Neoclassical (ca. Late 18th- early 19th century)

Neoclassical 

All started with

The French Revolution began in 1789, when citizens stormed the Bastille prison in Paris. Within a few years, France had adopted and overthrown several constitutions and executed its former king. It found itself at war with most of the Continent and endured horrible violence at home during the Reign of Terror. Finally, in 1799, the successful young general Napoleon Bonaparte seized control and, in 1804, proclaimed himself emperor. Though he made important administrative reforms, he was preoccupied by constant warfare and his heroic but failed attempt to unite all of Europe by conquest. After being defeated at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled and the Bourbon monarchy was restored in the person of Louis XVIII.

Neoclassicism - Characteristics

Neoclassical works (paintings and sculptures) were serious, unemotional, and sternly heroic. Neoclassical painters depicted subjects from Classical literature and history, as used in earlier Greek art and Republican Roman art, using sombre colours with occasional brilliant highlights, to convey moral narratives of self-denial and self-sacrifice fully in keeping with the supposed ethical superiority of Antiquity. Neoclassical sculpture dealt with the same subjects, and was more restrained than the more theatrical Baroque sculpture, less whimsical than the indulgent Rococo. Neoclassical architecture was more ordered and less grandiose than Baroque, although the dividing line between the two can sometines be blurred. It bore a close external resemblance to the Greek Orders of architecture, with one obvious exception - there were no domes in ancient Greece. Most roofs were flat.

Notable Artists and their Works

The Neoclassical Art movement witnessed some of the greatest and the most talented artists in the history of painting, sculptural works, classical music, architecture, and other forms of art alike. John Flaxman was able to turn the drawings of Raphael Mengs into prints by using simple line drawing or purest classical mediums to depict the Odyssey in 1795. The painting works of Angelica Kauffman,which were mainly portraits, are renowned for their tender and soft qualities. Jean-Antoine Houdon’ssculpture work represents a smooth transition from Rococo to classical dignity. He focused on producing portraits of the great figures of Enlightenment. Other sculptors included Johan Tobias and Antonio Canova. Scottish architecture Charles Cameron is credited with creating a palatial Italianate in Russian Saint Petersburg for Catherine II the Great.

https://www.nga.gov/features/slideshows/18th-and-19th-century-france-neoclassicism.html

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/neo-classical.htm#neoclassicism

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-was-the-neoclassicism-art-movement.html