Marcus Chen
The first true neoclassical painting is a matter of debate, but there are several paintings that are considered to be among the first of the neoclassical style. One of the earliest neoclassicists, Pompeo Batoni, blended Rococo with neoclassical elements in his work, which included both classical subjects and contemporary portraits. Another early neoclassicist was Nicholas Poussin, whose work The Death of Germanicus (1627) influenced the work of later neoclassicists such as Jacques-Louis David and Benjamin West. Anton Raphael Mengs, a protégé of Winckelmann, is also considered to be one of the first neoclassical painters, with works such as Parnassus (1760-61) and Augustus and Cleopatra (1760-61).
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What You'll Learn
The first true neoclassical painting
The term "Neoclassical" was not coined until the mid-19th century, and the movement in painting emerged around the 1760s, reaching its peak in the 1780s and 1790s. Thus, it is challenging to definitively identify the first true neoclassical painting. However, several works from the late 18th century are regarded as seminal in the context of neoclassical art.
One of the earliest proponents of neoclassicism in painting was Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-1779), a protégé of the German art theorist Johann Joachim Winckelmann, whose writings were highly influential in shaping the movement. Mengs' works, such as "Parnassus" (1760-61) and "Augustus and Cleopatra" (1760-61), freely employed classical themes, drawing inspiration from Greek mythology and ancient history.
Another artist who played a pivotal role in the development of neoclassical painting was Jacques-Louis David, whose works from the 1780s and 1790s solidified his reputation as a neoclassicist. His painting "Oath of the Horatii" (1784) is particularly noteworthy in this regard. David's contemporary, Jean-Germain Drouais, also created history paintings that matched David's in severity and intensity.
The Italian painter Pompeo Batoni is considered one of the earliest neoclassicists. His style blended Rococo with neoclassical elements, and his work included classical subjects, portraits in contemporary dress, and antique statues and ruins. Batoni influenced the painter Domenico Corvi, who, in turn, taught three leading neoclassicists: Giuseppe Cades, Gaspare Landi, and Vincenzo Camuccini.
The Italian archaeologist and art theorist Giovanni Pietro Bellori is also regarded as a forerunner of neoclassicism. His 1664 lecture on the "Ideal" in art at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome laid the theoretical foundations for the movement.
In conclusion, while it is challenging to pinpoint the very first neoclassical painting, the works of artists like Mengs, David, Batoni, and others from the late 18th century significantly shaped and defined the neoclassical style in painting, drawing inspiration from classical themes, ancient history, and the writings of theorists like Winckelmann and Bellori.
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The movement's origins and influences
The Neoclassical movement in painting emerged in the mid-18th century, drawing inspiration from the Renaissance and classical Greek and Roman art, architecture, and culture. The roots of the movement were influenced by the contemporaneous discoveries of Greek and Roman archaeological sites, such as Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Naples, offering artists and scholars unprecedented first-hand exposure to antiquity. The Italian archaeologist and art theorist Giovanni Pietro Bellori is considered the forerunner of Neoclassicism due to his seminal lecture on the 'Ideal' in art, delivered in 1664, which had a decisive influence on European academic theory.
The writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, a German philosopher and archaeologist, were also important in shaping the movement. Winckelmann praised Greek art for its idealistic images, considering them superior to nature and rejecting the imitation of life in art. He sparked the Greco-Roman controversy in the 1760s, a debate that considered the superiority of Greek and Roman art and architecture. Winckelmann's ideas influenced artists such as Anton Raphael Mengs, who freely employed classical themes in his paintings, and Pompeo Batoni, who blended Rococo with Neoclassical elements. Batoni's work includes classical subject pieces and portraits in contemporary dress, with sitters posing with antique statues and urns, sometimes amid ruins.
Neoclassicism in painting generally emphasised austere linear design in the depiction of Classical themes and subject matter, using archaeologically correct settings and clothing. The movement favoured simple elegance and symmetry over the dynamism and elaborate compositions of the Rococo and Baroque styles. Artists sought to recreate the "noble simplicity" of Greek works, reflecting a belief that reality is shaped by our thoughts and ideas.
Neoclassicism in painting was also influenced by the works of earlier artists, such as Nicholas Poussin, whose compositions emphasised clarity and logic, and Benjamin West, whose work drew upon Poussin's. Jacques-Louis David, trained in the Neoclassical style, is also notable for his paintings of the 1780s and '90s, such as "Oath of the Horatii." David's contemporaries included Jean-Germain Drouais, whose history paintings were known for their severity and intensity, and Jean-Baptiste Regnault, Louis-Léopold Boilly, and Louis Gauffier.
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Artists of the neoclassical movement
The term "Neoclassical" was not coined until the mid-19th century, and the movement was initially described using terms such as "the true style" and "revival". Italian Neoclassicism, which lasted from around 1750 to 1850, was the earliest manifestation of the style. It developed in opposition to the Baroque and Rococo styles, and was influenced by the rediscovery of Pompeii and the ancient Greek and Roman archaeological sites. The movement spread across Europe as art students returned from the Grand Tour in Italy with rediscovered Greco-Roman ideals.
Rome was the first centre of Neoclassical art, with artists such as Pompeo Batoni, Antonio Canova, Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Germain Drouais, Jean-Baptiste Regnault, Louis-Léopold Boilly, and Louis Gauffier active in the second half of the 18th century. Batoni's style blends Rococo with Neoclassical elements, and his work includes both Classical subjects and portraits in contemporary dress. David, meanwhile, is considered a forerunner of the French Neoclassicism that followed, with his paintings 'Oath of the Horatii' (1784) and 'Lictors Bringing to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons' (1789) exemplifying the new direction of the movement.
The writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann were highly influential in shaping the Neoclassical movement. His ideas were built upon by the Italian archaeologist and art theorist Giovanni Pietro Bellori, who is considered the forerunner of Neoclassicism. Winckelmann's work distinguished between Ancient Greek and Roman art and defined periods within Greek art, while Bellori's 1664 lecture on the ‘Ideal’ in art at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome became the theoretical basis of Neoclassicism.
Neoclassicism in France was dominated by painting and architecture, with artists such as David, Jean-Baptiste Rondelet, Pierre-Paul Prud’hon, Anne Louis Girodet-Trioson, François Gérard, and Ingres working in this style. Ingres's work combined Neoclassicism with Romanticism, and he is considered the main champion of late Neoclassicism. Other notable French Neoclassical painters include Jean-Germain Drouais, Jean-Baptiste Regnault, Louis-Léopold Boilly, and Louis Gauffier.
Neoclassicism in Britain was influenced by the work of Anton Raphael Mengs, who was an early pioneer of Neoclassical painting. His circle of artists positioned Rome as the centre of the new movement. British artists influenced by Mengs include Benjamin West, Angelica Kauffman, John Flaxman, and Gavin Hamilton. Notable British Neoclassical sculptors included John Wilton, Joseph Nollekens, John Bacon the Elder, John Deare, and Christopher Hewetson.
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Characteristics of neoclassical art
The term "Neoclassical" was not coined until the mid-19th century, but the movement began much earlier in the 1760s, reaching its peak in the 1780s and '90s. It was inspired by the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman archaeological sites like Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as new scientific interest in Classical antiquity. The writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann were also important in shaping the movement, as he distinguished between Ancient Greek and Roman art and defined periods within Greek art.
Neoclassical art is characterised by a focus on clarity, harmony, restraint, universality, and idealism. In painting, this often took the form of austere linear designs, emphasising line over colour and straight lines over curves. Artists also used archaeologically accurate settings and clothing in their depictions of Classical themes. The surfaces of Neoclassical paintings were perfectly smooth, with no brush strokes visible to the naked eye.
Neoclassicism in painting was initially not stylistically distinct from the French Rococo movement that preceded it. However, it soon developed its own identity, reacting against the frivolous sensuality of Rococo. Instead, Neoclassicism looked to the work of French painter Nicolas Poussin, who exemplified the interest in classicism in 17th-century French art. The decision to promote "Poussiniste" painting was an ethical one, as Neoclassicists believed that strong drawing was rational and therefore morally superior to the sensuality of Rococo.
Neoclassicism was also influenced by the age of reason (the Enlightenment), when philosophers believed that humans could control their destinies by learning from and following the laws of nature. This belief in rationality and moderation is reflected in the characteristics of Neoclassical art, such as its emphasis on clarity and restraint.
Some of the most well-known Neoclassical painters include Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Germain Drouais, Jean-Baptiste Regnault, Louis-Léopold Boilly, and Louis Gauffier. David's paintings from the 1780s and '90s, such as "Oath of the Horatii" (1784), are considered quintessential examples of Neoclassicism.
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Neoclassicism's impact and legacy
Neoclassicism emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. It was a reaction against the preceding art movement's excesses, particularly the overly decorative and gaudy styles of Rococo and Baroque. The movement was born in Rome, largely due to the writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann during the rediscovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It was also influenced by the Italian archaeologist and art theorist Giovanni Pietro Bellori, whose 1664 lecture on the ‘Ideal’ in art became the theoretical basis of Neoclassicism.
Neoclassicism in the arts is an aesthetic attitude based on the art of Greece and Rome in antiquity, invoking harmony, clarity, restraint, universality, and idealism. The movement was also characterised by a general revival in classical thought that mirrored what was happening in the political and social arenas of the time, leading to the French Revolution. It was strongest in architecture, sculpture, and the decorative arts, where classical models in the same medium were relatively numerous and accessible.
Neoclassicism's rise was in large part due to the popularity of the Grand Tour, in which art students and the general aristocracy were given access to recently unearthed ruins in Italy, and as a result, became enamoured with the aesthetics and philosophies of ancient art. It first centred in Rome, where artists such as Antonio Canova and Jacques-Louis David were active in the second half of the 18th century, before moving to Paris. Painters of Vedute, like Canaletto and Giovanni Paolo Panini, also enjoyed huge success during the Grand Tour.
Neoclassicism was given great impetus by new archaeological discoveries, particularly the exploration and excavation of the buried Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The new understanding distilled from these discoveries and publications enabled European scholars, for the first time, to discern separate and distinct chronological periods in Greco-Roman art. This new sense of a plurality of ancient styles replaced the older, unqualified veneration of Roman art and encouraged a dawning interest in purely Greek antiquities.
Neoclassicism also impacted fashion, with the neoclassical fashion for men being far more problematic and never really taking off outside the painter's or sculptor's studio. However, it played an important role in the shorter hair styles that finally dispatched the use of wigs and white hair powder for younger men.
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Frequently asked questions
Anton Raphael Mengs' Parnassus (1760-61) is considered the first true neoclassical painting.
Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-1779) was a protégé of Winckelmann and the premier peintre to the Dresden court.
The painting depicts Apollo surrounded by Muses and was commissioned for the Villa Albani in Rome.
Mengs' other works include Augustus and Cleopatra (1760-61), which was inspired by Plutarch's Lives.
Neoclassical painting arose from the first-hand observation and reproduction of antique works, with an emphasis on formal composition, historic subject matter, contemporary settings, and costumes in the spirit of classical revival.
