Neoclassicism and the Legacy of Greco-Roman Art

The Enduring Legacy of Classical Antiquity

Art of classical antiquity, in the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, has been much revered, admired, and imitated. The arts of ancient Greece and Rome can be considered the first self-conscious and cohesive art movements in Europe. Style, form, execution, and media were standardized and refined to the point where aesthetic ideals were created and sustained over time. The art of classical antiquity reverberated throughout history, impacting the art of subsequent eras across Europe.

There can be no absolute "Neoclassical" era in art history because of the way neoclassicism evolved throughout the centuries following the fall of the Roman Empire. The arts of the Renaissance borrowed heavily from classical antiquity, as can be seen in Renaissance icons such as Michelangelo's David. Some scholars suggest that medieval art pays homage to classical antiquity, even if its references to ancient Greece and Rome are not as obvious as they would be in the Renaissance ("Classical Antiquity in the Middle Ages," n.d.). As one source notes, "Interest in the classical past never totally disappeared in the Middle Ages, but the 15th century saw the emergence of a different attitude to it in Europe: growing admiration for ancient texts and antiquities was reflected in the commissioning of art which demonstrated knowledge of the art of Greece and Rome" (Castelijn, 2012).

However, it was not until the 18th and 19th centuries that neoclassicism as a distinct aesthetic would flourish in earnest. This era of Neoclassicism combined the Romantic sentiments present in contemporary literature and music with the High Renaissance tradition of alluding to ancient Greek and Roman media. The era of Neoclassicism in the 18th century is thus the historic counterpart to classical Greco-Roman antiquity.

Art and Architecture of Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece evolved an aesthetic that would prove enduring, persistently influencing the consciousness and culture of Europe. Much of the art produced in ancient Greece idealized the human form, making it the first instance in Europe of conscientious analysis of anatomy, physiology, and form as executed in sculpture. The Charioteer of Delphi is a bronze sculpture that many art historians believe marked the transition from earlier, less sophisticated renditions of human bodies and movement toward a more fully realized understanding of physics and physiology ("Greek Art," n.d.). Stone and marble counterparts in Classical sculpture include the female and male statue types kore and kouros, which developed realistic, life-size sculptures that later evolved into softer and less rigid renditions of the human body.

Ancient Greek art was often embedded in its architecture. The frieze of the Athenian Parthenon, for example, captures historical and mythical events in incredible detail. The design of Greek public buildings like the Parthenon and its surrounding temples had a tremendous influence on the history of architecture. The statesman Pericles commissioned the grandeur and scale of the Athenian Acropolis, initiating a revolution in both art and architecture.

Roman Art and Its Transformation

Ancient Roman civilization borrowed heavily from the Greeks. However, the Roman Empire extended to North Africa and as far as the British Isles, making Roman art incredibly diverse as it evolved through the centuries. Much Roman sculpture was dedicated to and commissioned by persons in power, which is why busts and statues of emperors were so common during this period. After Constantine adopted Christianity as the state religion, the character of Roman art transformed further. Mosaics and other decorative elements in buildings were common throughout the Roman Empire. Later, fresco techniques were developed, and that medium would become a preferred method of building decoration in the Renaissance.

The Rise of Neoclassicism

The flowering and rebirth of passionate creative expression that was the Renaissance soon faded. "After the Renaissance — a period of exploration and expansiveness — came a reaction in the direction of order and restraint" ("Neoclassicism," 2000). This sense of order and restraint made its way to the canvas and to sculpture. Looking toward the past for the fundamentals of form and style, the art movement designated "Neoclassicism" was in part a reaction to the liberalism of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

One of the leading artists of the Neoclassical era was French painter Jacques-Louis David. David's paintings hearken to a purer invocation of the classical arts of Greek and Roman antiquity, which is why he is considered to have heralded the Neoclassical movement. "His cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in taste away from Rococo frivolity toward a classical austerity and severity, chiming with the moral climate of the final years of the ancien régime" ("Jacques-Louis David: The Complete Works," n.d.).

There is a philosophical and even political dimension to Neoclassicism that causes it to echo the arts of classical Greece and Rome. Neoclassicism coincided with the Enlightenment, a period in which reason triumphed over religion in intellectual thought. This trend was a direct throwback to Greek philosophers such as Plato and Socrates, who championed reason over blind faith. "The classical ideals of order and moderation which inspired this period, and its emphasis on the common sense of society rather than individual imagination, could all be characterized as rational" ("Neoclassicism," n.d.). A sense of order and restraint permeated the visual arts of the Neoclassical era. "The cool rationality and control characteristic of neoclassical art fostered wit, equally evident in the regular couplets of Molière and the balanced sentences of Austen" ("Neoclassicism," n.d.).

One of David's works that reveals a direct quotation of classical Greece is The Death of Socrates. This painting's subject is the Greek philosopher himself, who was immortalized in Plato's writings such as The Apology. In addition to referencing Plato and Socrates in terms of subject and theme, The Death of Socrates also incorporates visual elements borrowed from or influenced by ancient Greece. David takes from the Parthenon frieze the device of a conglomerate of individuals. Although David is not depicting the mythical battles shown on the Parthenon frieze, the French artist borrows from the aesthetic of layering different bodies in action. All of the figures occupy the same plane, yet there is depth and dimension. David's painting has a three-dimensionality that echoes the sculptural frieze of the Parthenon.