Art Movements and Historical Context: Neoclassicism to Post-Impressionism

A vocabulary-style set of flashcards covering major art movements, key terms, historical contexts, influential figures, and foundational theories from Neoclassicism through Post-Impressionism.

Neoclassicism

An 1780s–1820s movement drawing on classical antiquity; emphasizes balance, harmony, clarity, idealized figures, and moral lessons, often used to promote civic virtue and imperial propaganda.

Key characteristics of Neoclassicism

Emphasizes order, rationality, and clarity, often drawing themes from ancient Greece and Rome to inspire modern civic virtues. It supports ideals of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and later the Napoleonic Empire.

Intellectual Roots of Neoclassicism

Rooted in the Enlightenment and Age of Reason, emphasizing logic, scientific inquiry, and a return to classical ideals of order and virtue as opposed to the perceived frivolousness of the Rococo style.

Neoclassical Sculpture

Characterized by idealized forms, marble materials, and classical themes. Notable sculptors include Antonio Canova (1757–1822) and Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844).

Neoclassical Architecture

Influenced by ancient Greek and Roman temples, emphasizing symmetry, monumental scale, and classical elements like columns and pediments. Examples include the Pantheon in Paris and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.

Jacques-Louis David: Oath of the Horatii

A quintessential Neoclassical painting (1784) depicting a scene from Roman legend, emphasizing stoicism, patriotism, and self-sacrifice, exemplifying civic virtue through its stark composition and moral gravity.

Jacques-Louis David: The Death of Marat

A 1793 painting commemorating the assassinated French Revolution leader Jean-Paul Marat, rendered with a Neoclassical clarity and pathos, transforming a political murder into a martyr's death, akin to a Pietà.

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres: Grande Odalisque

A Neoclassical work from 1814 that blends classical lines with exotic subject matter, characteristic of early Orientalism; notable for its precise draughtsmanship and idealized, elongated form, demonstrating a tension between classical and romantic tendencies.

The function of Neoclassical art

Primarily served to educate and uplift viewers morally, promoting civic duty, heroism, and rational thought. Under Napoleon, it also became a powerful tool for state propaganda.

Romanticism

A 19th-century reaction against Neoclassicism (roughly 1800s-1850s, with fluid dates); emphasizes emotion, individual experience, dramatic color and movement, sublime nature, and exotic subjects.

Romanticism's focus on the Sublime

Exploration of awe-inspiring and terrifying aspects of nature and human emotion, often depicted through dramatic landscapes and narratives that evoke intense feelings rather than rational thought, as theorized by Edmund Burke.

Romanticism: Key Ideas

Emphasizes passion, individualism, intuition, imagination, and a fascination with the exotic, the supernatural, and the past. It often champions freedom and revolt against oppressive systems.

Romantic Landscapes

Artists like J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851) and John Constable (1776–1837) depicted nature with dramatic intensity, light, and emotion, often showing its powerful, untamed aspects (the sublime) or its serene, idyllic qualities (the picturesque).

Théodore Géricault: The Raft of the Medusa

A monumental 1819 Romantic painting depicting the harrowing real-life shipwreck and its aftermath, known for its dramatic composition, intense emotion, and critique of political incompetence.

Eugène Delacroix: Liberty Leading the People

A powerful 1830 painting symbolizing the July Revolution, featuring an allegorical figure of Liberty guiding the people over barricades, showcasing Delacroix's use of dramatic color, movement, and emotional intensity.

Romanticism and Literature

Heavily influenced by literary works that explored intense emotion, individualism, and the supernatural, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's (1749–1832) Faust and Lord Byron's (1788–1824) poetry.

Romanticism's depiction of Nature

Nature was seen not just as a backdrop but as a powerful, autonomous force capable of evoking deep emotional and spiritual responses, encompassing both its awe-inspiring (sublime) and serene aspects.

Depiction of Emotion in Romanticism

A defining characteristic, with artists striving to express internal states—fear, joy, despair, heroism—through exaggerated gestures, dramatic lighting, and vivid, often unrestrained color palettes.

Caspar David Friedrich

A leading German Romantic painter (1774–1840) celebrated for his contemplative landscapes that often feature solitary figures, evoking a sense of awe, spirituality, and melancholy in the face of nature.

Francisco Goya's Romanticism

Spanish painter (1746–1828) whose later works, such as The Third of May 1808, vividly depict the horrors of war and the brutality of human conflict, characterized by dark themes, dramatic lighting, and a stark realism that influenced later movements.

Realism

1848–1870s focus on everyday life and social reality; rejects romantic idealization; depicts peasants, workers, and contemporary life in earthy tones.

Realism's social commentary

A movement that challenged academic art conventions by depicting unvarnished contemporary life, including the struggles of the working class and the realities of industrial society, often with a critical eye, influenced by socio-political changes following the 1848 Revolutions.

Realism: Social and Political Context

Emerged during a period of industrialization, growing urban centers, and social unrest (e.g., European Revolutions of 1848), prompting artists to depict the stark realities and social disparities of modern life.

Characteristics of Realist Painting

Emphasizes accurate, unsentimental detail; mundane subjects drawn from everyday life (peasants, workers, bourgeois society); an earthy, often muted color palette; and an objective, unidealized portrayal of the world.

Gustave Courbet: The Stonebreakers

A groundbreaking 1849 Realist painting depicting two ordinary laborers performing hard manual work with unflinching honesty. Its large scale, traditionally reserved for history painting, elevated common subjects, challenging academic norms.

Gustave Courbet: A Burial at Ornans

A monumental 1849–50 Realist work that depicts a common funeral in the artist’s provincial hometown on a grand scale, usually reserved for heroic narratives. It shocked critics by portraying ordinary people without idealization.

Jean-François Millet: The Gleaners

An 1857 Realist painting depicting three peasant women gleaning leftover grain from a field after harvest, emphasizing the dignity of hard labor and subtly highlighting rural poverty, often perceived as an expression of socialist sympathy.

Honoré Daumier: The Third-Class Carriage

A Realist painting (c. 1862) known for its poignant depiction of urban poverty and the cramped conditions of public transport, offering a powerful social observation of anonymous individuals and their daily struggles.

Édouard Manet's early work and Realism

Manet (1832–1883), though often seen as a precursor to Impressionism, adopted a Realist approach by depicting contemporary subjects (like prostitutes and modern picnickers) with a stark, unidealized manner, paving the way for modern art.

Role of Photography in Realism

The advent of photography in 1839 provided a new standard for objective, unidealized 'truth' in depiction, encouraging Realist painters to abandon traditional academic conventions and embrace contemporary, factual observation.

Impressionism

1870s–1880s movement valuing modern life, en plein air painting, loose visible brushstrokes, bright colors, and fleeting moments.

Impressionist techniques

Characterized by visible, broken brushstrokes that capture the fleeting qualities of light and atmosphere; open composition; an emphasis on light in its changing qualities; and the inclusion of movement, often capturing leisure activities and urban scenes.

Impressionism: Origins

The movement began with a rejection of the official Salon, leading to independent exhibitions, most notably the 1874 exhibition where Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise lent the movement its name.

Influence of Japanese Prints

Ukiyo-e woodblock prints (e.g., Hokusai, Hiroshige) profoundly influenced Impressionists and Post-Impressionists with their flat planes of color, bold outlines, unusual compositional angles, and scenes of everyday life.

Claude Monet: Impression, Sunrise

A pivotal 1872 painting depicting the port of Le Havre, renowned for its visible brushstrokes and focus on the ephemeral quality of light and atmosphere, leading art critics to sarcastically coin the term 'Impressionism.'

Claude Monet: Series Paintings

Monet extensively explored light's effects on a single subject through series like Haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and Water Lilies, depicting them at different times of day and in varying atmospheric conditions to capture fleeting optical perceptions.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Bal du moulin de la Galette

An 1876 Impressionist masterpiece capturing a lively Sunday afternoon dance in Montmartre, Paris, famous for its vibrant depiction of modern leisure, dappled light filtering through trees, and fragmented brushwork.