Oct. 26 Class

Today we talked more about the Neoclassical period.  To fully understand it we have to know a bit about the Rococo period that came before it.  The Rococo was characterized by highly ornate and decorative art.  Rococo paintings depicted love, romance and party scenes.  Here are a few examples of the Rococo style.

This style was popular among the French nobility.  However, during the French Revolution, the nobility was overthrown and a new form of art emerged in revolt of the Rococo style.  This was the Neoclassical style led by David.  His goal was to depict heroic scenes that would inspire the revolution.  These images included the Death of Marat and the Oath of the Horatii that we discussed previously.

The Neoclassical style favoured order, calm and rationality.  They preferred the use of bold lines instead of colour.  Their subject matter consisted of stories from the ancient Greeks and Romans.  They considered the Rococo party scenes to be frivolous.

Homework:

• Complete the worksheet.
• Find source images for the hero of your choice.
• Find source images of Greek and Roman art.