Influence of Neoclassicism on Romanticism
Niccolo Machiavelli once said, “whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past”, seems to sum the influence of past artistic styles on works of art across varying time periods. Neoclassicism, a popular art style in the 18th and early 19th century drew inspiration from Roman and Greek culture, it rose in response to a desire to revive the classical art period, whilst Romanticism, an art style that became popular at the end of the neoclassical period, embraced medievalism and revolted against the Age of Enlightenment and the classics that was the heart of the Neoclassical movement. Whether artists chose to embrace past styles or deviate from them, either way they are influenced by them. Despite contrasting views and techniques between the two periods, Romanticism grew out of Neoclassicism.
Neoclassicism can be defined as the revival of the classical style in art, literature, architecture and music. It was an influential style in art during the 18th and 19th century that lasted from the 1760’s until the 1850’s. Neoclassicism rose in reaction to the Rocco and Baroque styles that were popular during the middle of the 18th century in the United States and Western Europe especially France. Neoclassicism was the result of a renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture as a result of archeological discoveries of buried Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which brought about new inspiration. The Neoclassical era was also called the Age of Enlightenment as the Industrial Revolution was taking place. There were many new inventions and this lead to the growth of many factories. With new inventions, there was new knowledge, hence the reference to enlightenment and “neo” which means new. During the Neoclassical period, artists also focused on moral revivalism due to admiration for philosophers like Aristotle and Plato and also reflected on the Renaissance era. Neoclassical artists looked to the past as a guide to the present because of the assumption
Neoclassicism can be defined as the revival of the classical style in art, literature, architecture and music. It was an influential style in art during the 18th and 19th century that lasted from the 1760’s until the 1850’s. Neoclassicism rose in reaction to the Rocco and Baroque styles that were popular during the middle of the 18th century in the United States and Western Europe especially France. Neoclassicism was the result of a renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture as a result of archeological discoveries of buried Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which brought about new inspiration. The Neoclassical era was also called the Age of Enlightenment as the Industrial Revolution was taking place. There were many new inventions and this lead to the growth of many factories. With new inventions, there was new knowledge, hence the reference to enlightenment and “neo” which means new. During the Neoclassical period, artists also focused on moral revivalism due to admiration for philosophers like Aristotle and Plato and also reflected on the Renaissance era. Neoclassical artists looked to the past as a guide to the present because of the assumption
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