Unit 5: Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism is an artistic movement that sought to revive the classical approach in art, literature, architecture, and music. It emerged in the mid-18^th century and originated in Rome. It was established to deviate from the Rococo style, which was established in the 18^th century and characterized by things such as light colors and playfulness. Neoclassical artist create art pieces that are realistic, rational, and objective. Neoclassical art is logical, conservative, and straight to the point. Neoclassical art displays the reality of things, showing exactly how things are. I dislike neoclassicism because this artistic movement does not support emotion and imagination. Despite the lack of important features such as emotion and imagination, neoclassical paintings are extremely detailed. They focus on proportion, realism, and the rationality of things. Neoclassical paintings usually display heroic and courageous scenes. One painting that we viewed in class that displayed a heroic act was Jacques-Louis David’s Oath of the Horatti. In this painting, there are soldiers saluting before going to war. A painting that displayed a courageous scene was Jacques-Louis David’s Death of Socrates. Socrates is shown with his finger pointing in the air seconds before drinking the concoction that would end his life. He was putting his hand in the air to symbolize him standing up for what he believed in. All in all, neoclassicism is very precise yet boring.