ARTS 9 – 3RD QUARTER HANDOUT

NEOCLASSICISM, 1780-1840 - refers to literature, theater, music and architecture which were inspired by Ancient
Greece and Rome’s classical art and culture.
- The word neoclassic came from the Greek word neos meaning new and the Latin word classicus which is similar
in meaning to the English phrase first class.
- The Neoclassical movement coincided with the 18th century Age of Reason also known as the Age of
Enlightenment.
Characteristics:
- portrayal of Roman history
- formal composition
- the use of diagonals to show the peak of an emotion or moment (versus a regular moment)
- local color
- overall lighting
- classic geo-structure

NEOCLASSICAL PERIOD ARTISTS

1. JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID (1748 – 1825, French)
- Was the most celebrated French artist of his day and a principal exponent of the late 18th-
century Neoclassical reaction against the Rococo style.

OUTH OF THE HORATII THE DEATH OF SOCRATES

2. JEAN-AUGUSTE-DOMINIQUE INGRES (1780 – 1867, French)

- Ingres became the principal proponent of French Neoclassical painting after the death of his mentor.
 OEDIPUS AND THE SPHINX PORTRAIT OF NAPOLEON ON THE IMPERIAL
THRONE

ROMANTICISM, 1800s-1810s – A trend that emphasized both the delicate and stormy presentation of sentiments or
emotions and individualism.
- The subjects or art works promoted a variety of distinguishing concepts, such as historical ambition, super-
natural elements, social justice and nature, with a preference for the medieval over the classical.
- Landscape painting was also made more popular because of the romantic adoration of nature by the
inhabitants.
Characteristics:
- shows the height of action
- emotional extremes
- celebrated nature as out of control
- dramatic compositions
- heightened sensation (life and death moments)

ROMANTIC PERIOD ARTISTS

1. EUGENE FERDINAND VICTOR DELACROIX (1798 – 1863, French)

- Was one of the greatest French Romantic painters, whose use of color was influential in the development of
both Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting.

LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE CHRIST IN THE SEA OF GALILEE

2. THEODORE GERICAULT (1791 – 1824)

- Géricault was a dandy and an avid horseman whose dramatic paintings reflect his flamboyant and passionate
personality.
 THE RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

Summary of the qualities particularly techniques and styles of art from Neoclassicism and Romanticism
ELEMENTS NEOCLASSICISM ROMANTICISM
Values: Order, solemnity Intuition, emotion,
imagination
Inspiration: Classical Rome, patriotism, Medieval and Baroque
courage, honor eras, Middle and Far East
Tone: Calm, rational Subjective, spontaneous,
non-conformist
Subjects: Greek and Roman history Legends, exotica, nature,
violence
Technique: Stressed drawing with lines, not Unrestrained, rich color;
color; no trace of brushstroke visible brushstrokes

Role of art: Morally uplifting, inspirational Dramatic, carry viewer

away
Composition: Most figures in foreground. Use of diagonal, crowded
compositions
Lines: Linear style Painterly style
(outlines are sharply defined (brushstrokes are less
through controlled brushstrokes) restrained)

Texture: Smooth, no brushstrokes can be Often has visible

seen brushstrokes

NEOCLASSICISM versus ROMANTICISM

Neoclassicism: REASON Romanticism: PASSION
Nature is defined as natural
Nature is defined as human nature
environment (woods, mountains, etc)
Society is more important than the The individual is more important than
individual society
Imitation Originality
Tradition Experimentation
Rules and order Freedom
Mechanical form (imposed from outside) Organic form (growing from inside)
Logic Intuition
Reason Imagination, Emotion
Attempted objectivity Accepted subjectivity
Town or cultivated landscape Country, preferably untouched nature
Constraint Spontaneity
Conformity Independence, Rebellion
Cultivated, formal, social The primitive becomes focus

NEOCLASSICAL SCULPTURE versus ROMANTIC SCULPTURE

 Neoclassical Romantic
Mythological Characters Human world
Religious Characters Natural world
Portraying discrete sexual pleasures Dynamic and emotional
Nude flesh Animal themes

NEOCLASSICISM and ROMANTICISM in the Philippines

In the Philippines, Neoclassic and Romantic arts influenced a lot of our artists. The realism employed in the styles and
techniques of the works of Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Jean Louis Théodore Géricault, Eugène
Delacroix, Francisco Goya shows in their paintings, sculptures, and architecture.

FAMOUS PHILIPPINE ARTWORKS:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juan_Luna_Spoliarium.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Las_Virgenes_Cristianas_
Expuestas_Al_Populacho_(The_Christian_Virgins_Being_Exposed_to
_the_Populace)_by_Felix_Ressureccion_Hidalgo_1884.jpg SPOLARIUM (JUAN LUNA)
THE CHRISTIAN VIRGINS BEING EXPOSED
TO THE POPULACE (FELIX HIDALGO)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pambansang_Bantayog_ni
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UP_Baguio_Oblation.jpg _Andres_Bonifacio_(Bonifacio_National_Monument).jpg
PAMBANSANG BANTAYOG NI ANDRES
OBLATION (GUILLERMO TOLENTINO) BONIFACIO (GUILLERMO TOLENTINO)

PLANTING RICE WITH MAYON VOLCANO

(F. Amorsolo)
SIYAM NA DIWATA NG SINING
(NAPOLEON ABUEVA)