Overview

The party of the Rococo ended. The Enlightenment philosophers (Voltaire, Rousseau) said: “Stop playing in the garden. We need Reason, Virtue, and Liberty.” Artists looked back to ancient Rome and Greece for a model of a serious, moral society. Neoclassicism is the art of the Revolution. It is stern, heroic, and sharp.

Core Idea

The core idea is Civic Virtue. Art should not be for pleasure; it should be for education. It should teach you how to be a good citizen, how to die for your country, and how to control your passions. It valued “Noble Simplicity and Quiet Grandeur” (Winckelmann).

Formal Definition

A severe and unemotional form of art harkening back to the grandeur of ancient Greece and Rome. Its rigidity was a reaction to the overbred Rococo style and the emotional charged Baroque style.

Intuition

  • Rococo: A swirling, pink, messy bedroom.
  • Neoclassicism: A clean, white marble bank building with columns. It is the difference between a love letter and a legal constitution.

Examples

  • Jacques-Louis David, The Oath of the Horatii (1784): Three brothers salute their father before going to die for Rome. Their muscles are tense, the light is harsh, the lines are straight. The weeping women in the corner show “weak emotion,” while the men show “stoic duty.” It became the manifesto of the French Revolution.
  • The White House: Or the US Capitol. Thomas Jefferson loved Neoclassicism. He wanted the new American Republic to look like the old Roman Republic, so he copied their temples.
  • Antonio Canova: The sculptor who made Napoleon look like a nude Greek god (Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker).

Common Misconceptions

  • It’s just copying: It wasn’t just copying old statues. It was using the language of the past to speak to the present. They used Roman togas to talk about French politics.
  • It’s boring: It can look stiff to us, but at the time, it was incredibly radical. It was a visual call to arms against the monarchy.
  • The Grand Tour: Rich young men traveled to Italy to see the ruins. They brought back the taste for classical art, fueling the movement.
  • The Enlightenment: Neoclassicism is the visual arm of the Enlightenment. Reason > Emotion. Line > Color.
  • The Academy: Neoclassicism became the official style of the Art Academies, leading to the rigid rules that the Impressionists later rebelled against.

Applications

  • Government Buildings: Almost every courthouse and parliament built in the 19th century is Neoclassical. It projects stability and law.
  • Fascist Architecture: Hitler and Mussolini also loved Neoclassicism (stripped of ornament) because it looked powerful and imperial.

Criticism / Limitations

  • Coldness: It lacks the warmth and humanity of other styles. It feels like a lecture.
  • Hypocrisy: It praised “Liberty” and “Republics” while often serving dictators like Napoleon.

Further Reading

  • Irwin, David. Neoclassicism. 1997.
  • Honour, Hugh. Neoclassicism. 1968.
  • Crow, Thomas. Emulation: Making Artists for Revolutionary France. 1995.