Essay on Jaques Louis David

German art historian, Johann Joachim Winckelmann (18th century), speculated that “Greek art, like Greek poetry, has according to Scaliger, four principal periods.” He goes on to explain there are different types of Greek art such as the “grand and lofty”. Put of the four mentioned styles, it is clear the option which pertains most greatly to sculpture was after the previously mentioned style, where artists “acquired more grace and pleasingness. This style should be named the beautiful.” He later explains that the last style is imitators, likely referring the Roman’s remakes of Greek sculptures, which infers sculpture became a more important part of society (after the Romans took over) due to the fact they considered them worth recreating.

On his reading, Nudity a la Grecque in 1799, ___________ explains the controversy of one of the most famous paintings of the Neo-classical artist, Jacques-Louis David, the Intervention of the Sabines (1799). This beautiful and controversial painting was characterized by the juxtaposition of male and female nude figures, its impact within women fashion and their power of intervention on society, as well as the David’s intent to represent on his paintings the social and political transformations in France during that time.

In conclusion we can state a few things when we look at the art and politics of Jacques-Louis David. David had the luck that the rococo style went down and that he rose to the occassion during the transformation to neoclassicism, wherein he is considered one of the founding fathers. (Lajer-Burcharth, 1999) That neoclassical style wherein there is a lot of appreciation and attention for the Antiquity, gets its deep symbolism from the

The political stability and prosperity of the Renaissance Period created an atmosphere where people’s interests returned to the ancient teachings of Rome and Greece. This resulted in an increased interest in art, especially art that highlighted an individual’s experience. During this time there was little turmoil and the economy was flourishing, so people could live more extravagantly. The art of the Renaissance Period reflected this extravagance as well as the time period’s return to an interest in humanism. Humanism arose out of classical thinking in Rome and Greece and was based on the importance of the overall human experience.

Art and Architecture were greatly impacted by the humanist’s study of classical antiquity. The art was changed with the scenes having more of a Greek influence. For example, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus painting, Venus is taking up the whole center of the canvas. In the Middle

Throughout history, there are moments that become pivotal points for major outcomes. The capturing and hanging of John Andre was one of these pivotal moments. A British Major who spied on the Americans and tried to close off the New England from the rest of the colonies, Andre was a man willing to do anything for his country.

Hellenistic art was engaged more on perfection of the human frame, accuracy and detail. Models from Greek times looked more God-like than human. Hellenic art depended on the new thought of authenticity. Hellenic figures were molded into sensible, blamed human structures. Art in the Hellenic world art epitomized richness, cheerful nature, and coarse with. Marble statues and reliefs described human greatness and sensuality. Art in Hellenistic world emphasize extraordinary naturalism and unashamed luxury. Art in Hellenistic and Hellenic showed feelings and other components filled with different

French Romanticism developed relatively late because of Neoclassicism being rooted in French art and especially in the society’s structure. Eugène Delacroix’s painting Liberty Leading the People depicts the July Revolution of 1830. Parisian coup d'état resulted in Charles X dethroning and replacement with Louis-Phillipe, the “citizen-king.” Although the painting is historical, it is full of contrasting human emotion, a fundamental characteristic of French Romanticism. In the foreground despair is represented by human death of both sides of the battle. In the central figure, Liberty, an allegorical symbol of freedom, shows grand heroism. Delacroix’s use of brilliant and shocking primary colors opposes classicism’s use of color as subordinate and of subtle modulation. The Death of Sardanapalus by Eugène

William James was a philosopher and psychologist but was most well known in the field of Psychology for developing the philosophy of pragmatism, or the Functionalist theory: "Theory of mental life and behavior that is concerned with how an organism uses its perceptual abilities to function in its environment." He was also the first Psychologist to be born in America.

The main contributions of Classical style are sculptures and architecture. The “canon” that made active use of that principle of proportion known as symmetry corresponds to both the architecture and the sculptures. My overall perspective and assessment of Classical style are that Classical style had strong influences on the development of humanities of ancient Greece. It was an important part of the development of ancient Greek art. It the principle of proportion, order, and harmony and greatly influenced their culture and daily

Neoclassicism was an eighteenth century cultural movement that is showcased in music, painting, architecture, literature, etc. This movement is based on simplicity, order, a revival of cultural the achievements of Greece and Rome, and a conforming to the expectation of society. A great example of a neoclassic work would be Pope Clement the fourteenth's tomb; with its monochromatic color palette, serene figures, and overall

The revival of antiquity allowed Greek and Roman influences to appear in Renaissance art as references to the ancient civilizations’ mythology or the reappearance of their architecture. Other characteristics of Renaissance art include humanism and realism. Humanism in art meant the depiction of more human-centered worlds or subjects, and the idea of human individuality (often expressed through portraitures or a broader exploration of the arts). Realism, otherwise known as naturalism, meant a new emphasis on the imitation of reality and the use of mathematical concepts, like the laws of perspective, to achieve that goal. Considering that Lorenzo Ghiberti’s The Gates of Paradise includes all three characteristics of Renaissance art: Greek and Roman antiquity, humanism, and realism, one can further deduce that The Gates of Paradise is a prime example of the prevailing art style of the Renaissance.

Throughout history art has consistently reflected the cultural values and social structures of individual civilizations. Ancient art serves as a useful tool to help historians decipher some important aspects of ancient culture. From art we can determine the basic moral and philosophical beliefs of many ancient societies. The differences in arts purpose in Greece and Rome, for example, show us the fundamental differences in each culture's political and moral system. The primary objective of Greek art was to explore the order of nature and to convey philosophical thought, while Roman art was used primarily as a medium to project the authority and importance of the current ruler and the greatness of

Neoclassical and Romantic movements cover the period of 1750 to 1850. Neoclassicism showed life to be more rational than it really was. The Romantics favoured an interest in nature, picturesque, violent, sublime. Unlike Neo_classicism, which stood for the order, reason, tradition, society, intellect and formal diction, Romanticism allowed people to get away from the constrained rational views of life and concentrate on an emotional and sentimental side of humanity. In this movement the emphasis was on emotion, passion, imagination, individual and natural diction. Resulting in part from the liberation and egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution, the romantic movement had in common only a revolt against the rules of classicism. There are

Artists and paintings can have a significant influence over the general attitude of a time period by spreading a certain sentiment throughout their paintings, and overall these artists played a major role in the spread of romanticism during the late eighteenth century. The romantic movement defined Europe by shifting the focus from rationalism and classicism of the Enlightenment towards emphasizing the expression natural human emotions and imagination in art. Romanticism in general can be characterized as a sort of rebellious reaction to the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism, and the movement produced a new aesthetic form of art based around addressing human nature. In this way, romantic works successfully stood as sort of refreshing contrast to the overdone impressions of classicism. In the late eighteenth century, romanticism would continue to emerge as a literary, artistic, and musical movement throughout Europe.