Antonio Canova Was an Italian Sculptor From

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 Neoclassical Era

Coming out of the Renaissance in the arts was a movement called the Baroque, which focused on grand and florid designs. 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 were logical when looking at the way European governments were structured -- larger urban populations, movements away from strict religiosity and into social rights, the discoveries of the New World and resulting economic boom, technological improvements, and a more modern conception of the rights of individuals and responsibilities of the state. Neoclassicism changed the nature of the way individuals looked at art -- it was more realistic, designed to show not just the perfect but also the imperfect in a way that honored the past but paid tribute to future directions as well.

Works and Influence

Canova lived during a time in which much of Europe was in turmoil. The Catholic Church was losing power based not only on secularism, but also on the nature of the relationship between the individual and God through Protestantism as well. Canova was well aware of the new experiment in the American Revolution, and most certainly the issues surrounding the French Revolution. In fact, his work with Napoleon Bonaparte was also a political maneuver from the Emperor to immortalize his image among the great works of art in Europe -- establishing Napoleon as part of the grand tradition of the mythic Gods and Kings now through modernity. Even though Canova was the top sculptor of his time, the full-length statute Canova made in 1811 displeased Bonaparte because the little Winged Victory placed in his right hand seemed to be flying away, rather than toward, the Emperor.

Further, Canova was clearly a product of the Enlightenment and the ideals moving from Kant through Voltaire, Rousseau, and Locke. This period in European History and Philosophy, developed the modern ideas of free will, determinism, utilitarianism, and the social contract. The Enlightenment was an historical era in Western philosophy that reflected a change in thought based on intellectual, scientific, and cultural life, primarily centered in Europe. It is a theory of change, also known as the Age of Reason, but not a single theory or movement; in fact, many of the notions of the 18th century are contrary and divergen. The idea of the Enlightenment is thus more a set of values that tended to question traditional institutions, customs, morals, and most especially the religiosity of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and replace them with stronger beliefs in rationalist thought and science.