Quarter 3 – Module 1: David and Rousseau:Characteristics of Art (Paintings of Romantic and Neoclassical Periods)

Neoclassical Period

The period known for idealized figures, realistic details, and themes of heroism and morality.

Romantic Period

The period known for emotional intensity, nature-focused themes, and dramatic or idealized landscapes.

The Death of Marat

A Neoclassical painting by Jacques-Louis David depicting the martyrdom of Jean-Paul Marat.

A River Landscape

A Romantic-period painting by Theodore Rousseau representing nature such as mountains, valleys, vegetation, and water.

Jacques-Louis David

A Neoclassical artist known for realistic, idealized, and heroic portrayals in his paintings.

Theodore Rousseau

A Romantic artist known for detailed, realistic to impressionistic landscape paintings.

Idealized

Artistic style in which subjects are perfected rather than shown realistically.

Realistic

Art presenting subjects in true-to-life detail.

Contemporary Scenes

Scenes from current or recent events, often used in Neoclassical art.

Christian Martyr Imagery

Artistic style where a subject is shown with gentle, glowing light similar to depictions of saints or martyrs.

Landscape Painting

Painting genre focusing on natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, and bodies of water.

Martyrdom

The suffering or death of someone for a cause, often depicted in Neoclassical works like The Death of Marat.

Physical World

Theme of Romantic art depicting nature, landscapes, and natural environments.

Highly Detailed

Characteristic common to both Neoclassical and Romantic paintings.

Impressionistic

A painting style showing less detail and more focus on light, emotion, and broad strokes; often found in Romantic art.

Neoclassical Characteristics

Idealized figures, realism, detailed depiction, glowing light, heroic themes, contemporary subjects.

Romantic Characteristics

Nature themes, landscapes, emotional content, idealized yet sometimes impressionistic style.

Difference: Neoclassical vs Romantic

Neoclassical focuses on heroic contemporary events; Romantic focuses on nature and emotional landscapes.

Similarity of David and Rousseau

Both create realistic and detailed paintings; both works are idealized.

The Death of Marat Similarity to Pieta

Refers to how the painting resembles Christian martyr imagery.

Nature (Romantic)

Focus on mountains, valleys, vegetation, and water in Romantic art.

Contemporary Scenes (Neoclassical)

A major subject matter in Neoclassical works like The Death of Marat.

Heroism

Theme represented in Neoclassical art.

Representation of Nature

Theme represented in Romantic art.

Soft Glowing Light

Lighting style in The Death of Marat reminiscent of Christian imagery.

Valleys

Part of the natural environment shown in Romantic landscapes.

Vegetation

Another natural feature highlighted in Romantic painting.

Bodies of Water

Feature commonly found in Romantic landscape paintings.

Realistic in Details

Common characteristic of both Neoclassical and Romantic artworks.

Idealized Style

Feature shared by both Neoclassical and Romantic paintings.