Neoclassical Art Movement Essay Example For Students

Neoclassical Art Movement Essay During the age of Neoclassicism, people were beginning to identify with the values of Greek and Roman heroes, along with their nobility, self-sacrifice, and their moral virtues. In Neoclassical art featuring women, many of the pieces portrayed women as devoted to their family and state, According to Assayer (2010), Neoclassicism was highly favored by France during the rise of Napoleon. Napoleons government was modeled Roman precedents, He was responsible tort establishing a centralized government and a uniformed legal system. In the painting, The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Utilities, y Jacques Louis David, it portrays Napoleon as a soldier and emperor (National Gallery of Art, 201 0), Napoleons stance in the painting shows power, and self- confidence. When Napoleon was crowned Emperor, Neoclassical art was used to legitimate his empire Artist Jean-Augusta-Dominique Ingress Vass known for creating neoclassical art with a looser interpretation. Of Ingress work, such as the Grandee Odalisque, was with women posing in a similar form to Greek nude women. Neoclassicism even influenced early U. S. Presidents, such as Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson utilized the democratic ideals from the Greek, creating a sense of order and harmony, as well as measure and proportion (Assayer, 2010). While Neoclassicism focused on heroic characteristics, another period enjoyed the life of leisure. The paintings during the Impressionism era have the feel of sketches, almost as though the paintings were created in the form of photographs. The subject matter of Impressionists set them apart from previous eras, as well as their technique. Impressionists were less concerned about social criticism and were more focused in pieces featuring the pleasures of fife, or images of leisure (Assayer, 2010). Artists characterized Impressionism as a way of seeing by capturing effects of light with paint applied in quick. But small strokes of color. Impressionists painted elite in the Paris cafes and theatres, as well as the boulevards. One of the best examples of leisurely life in paintings is Luncheon to the Boating Party, by Pierre Augusta Renoir. This piece captures Rennins friends enjoying food, wine, and each others company, The painting also reflects how the French society was changing during the mid-to late 19th century. The French society was becoming more welcoming to people of many classes, creating a new sense of diversity (Phillips Collection, 2010). One period of art was more reflective on the artists own gestures and styles. This period was called Abstract Expressionism. Many leading European artists immigrated to the united States due to the poor conditions in Europe caused by the great Depressions and World War II. Soon after avgas the development of the Abstract Expressionism movement. Abstract Expressionism featured artists Who were dedicated to their win creativity and expression of art (Assayer, 2010). Jackson Pollack was heavily influenced by automatism, or direct expression Of the self. Pollock created the large scale of surfaces with no place on the canvas for the viewers eyes to rest. The paintings created such energy and movement, Pollacks method was labeled as Action Painting (Assayer, 2010). In Pollocks painting, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), his technique was pouring, or dripping paint onto the canvas. His creative method was considered to be unorthodox, as his method consisted of painting n a canvas laid flat on a floor (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010). When Pollock began his method of pouring paintings, many people in the art world were shocked. The influence that Jackson Pollock left on the development to Abstract Expressionism was quite large. As one can see, Neoclassicism, Impressionism, and Abstract Expressionism left an extraordinary impact on the art world. While each period was different in their techniques of painting, all three were important in forming the world of art to what it is today.