Who were the European Classical painters?

The background of the era of neoclassical art and the representative

Jacques-Louis David (Jacques-Louis David August 30, 1748 - December 9, 1825)

1. The background of the era in which it arose From the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century, there was a dramatic upheaval in French society. The bourgeoisie's pursuit of the spirit of ancient Greco-Roman heroism gave rise to neo-classical art.

Classicalist art, under the banner of reviving ancient Greco-Roman art, appeared in France as early as the 17th century. Before the French Revolution and its political and social reforms, there was a pure artistic revolution, which was the neo-classical fine art movement. The French art of this period was neither a reproduction of ancient Greek and Roman art nor a repetition of 17th century French classicism. It was a trend to adapt to the bourgeois revolution and to borrow from the past to open up the present. The so-called neo-classicism was relative to the classicism of the 17th century. At the same time, because this neo-classical art movement was closely related to the French Revolution, it was also called "revolutionary classicism".

2. Characteristics: (1) the choice of severe and important subjects (ancient history and the reality of the major events), (2) in the form of art, emphasizing the rational rather than sensual expression; (3) in the composition emphasizes the completeness; (4) in the modelling of the importance of sketches and contours, focus on sculpture-like figures, and pay insufficient attention to the color.

French neoclassical art from Vian, David to Angell, achieved the most excellent achievements and reached the peak.

4. Representative works: David's "Death of Mara" and "Napoleon's Coronation" in France, Proudhon's "The Four Seasons" and Angerer's "Fountains"

Vian was the earliest neo-classical painter in France, who attempted to oppose erotic and excessively elegant art, and strove to restore the simplicity and solemnity of ancient Greek art. Due to the limitations of his talent and personality, he failed to realize a fundamental change in his art.

The art of David's contemporary, Pluton, expresses another aspect of the artistic ideals of the revolutionary era. As an artist, he is considered by some to be not inferior to Davide, but superior to him in the rigor of certain images and in the dynamic treatment of his works.

David, a pupil of Vian's, returned from his studies in Rome on the eve of the outbreak of the Revolution, and exhibited with great success his painting of Beriseh the Beggar. In 1789, he created Buzintis, a painting that was a clear challenge to Louis XVI, and in 1789, he created a painting that was a clear challenge to Louis XVI. It was these works that established his importance as an artist during the Revolutionary period, and in the early 19th century, under David's unquestionable leadership, neo-classicism triumphed in France. David was surrounded by a large number of followers, including more than 400 students. Most of them became active figures in French painting, the most famous and in a way unique among them being Gérard, Giraudet and Gros.

David's works fully reflect the aesthetic characteristics of neo-classicism, taking nature as a prototype, reproducing nature according to pure rational beauty, subjecting the object to the established elegance and aesthetic patterns of classicism, and idealizing and perfecting the object. David greatly admired Poussin, and was obviously influenced by Poussin in his artistic concepts, advocating the use of reason to guide art, and bringing art into norms and order. Many of David's works are based on ancient Greek and Roman heroes, emphasizing strong structural relationships and pursuing simplicity, simplicity and solemnity. Because it overstates the role of reason and subordinates emotion and personality, David's neoclassicism is sometimes called the eclectic, derivative style that has perpetuated classicism since the Renaissance.

Angel was the most accomplished of David's pupils and deservedly became the most important neoclassical painter after David. The development of neoclassicism here shows a clear turn: ignore the political and social role, the importance of artistic purity and ornamental; style gorgeous aesthetic, with oriental colors. Angell soon became the most original artist of his time and was promoted as the head of the classical school of painting. Neoclassicism from David to Engel is a turn, from the depiction of events related to the times turned away from the reality of the myths and pure art, from the form of strict classical style to the magnificent oriental colors of classicism. Angell was extremely active in his artistic life, and his greatest achievements were his paintings of female nudes and portraits.

Anger lived in an era when Romanticism was already flourishing, and he held fast to the laws of Classicism, opposing Romantic art with a posture of "art for art's sake". Engel was initially a faithful follower of David's academic art, and unexpectedly, his first formal history painting, Agelius Receiving Agamemnon's Messenger, won the highest art prize of the time, the Prix de Rome, but caused David's misunderstanding and dissatisfaction. In this painting, Angell changed the dogmatic and rigid presentation of the academy and showed a lightness and poetry never seen in classical painting.

French neoclassical painting also had an impact on some European countries, the first of which should be mentioned is the same period of British painting. A large number of excellent painters were active at that time, among them were the landscape painters Wilson, Sandby and the animal painter Stubbs. Fuseli, on the other hand, was an Anglo-Swiss painter with a unique style. Other painters who were clearly influenced by neo-classicism were Barry and West. German painters of the same period were Hick, Koch and Genelli.