectful of the past, Ingres assumed the role of a guardian of academic orthodoxy against the ascendant Romantic style represented by his nemesis Eugène Delacroix. He described himself as a “conservator of good doctrine, and not an innovator.” Nevertheless, modern opinion has tended to regard Ingres and the other Neoclassicists of his era as embodying the Romantic spirit of his time, while his expressive distortions of form and space make him an important precursor of modern art.

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Identify the picture

**Achilles Receiving the Envoys of Agamemnon** by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Though firmly committed to Neoclassical values, is seen as expressign the Romanctic Spirit of the times.

**Achilles Receiving the Envoys of Agamemnon** by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Identify the picture

**La Grande Odalisque** by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Regarded as one of the greates modern paintings of the 19th century

**La Grande Odalisque** by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Identify the picture

**Oedipus Explaining the Enigma of the Sphinx** by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

He is the greatest French Romantic painter, whose use of colour was influential in the development of both Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting. His inspiration came chiefly from historical or contemporary events or literature, and a visit to Morocco in 1832 provided him with further exotic subjects.

Eugene Delacroix

Identify the picture

**The Barque of Dante**, sometimes known as **Dante and Virgil** **in Hell** by

Eugene Delacroix

The Barque of Dante, sometimes known as Dante and Virgil in Hell, is the first major painting by the French artist ___, and one of the works signalling a shift in the character of narrative painting from towards the _____.

* Eugène Delacroix
* Neo-Classicism
* Romantic movement

Identify the picture

**Women of Algiers in their Apartment** (French: *Femmes d’Alger dans leur appartement*) by Euguene Delacroix

Identify the picture

**The Masscare at Chios** by Euguene Delacroix

Identify the picture

**Liberty Leading the People** by Euguene Delacroix

Characteristics of Neoclassical Art

a concentration on Greek and Roman mythology history for subjects

a prioritization of the heroic male nude

somewhat dramatic lighting

a rather clean style

hard edges and bright primary colors in painting and smooth

highly polished marble in sculpture

Characteristics of Romantic Art

Romantic art focused on

* emotions
* feelings
* moods of all kinds including
* spirituality
* imagination
* mystery
* fervor

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The subject matter varied widely including landscapes, religion, revolution, and peaceful beauty. The brushwork for romantic art became looser and less precise.

How to identify Romantic art?

1. The skies are gloomy or cloudy as a sign of imminent danger and fear of the unknown, e.g. Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich.
2. A focus on nature – mystical landscapes with dark mysterious ambience; dark in both a literal and figurative sense, e.g. Der Heuwagen by John Constable.
3. Dramatic scenes of man or nature, occasionally with undertones of nature’s triumph over man, e.g. The Course of Empire Destruction 1836 by Cole Thomas.
4. The sky is prominent and overwhelming, often taking over around half of the painting, e.g. Venice Grand Canal by Joseph Mallord William Turner
5. Dramatic scenes (similar to Baroque art but) painted in visible brushstrokes, as typical of the Romantic style, e.g. Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix
6. Horrific and gothic images, where faces express feelings such as intense pain, anguish, anger or fear, e.g. Saturn Devouring his Son by Francisco de Goya.

The skies are gloomy or cloudy as a sign of imminent danger and fear of the unknown

**Wanderer above the Sea of Fog** by Caspar David Friedrich

Identify the picture

**Wanderer above the Sea of Fog** by Caspar David Friedrich

A focus on nature – mystical landscapes with dark mysterious ambience; dark in both a literal and figurative sense

**Der Heuwagen** by John Constable

Identify the picture

**Der Heuwagen** by John Constable

Dramatic scenes of man or nature, occasionally with undertones of nature’s triumph over man

**The Course of Empire Destruction** by Cole Thomas

Identify the picture

**The Course of Empire Destruction** by Cole Thomas

The sky is prominent and overwhelming, often taking over around half of the painting

**Venice Grand Canal** by Joseph Mallord William Turner

Identify the picture

**Venice Grand Canal** by Joseph Mallord William Turner

Dramatic scenes (similar to Baroque art but) painted in visible brushstrokes, as typical of the Romantic style

**Liberty Leading the People** by Eugène Delacroix

Identify the picture

**Liberty Leading the People** by Eugène Delacroix

Horrific and gothic images, where faces express feelings such as intense pain, anguish, anger or fear

**Saturn Devouring his Son** by Francisco de Goya

Identify the picture

**Saturn Devouring his Son** by Francisco de Goya

How to identify Neo-classicism art?

1. Greek or Roman men armoured with swords and spears, e.g. The Oath of Horatii by Jacques Louis David
2. Classical subject matter: People in static calm poses, draped in flowing Greek robes, Roman togas and sandals, e.g. Virgil Reading the Aeneid to Augustus, Octavia, and Livia by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
3. Clear and sharp outlines within a rectilinear composition featuring people looking polished and posing in a statuesque manner, as if they’re marble sculptures e.g. The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David

Greek or Roman men armoured with swords and spears

**The Oath of Horatii** by Jacques Louis David

Identify the picture

**The Oath of Horatii** by Jacques Louis David

Classical subject matter: People in static calm poses, draped in flowing Greek robes, Roman togas and sandals

**Virgil Reading the Aeneid to Augustus, Octavia, and Livia** by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Identify the picture

**Virgil Reading the Aeneid to Augustus, Octavia, and Livia** by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Clear and sharp outlines within a rectilinear composition featuring people looking polished and posing in a statuesque manner, as if they’re marble sculptures

**The Death of Socrates** by Jacques-Louis David

Identify the picture

**The Death of Socrates** by Jacques-Louis David

Romanticism **Subject matter**

various subject matters; if "historical" subjects, the Bible was the source

Romanticism **Themes**

sensuous themes or religious themes interest in nature

Romanticism **Theory of art**

art is to move, inspire

Romanticism **General style**

dynamic, restless, emotional, moody

Romanticism **Composition**

use of diagonal; dynamic

Romanticism **Space**

vast, unlimited; ambiguous

Romanticism **Figures**

expressive, individualistic

Romanticism **Color**

vivid, intense

Romanticism **Application of paint**

painterly

Neoclassicism **Subject Matter**

"history" paintings most important (especially subjects from Greek or Roman history or mythology)

Neoclassicism **Themes**

social, moral, ethical themes or classical or patriotic themes, urban themes

Neoclassicism **Theory of Art**

didactic: art is to teach

Neoclassicism **General Style**

clear, orderly, rational