This image is a representation of the individual as it is of two people, however this painting could be a precursor of the enlightenment
Due to France’s military successes in the war they soon became the richest and most prosperous country in Europe. This led to a growth in French culture with patronage being given to all art forms, and we can see how the French style of
The citizens have an expression of horror and fear and the British Red Coats seem to wear a sadistic smile. The appalled and panic-stricken faces of the civilians amplify the sense of evil and further demonizes the soldiers. These ruthless smiles convey to the audience that the soldiers delight in inflicting pain on the public and would gladly repeat the offense. However, the innocence of the civilians displayed by the painting is deceiving. US History.org states, “In the heat of the confusing melee, the British fired without Captain Thomas Preston's command.”
Jacques-Louis David’s painting of Napoleon Crossing the Alps is a great example of glorifying war. Within the painting, it portrays Napoleon riding a horse pointing in the direction at which he intends on leading his men into battle. The overall image exemplifies a focus on being very strong, masculine, and superior. Napoleon’s superiority is shown through his clothing, and the horse standing up and being white.
Neoclassicism was a Western European movement that drew inspiration from the “classical” art and culture of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The Neoclassical movement began in Rome in the middle of the 18th century, but its popularity quickly spread throughout Europe because of European art students desire and interest in the styles of Neoclassical Art. Evident in most of the works during this period, Neoclassical art put a lot of emphasis on clarity, balance, simplicity, and harmony of design. This was easy to see because many paintings during this time showed great character-size proportions, unlike distorted figures we saw during the art period known as Mannerism. Neoclassical art portrays aristocratic life, revealing a world of elegance, wealth, and pleasure.
The French Revolution was almost an exact replica of the American Revolution. The French were also and oppressed people and wanted a change. The French were under a monarchy so the only option they had was to overthrow their king a create a republic. Their society was split into two groups. You had the Upper class society and the Pheasants.
Catherine the Great and Peter the Great were both absolute rulers who had complete control over an empire. These two monarchs had many ups and downs, but achieved absolutism during their reigns. Catherine the Great had a more difficult road to her throne than Peter had. Catherine and Peter both being of different genders altered the way that they were seen as rulers. Absolutism can be defined as, “Such a form of rule was beyond the reach of early modern states, where a ruler's effectiveness was limited by poor communications, constant difficulty in mobilizing adequate resources, and, above all, the need to satisfy the interests and aspirations of the nobility.”
I chose this painting of Paul Revere because a lot of artist's painted portraits in The Era of Feelings.
During the 19th century, the church lost its power and its traditional theme and the rapid growth of urbanization and industrialization led to to the birth of “Isms”. Neoclassicism, a revival of Greek and Roman art; a direct reaction to the excessiveness of Baroque and Rococo styles. During the American and French Revolutions, the political atmosphere began to lean towards an Age of Reason and Enlightenment. With admiration for classical Roman and Greek art renewed after excavations of Herculaneum and Pompei, efforts for style to accompany philosophy caused an inevitable return to the "classics"(AML 68). Early works of artists such as Jean August Dominique Ingres and especially Jacques-Louis David encompassed the thematic elements associated with Neoclassicism.
An initial reaction to this artwork is a feeling of mourn with an explosion of emotions. At first, the artwork serves as a symbol of sorrow, despair, and melancholy. The title of the work adds a dry, bland sense to the meaning behind the drawing. Through observing the drawing more strenuously, the work becomes more of a symbol of war and a cry for help. The despair and troublesome times that the working class went through during war is characterized in this artwork.
The American Romantic Movement started in the late 1800's. It was one of the most important time in the history of American Literature. American Romantic have strong subjective views rather than objective. Washington Owen's “The sketch book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent” signs the beginning of American Romantics. As the development of American Romantics went deep, it branched into two main factions, known as Transcendentalists and the Dark Romantics.
The French Revolution began to abolish privileged, high class society as people rose up against the authority and monarchy in France. As a result of this political upheaval almost all of Europe was shaken by social changes, revolutions, and wars (“French Revolution”). Artists and artwork began to reflect this new sense of change and nationalism with a movement called Neoclassicism. Neoclassicism is characterized by strong drawing, rationality, and better moral ideology. Artists began to no longer show their brush strokes and paint more about nationalism and patriotism in society.
American Transcendentalism was highly inspired by Romanticism, and therefore they have many similarities. However, there are some differences, especially in their ideas of religion and God. The American Transcendentalist period took place in the mid 19th century. It began around 1836 and lasted to roughly 1860. Romanticism occurred much earlier, around the end of the 18th century, but was mostly dominant around 1840.
However, the definition of these time periods is fuzzy, at best. Nearly every publication describes different dates for each period. For example, the "Classical" period is defined in various sources as ending in either 1800, 1820, 1825, or 1830! Even more inconsistency exists concerning the Romantic period, which starts sometime between 1800-1830, and ends between 1850-1920, depending on the source. There is also much inconsistency in which composers are regarded as belonging to which time period.
The portrait represents the beauty of the time period. It holds simplistic colors with detailed shading. The artwork is very intriguing to me. I love the detail in the background, there are tiny brushstrokes that makes up the mountains and sky. Also, I find the shading of the mouth and eyes very interesting.
