The art of the Classical Period involved morality and how that could be determined and shown through artwork. The Enlightenment was going on which influenced people to think outside the box, and to think that human knowledge and intellect itself could solve moral problems. Especially in Neoclassical artwork, morality was a theme of that artwork. The art produced during this time was supposed to help people be moved towards morality and virtue in their lives. Many of the pieces of art during this time was showing people and their morality or the consequences of the lack of morality.
"The Death of Socrates" - Jacques-Louis David
The first piece of art I chose was "The Death of Socrates" by Jacques- Louis David. David was a French painter who was one of the most prominent artist during this Classical period. He painted primarily in the Neoclassical style, such as this painting. This piece of artwork was done in 1787. This painting shows the famous philosopher Socrates, in prison about to die for his beliefs. This painting can be an encouragement for many in the Classical Era to stand by their beliefs and their virtues no matter the consequences. I really enjoyed the colors in this painting and the reds that are popping out from the clothing of a couple of the people in the scene that is painted.
"The Stolen Kiss" - Jean-Honore Fragonard
This painting, "The Stolen Kiss" was painted in 1788 by French artist, Jean-Honore Fragonard. This painting involves the morality of the Classical Era because it obviously shows two young people, who are sneaking around, perhaps trying to hide their love from others. The young lady seems like she is unsure about what to do and if she is going against her morals and virtues by having this young man kiss her cheek. The diagonal lines in this painting imply movement, such as the young lady being slightly pulled by the man across the room and dragging the cloth with her as she is being pulled. I like the motion that Fragonard incorporated into this painting.
"Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures" - Angelica Kauffman
This final painting, by Angelica Kauffman was done in 1785. Kauffman was a Swiss born painter who was very skilled in the Neoclassical artwork. This painting shows Cornelia, who was the Roman mother of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, as well as another lady who is the one in red. Cornelia in this painting is pointing to her children as her treasures on earth. This painting excels in showing some of the morality of the Classical Era because Cornelia is saying that her treasure is not anything material, but is her precious children. This was a shift in morality throughout the time and portrayed the love of motherhood very well. One of the elements of this painting that stood out to me was the bright colors of all the clothes except for Cornelia. The brights reds, blue, yellow, and pink all stand out as very playful and childish colors, however Cornelia is in white which helps to show how pure she is. I love this painting very much and I love how well it shows Cornelia's love for her children. I would definitely own a copy of this in my home.
References
Hello Faith, your post on the morality of art through the classical period was a great read. It is clear the shift from rococo style involving more curvy lines and pastel colors to neoclassical involving simple colors and straight lines. The painting The Stolen Kiss by Fragonard shows so much emotion, the way she is shown as almost being dragged by the young man and seeing her body language questioning whether the young man kissing her is immoral. The neoclassical era is an era I appreciate so much, and I enjoy the style of simple colors and morality depicted scenes. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHello Faith, I really enjoyed your exhibition and was especially interested in "The Death of Socrates." I also took notice to the way the red and other colors popped out to me. My friend is a philosophy major so Socrates is a pretty household name for us, and I wanted to learn more about the piece, so I did a quick Google search. Socrates has been convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens and introducing strange gods, and has been sentenced to die by drinking poison hemlock. Socrates uses his death as a final lesson for his pupils rather than fleeing when the opportunity arises, and faces it calmly. This story feels reminiscent of the bible to me as well. Super cool!
ReplyDeleteHi Faith!
ReplyDeleteThe paintings you chose considerably showed the morality in Art during the classical era. Indeed, the neoclassical paintings in the classical period are more antiquity-inspired, realistic, and rational. No wonder neoclassical painters greatly opposed aristocracy like the rococo-style painting you mentioned above. It is centered on playful and mischievous activities.
Jacquie Louis David is an influential person and a supporter during the French Revolution. His paintings depict his dedication to the movement. I also like his paintings because they are historic. I included a link for his involvement in the revolution. Thank you for sharing!
https://www.byarcadia.org/post/jacques-louis-david-political-revolutionary-and-propagandist
Hello Faith!
ReplyDeleteI love your statement of "showing people and their morality or the consequences of the lack of morality. " for these art pieces you chose because that is a very great element to include for this art era. I also chose to include the piece "Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures" - Angelica Kauffman in my exhibit and I love how you described it as bright and playful colors! Did you know that Kauffman along with Mary Moser (1744-1819) became one of only two female artists who were founding members of the Royal Academy in London?