Antonio Canova was an Italian sculptor from Venice who lived from 1757 to 1822. He primarily worked in marble and believed that he could use that medium to render an artistic view of human flesh. He is most famous as someone who rejected the excesses and filigree of the Baroque to return to classical style, making him one of the foremost artists of the neoclassical style. For a number of years, Canova's work was considered to be the greatest example of European sculpture -- to the point that in 1802, Canova was invited to Paris to carve marble portraits of the emperor Napoleon and family. Most art critics find that the combination of returning to mythology and discreet eroticism that flowed out of the Renaissance and into the modern era, without all the unnecessary frills of the Baroque, to be his greatest contribution to art. Biography

Canova was born in a village in the Republic of Venice. His paternal grandparents raised him. His father and grandfather were both stone cutters and taught Antonio how to choose certain stones for their shape, how to draw and even some basics of architecture. Canova began sculpting when he was nine and, as was the custom at the time, used his adolescent years to practice his craft and find a patron. Antonio's friends applied to the Venetian senate for a stipend so that he could study in Rome, which he began in 1780 at the age of 22. He was quite successful in Rome and became famous enough to travel to France and England to learn from other sculptors and show off his talent. His spending habits, however, forced him to work until his death in 1822 from the continual use of carving tools that produced a depression in his ribs.

The...

The late Baroque saw a bit of a transition and toning down of so much fill, called the Rococo -- or mature Baroque. The High Baroque used geometrical shapes in art and sculpture to provide drama and theater within the piece. In music this translated into ornamentation and filigree -- all created to increase the experience of the piece. Neoclassic art, however, focused more on simple and proportional forms -- harmony and balance without overshadowing the piece with layers of fluff. These neoclassical artists also focused on technical perfection -- sharp colors, defined melodies in music, and a more intellectual approach to the arts.
This movement not only pined for greater attention to the work as opposed to the ornamentation, but in harmony with a revival of classical studies (Roman and Greek literature and archaeology), there was a renewed interest on classical themes. As more classical ruins were unearthed, there was a greater public interest in the perceived glory of the Ancient World. Art changed so that the simplicity of Greco-Roman figures and a greater celebration of the human body. This nostalgia also permeated into politics, with the idea of Greek democracy and the philosophies of Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates moving into reinterpretation as a way to actualize and celebrate the individual.

What is most interesting is the manner in which the neoclassical movement mirrored the social and political movements of Europe -- a sort of art imitating society and visa versa. Both the Baroque and the Classical…