Grade 9 • Unit 3

Neoclassical and Romantic Arts

Arts
MAPEH
 Practical Applications

The knowledge gained in this unit can be applied to the following:

● appreciating the aesthetic and history of the neoclassical and
Romantic periods
● recognizing the abilities of Western countries who have honed their
craft for centuries
● applying elements and techniques from the neoclassical and
Romantic periods

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Lesson 1

Neoclassical Art
Movement

Arts
MAPEH

3
 Learning Targets

At the end of this lesson, the learners should be able to do the following:
● Analyze art elements and principles in the production of work
following the specific art style from the neoclassical period.
● Identify distinct characteristics of art during the neoclassical period.
● Identify representative artists from the neoclassical period.
● Reflect on and derive the mood, idea, or message from selected
artworks.
● Determine the use or function of artworks by evaluating their
utilization and combination of art elements and principles.

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 Learning Targets

At the end of this lesson, the learners should be able to do the following:
● Describe the influence of iconic artists belonging to the neoclassical
period.
● Evaluate works of art in terms of artistic concepts and ideas using
criteria from the neoclassical period.
● Create an artwork guided by the techniques and styles of the
neoclassical period.
● Demonstrate appreciation for the neoclassical art movement.

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Recharge

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 Recharge

Paintings from the Renaissance and Baroque Periods

The Creation of Adam by

Michelangelo (Renaissance)

Crucifixion of St. Peter by Caravaggio

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(Baroque)
 Recharge

Activity Processing
1. Which painting did you find more
interesting, and why?
2. What have you observed about
the different techniques and
styles used in the Renaissance
and baroque periods?
3. How do these art pieces reflect
the cultural and historical context
of Western countries at the time? The Lacemaker by Johannes
Vermeer

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Enlighten

At the beginning of
the 1760s,
neoclassical art was
a widespread and
influential
movement in the
visual arts.

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In the previous unit, we learned about the Renaissance and
Baroque arts. Let’s refresh our memories and review some
concepts that were discussed in that unit:

● Renaissance is an art movement flourished from the 14th to the

16th century that embraced antiquity and fosters virtuous living.
● Baroque is an art movement that started during the 17th
century and has three different strands:

○ Religious Grandeur - extravagant and melodramatic in style;

○ Greater Realism - naturalistic portrayal of religious images; and
○ Easel Art - aims to cater to the prosperous bourgeois
households in portrait art and landscape painting.
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WHAT IS CLASSIC?

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Classicism, in the arts, generally refers to
artwork created by the ancient Greeks and
Romans. Classic artwork may also be
categorized as one of the ancient arts or
called either Greek or Roman art. Classical
art was diverse and often publicly accessible.
Classic artworks usually decorated temples
and public buildings.
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➢ The Neoclassical art movement began in the
mid-1700s.
➢ Its height happened at the same time with the
18th century Enlightenment era and continued
into the early 19th century.
➢ Neoclassicism, also known as the classical
revival, literally means “New Classicism”:
neos in Greek means “new,” classicus is
“first class” in Latin and ismos means
“doctrine” in Greek.
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Originally from Rome, this
art movement became
popular in France as French
and European students
discovered Greco-Roman
ideals from their training in
Rome, also known as the
Great Tour.
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Characteristics of Neoclassical Art

● serious
● no emotions
● sternly heroic
● somber colors
● depiction of light
● smooth paint surface to hide brushwork
● clear and crisp definition of form

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Subject Matters
● Greek history
● Roman history
● Greco-Roman cultural attributes
○ Allegory
○ Virtue
● mythology
● architecture
● ruins
● Greek or Roman men in armor with swords and spears
● people in static calm poses
● draped flowing Greek robes
● Roman togas and sandals
● people looking polished in a statuesque pose
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The French Royal Academy of the Arts in 1669 established a
hierarchy of painting. This was adopted by Neoclassicism.

BIBLE
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
HISTORY
PORTRAITURE
GENRE PAINTING
LANDSCAPES 17
Notable Artists and People

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 Claude Lorrain
● He was a French Baroque artist.
● He painted A Landscape with
Apollo Guarding the Herds of
Admetus and Mercury Stealing
Them (1645).
● His subjects were mainly from
mythological or Biblical
scenes.
● His works showed an orderly
harmony that fascinated the
neoclassical artists as they
believed art should express ideal
morals.
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 Nicolas Poussin
● His works reflected
mythological and historical
scenes that influenced
neoclassicism.
● His compositions emphasized
clarity and logic, and
figurative treatments favored
strong lines.
● His famous painting was The
Death of Germanicus (1627).
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Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain were
both French Baroque artists and were both
primary influencers of Neoclassicism, whose
paintings were regarded as classic
archetypes. Their paintings appealed to
Neoclassical artists as their works showed a
classical approach.
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 Johann Joachim
Winckelmann
● He was a German art
historian and archeologist.
● His book, Thoughts on the
Imitation of Greek Works in
Painting and Sculpture (1750),
helped develop the aesthetic
and neoclassicism theory.
● He said art should advance
toward “noble simplicity and
calm grandeur.”
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 Anton Raphael Mengs
● He was a German
portraitist and historical
painter.
● He was hailed as “the
greatest painter” of his
time.
● He influenced some
notable artists, such as
Benjamin West, Angelica
Kauffman, John Flaxman,
Jacques-Louis David, and
Gavin Hamilton. 23
 Jean-Antoine Houdon
● He was a French bust
sculptor.
● He was known for his works of
contemporary political and
cultural figures of the French
Enlightenment, such as
Napoleon Bonaparte, Voltaire,
and even George Washington.
● He often sculpted from life or
by creating molds using
models’ faces.
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 Antonio Canova
● He was an Italian artist who
was one of the leading
neoclassical sculptors.
● He was famous for his marble
sculptures that rendered nude
flesh.
● He was hailed as “the supreme
minister of beauty” and “a
unique and truly divine man” by
his peers.
● His famous work was Apollo
Crowning Himself (1781). 25
 Recharge
Enlighten

Activity Processing
1. What values did neoclassicism
wish to inspire?
2. How did creating an infographic
help you organize and
synthesize the information you
gathered about the neoclassical
art movement?
3. How did you decide which visual
elements to use in your Naiad by Antonio Canova
infographic?
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Reexplore

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 Reexplore

Instructions
1. Prepare a sheet of Oslo paper for this activity.
2. Take a selfie to use as a reference.
3. Draw a full-body portrait sketch of yourself as a character from Greco-
Roman history or mythology. For example, you can be a Greek
philosopher or the legendary Roman king Romulus.
4. Make sure to incorporate the values and characteristics of neoclassical art
into your portrait.
5. Use different shading techniques to give your drawing more detail.
6. Submit your work once finished.

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 Recharge
Reexplore

Activity Processing

1. What does your subject

represent?
2. What elements and
characteristics of the
neoclassical art movement did
you incorporate into your
portrait?
The Assumption of the Virgin
by Nicolas Poussin

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 Recharge
Reexplore

Activity Processing

3. Why did you choose the

specific pose and clothing for
your portrait? How do these
elements reflect neoclassical
ideas?
4. How do you think neoclassical
art relates to our
contemporary society and
A portrait of Johann Joachim
culture? Winckelmann

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 Photo Credits

Slide 5: Jean-Antoine Houdon, Voltaire, 1778, NGA 1266, by National Gallery of Art is licensed under CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia
Commons.

Slide 8: Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David, Louvre Museum, 25 September 2019.jpg by Cheng-en Cheng is licensed
under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Slide 10: Adam’s Creation Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo, by Jörg Bittner Unna is licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia
Commons.

Slide 10: Martirio di San Pietro September 2015-1a, by Alvesgaspar is licensed under CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Slide 11: Johannes Vermeer - The lacemaker (c.1669-1671), by Musée du Louvre is licensed under CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia
Commons.

Slide 12: Claude Lorrain, Landscape with Merchants, c. 1629, NGA 41657, by National Gallery of Art is licensed under CC0 1.0 via
Wikimedia Commons.

Slide 14: Naiad by Antonio Canova, by Mr.TinMD is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 via Flickr.

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 Photo Credits

Slide 16: The self-portrait of Claude Lorrain, by Yongli66 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Slide 17: "Portrait de l'artiste", Nicolas Poussin, 1650. Musée du Louvre, by Grégory Lejeune is licensed under CC0 1.0 via Flickr.

Slides 18 and 26: Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768), by Web Gallery of Art is licensed under CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia
Commons.

Slide 19: Anton-raphael mengs, autoritratto, by Sailko is licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Slide 20: Jean antoine houdon-rembrandt peale, by PAFA is licensed under CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Slide 21: Perseus by Antonio Canova - Vatican, by Tetraktys is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Slide 23: The Death of Socrates MET DT40.jpg by Metropolitan Museum of Art is licensed under CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia
Commons.

Slide 25: Nicolas Poussin, The Assumption of the Virgin, c. 1630-1632, NGA 46470, by National Gallery of Art is licensed under
CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Slide 26: Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768).jpg by Metropolitan Museum of Art is licensed under CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia
Commons.
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 References

Art in Need. 2021. “A Perspective on Juan Luna’s Spoliarium (1884).” Medium. https://artinneed.medium.com/the-very-large-
canvas-portrays-more-than-just-the-combination-of-oils-textures-and-colors-it-is-f0e7c7fef856.

Galitz, Kathryn Calley. 2004. “Romanticism.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/roma/hd_roma.htm.

Irwin, David. 2023. "Neoclassical Art." Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/Neoclassicism.

MasterClass. 2021. “How to Make a Moodboard: Step-by-Step Guide.” MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-

make-a-moodboard-step-by-step-guide.

Seiferle, Rebecca and Valerie Hellstein. 2017. “Romanticism Movement Overview and Analysis.” TheArtStory.
https://www.theartstory.org/movement/romanticism/.

Żelazko, Alicja. 2018. “The Thinker.” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Thinker-sculpture-by-Rodin.

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