European Art of the 1600s and Early 1700s Was Dominated by a Grand Ornate Style Called

The Enlightenment

Neoclassicism was the dominant artistic style of the Enlightenment catamenia and drew inspiration from the classical art and culture of Aboriginal Hellenic republic and Rome.

Learning Objectives

Describe the shifts in thinking and artwork that characterized the Enlightenment

Key Takeaways

Fundamental Points

• European Neoclassicism in the visual arts began c. 1760 in opposition to the decadence of Baroque and Rococo styles.
• The austerity and sobriety of Neoclassicism echoed the spirit of the French Revolution.
• The French painter Nicholas Poussin was a principal of the Neoclassical style.
• Neoclassicism was peculiarly stiff in those areas where classical examples were nigh abundant, such as in architecture and sculpture. Painting, in contrast, had fewer classical antecedents to reference.

Key Terms

• Neoclassicism: Neoclassicism is the proper name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theater, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Aboriginal Rome.
• Rococo: Rococo, too referred to equally Late Baroque, is an 18th-century creative movement and style, which affected several aspects of the arts, including painting, sculpture, architecture, interior design, decoration, literature, music, and theater.
• Enlightenment: A philosophical movement in 17th  and 18th century Europe; the Historic period of Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, emphasized rationalism.

Overview

The Enlightenment, also known as the Historic period of Reason, was a movement that began during the 18th century in Europe and the American colonies. The cardinal figures of the movement sought to reform society using the power of reason. Started by the preeminent philosophers of the mean solar day, the Enlightenment era lasted from about 1650 to 1800, promoting science, reason, and intellectual exchange. The idea of advancing knowledge through reason emerged in response to new technology and the ability to exchange information easily cheers to mass printing, and also out of a backlash against previous systems, which valued the church and tradition higher up all else. The authorization of science and empirical thought increasingly displaced religious authority, and the disciplines of alchemy and star divination lost credibility, leaving the more than easily confirmed chemistry and astronomy. Scientific idea became more and more developed. The Enlightenment has long been hailed as the foundation of modern Western political and intellectual culture.

The Enlightenment encouraged criticism of the abuse of Louis XVI and the elite in France, leading to the offset of the French Revolution in 1789. In 1792, Louis Xvi and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were beheaded along with thousands of other aristocrats believed to be loyal to the monarchy.

Art During the Enlightenment

Previous to the Enlightenment, the dominant artistic style was Rococo. When the Enlightenment and its new ideals took hold, Rococo was condemned for being immoral, indecent, and indulgent, and a new kind of instructive fine art was chosen for, which became known every bit Neoclassicism. In opposition to the frivolous sensuality of Rococo painters like Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher, the Neoclassicists looked to the artist Nicolas Poussin for their inspiration. Poussin'southward piece of work favors line over color and predominantly features clarity, logic, and order. His work served as an culling to the ascendant Baroque style of the 17th century. Poussin was the major inspiration for such classically oriented artists every bit Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and Paul Cézanne.

Et in Arcadia Ergo by Nicholas Poussin, c. 1630s: Poussin came to define Neoclassical artwork with work that favored line over colour and a rather stark lack of frivolity.

The Neoclassical Style

Neoclassicism is characterized by clarity of form, sober colors, shallow space, and strong horizontals. Its verticals return the subject matter timeless, instead of temporal, equally in the dynamic Bizarre works, and depicts classical subject matter—or classicizes contemporary subject matter. Neoclassicists believed that strong drawing was rational, and therefore morally superior, and that art should be cerebral, not sensual.

The Neoclassicists wanted to limited rationality and sobriety that was fitting for their times. Artists like David supported the rebels in the French Revolution through an art that asked for clear-headed thinking, self-sacrifice to the State (as in Oath of the Horatii), and an austerity reminiscent of Republican Rome.

Adjuration of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David, 1784: David was an extremely influential figure in the Neoclassical movement. His strong use of line, balance, and geometry suited the movement's ideals of guild and thrift.

Neoclassicism was strongest in compages, sculpture, and the decorative arts, where classical models in the same medium were relatively numerous and accessible. Rococo architecture emphasizes grace, decoration, and asymmetry; Neoclassical architecture is based on the principles of simplicity and symmetry, which were seen as virtues in the arts of Rome and Ancient Greece, and were more immediately drawn from 16th century Renaissance Classicism.

The Thou Tour and Its Portraits

The G Tour was a customary trip to Europe undertaken by wealthy Europeans and some Americans.

Learning Objectives

Depict the stops forth the Grand Tour in Europe

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• The Grand Tour was viewed every bit an educational rite of passage typically for young men, simply sometimes women as well.
• The Grand Tour tradition was extended to include the heart class when railroad and ship travel became more widespread in the second half of the 18th century.
• The 1000 Bout generally involved the written report of fine art at museums and universities, private collections, and notable architectural sites.
• Souvenirs and mementos became an important chemical element as they could demonstrate the specifics of which location was visited and what was seen or acquired.
• The creative person Pompeo Batoni fabricated a career of painting portraits of English tourists posed among Roman antiquities and became very pop in Rome.
• Batoni'due south paintings made it into numerous private collections in U.k., thus ensuring the genre 'due south popularity in the Uk.

Cardinal Terms

• rite of passage: A ceremony or series of ceremonies, often very ritualized, to gloat a transition in a person's life. Baptisms, bar mitzvahs, weddings, and funerals are among the best known examples.

The K Tour was a customary trip to Europe undertaken by wealthy Europeans and some Americans that flourished equally a tradition from almost 1660 to 1840. The trip was viewed equally an educational rite of passage typically for young men, only sometimes women every bit well. It was intended every bit a ways of cultural broadening and associated with a fairly standard itinerary. The Grand Tour tradition was extended to include the middle form when railroad and ship travel became more widespread in the second half of the 18th century.

The travel itinerary typically began in Dover, England and crossed the English Channel to Ostend or to Calais in France. From here the tourist and "bear-leader," or tutor, and possibly a troupe of servants, could rent a coach and travel to Paris. From Paris they would travel to Switzerland, then Kingdom of spain, and Northern Italian republic. Once in Italia, the tourist would visit Turin, and might spend a few months in Florence and Venice, which was the epitome of the M Bout for most British tourists. From Venice they would go to Rome to study the ruins and masterpieces and mayhap to the archaeological sites at Pompeii. Next was the High german section of Europe, such as Vienna, Dresden, Berlin, and Potsdam, and finally to The netherlands and Flanders before making the trip dwelling. The journeying generally involved the report of fine art at museums and universities, individual collections, and notable architectural sites.

The pilgrimage was popularized further by the advent of tour guides, such as Thomas Cook, which became synonymous with the M Bout. Thousand Tourists were known to travel with an entourage that included valets, coachmen, scholarly guide and possibly a melt. Souvenirs and mementos became an of import element as they could demonstrate the specifics of which location was visited and what was seen or acquired. Their popularity created an industry of sorts, and prices rose with the growth of the trend. Some Grand Tourists invited artists from dwelling house to accompany them throughout their travels, painting views specific to their personal itineraries.

Despite the political upheaval, 18th century Rome remained a desirable destination. It became an absolute necessity for people of ways to spend fourth dimension in Rome as office of their "Grand Bout," or educational pilgrimage. The city became a nexus for these tourists as well as the merchants and industries that resulted from their patronage.

The increasing popularity of the 1000 Bout, and the related desire for visitors to collect "classical" souvenirs, quickly spread the Neoclassical mode throughout Europe. It became a symbol of wealth and freedom to go on the Grand Tour and to take something to show for it displayed in your abode. A popular souvenir of the M Tour was a portrait of the tourists themselves, often painted amidst the architecture, or famous art works of a particular European location. The artist Pompeo Batoni, made a career of painting portraits of English tourists posed among Roman antiquities. He became very popular in Rome and his portraits of the British traveling through the city were in very high demand. There are records of over 200 portraits of visiting British patrons standing amidst ruins and dandy works of art by Batoni. These paintings fabricated information technology into numerous private collections in Britain, thus ensuring the genre's popularity in the United Kingdom.

A portrait by Pompeo Batoni: A popular souvenir of the Yard Tour was a portrait of the tourists themselves, like this one, painted amidst the compages or famous fine art works of a particular European location.

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Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/the-enlightenment/

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