The exhibition examines various art pieces from the neoclassicism movement. We will display paintings and sculptures from various artists who use the neoclassical style in their work.

The neoclassical movement was brought on to challenge the Rococo and the Baroque movement, which contrasted with neoclassical styles. The Rococo style artwork contained asymmetric shapes and curves; it was described as theatrical and included ornamentation. Baroque style painting had lots of dramatic emotions, strong contrasts of light and dark, and asymmetry. The word neoclassicism means that the style was based on classical Greek and Roman art elements, such as idealism, symmetry, simplicity, and realism; however, it was produced after the Greco-Roman period. Greek artists did not use natural human forms in their paintings or sculptures; instead, they painted or sculpted what they believed to be the perfect human form. At times, artists would use one part of a model’s body and use a different part of a different model’s body. The painting Zeuxis Selecting Models for His Painting of Helen of Troy by Angelica Kauffman; portrayed Zeuxis, a Greek painter that selected specific models to portray Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world. The painting showed that while Zeuxis measured one woman’s arm, more models were behind her, ready to be measured. This is an accurate portrayal of what artists would have likely done to attain an idealized, symmetric human form. However, this contradicted Roman sculptures that portrayed realism but not merely to show a realistic portrait. Roman artists displayed the traits of an individual. An example of a neoclassical artist that was inspired by classical Roman style is Jean-Antoine Houdon. He created a sculpture of the philosopher Voltaire, and it depicted an old man, but not merely to show his age but to show his wisdom, which comes with age. Lastly, neoclassical artists also incorporated or drew the subject matter from Greco-Roman histories and mythologies for their artwork.

Many events contributed to the rise and spread of neoclassicism. One of the factors that led to the rise of this movement was the work of Johann Joachim Winckelmann. Johann Winckelmann wrote about how art should not imitate life; art should seek something beyond nature, a perfect form. He praised Greek artwork to the point where he stated that it was superior to Roman art, which created many debates. Another factor for the rise of neoclassicism was the age of Enlightenment. The Enlightened period pushed people to question what they were taught and to question the world around them, which was a big push towards revolutions. An event that led to the spread of neoclassicism was the Grand Tour. The Grand Tour was a European tradition where people of wealth and status would go across Europe to study different arts and cultures. Lastly, probably the most contributing factor to the rise of neoclassicism is the uncovered relics from classical antiquities.

The neoclassical style spread throughout Europe and into America. In France, Italy, America, many paintings and sculptures contained classical Greco-Roman elements. However, artists from various countries incorporated different types of themes in the artwork. We compared artworks from France, Italy, and America, to figure out the prevalent themes used in their artwork.

French painters at that time would include Greek or Roman historical context in their work. Jacques-Louis David, a foremost neoclassical painter, incorporated Greek historical events in his paintings. At times he would use that context as an allegory to the French Revolution. One of his most renowned paintings, The Death of Socrates, was an allegory to the French Revolution. The painting depicted Socrates’ death; he died because he refused to renounce his beliefs; he sacrificed his life for his beliefs. Similarly, the French sacrificed their lives to fight the oppressive monarchy. There is also The Death of Germanicus by a French painter Nicolas Poussin that depicted the death of the Roman general Germanicus. However, at times, French artists illustrated their historical events or figures and incorporated neoclassical elements. An example is a painting by Jacques-Louis David called The Death of Marat, which portrayed the death of a French revolutionary leader, Jean-Paul Marat.

The theme of Italian artworks differed from the French. Italian artists focused on Greek and Roman mythologies. Mostly artists used sculptures to depict Greek and Roman mythologies, yet there were some that used canvases as well. One of the most significant Italian neoclassical Sculptors was Antonio Canova. One work of his was Cupid and Psyche, which focused on the story of the Roman god Cupid falling in love with a human, Psyche. One of his other works includes The Three Graces. The Three Graces are Greek goddesses; they are daughters of Zeus. Furthermore, Pompeo Batoni, an Italian neoclassical artist,  portrayed Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, and Cupid, the Roman god of love, in a painting. Each of these sculptures embodied neoclassical elements of grace, simplicity, and symmetry. Lastly, these artists did not merely depict Greek and Roman gods and goddess solely to show them; they did it in a way that would also convey to the audience their stories.

American neoclassical artists were inspired by both the French and Italian. Some American artists drew their subjects from Greek and Roman mythologies in their work. Some artists used their own historical figures to portray them as patriotic, heroic, and at times godly. The sculpture of George Washington by Horatio Greenough is an example. Greenough depicted George Washington wearing classical Roman clothing, his right index finger is pointed upward, and he is holding a sword in his left hand. He looks like a heroic leader, yet at the same time, he looks like a Greek god. Another American sculptor is Harriet Hosmer, who depicted Daphne the Nymph in Greek mythology, who was Apollo’s, the Greek god of the sun, first love. Hosmer used elements of simplicity and symmetry in the sculpture. Lastly, there was Pierce Francis Connelly, who sculpted Thetis and Achilles. Thetis was the Greek sea goddess, and Achilles was her son.