Classical Art Assessment

 Classical Era

    Hello, and welcome back to my blog! During the Classical era, the growth in wealth of the middle class blurred the lines between the classes. This blurring is especially prominent in the art that was birthed from this era. Artists and musicians were creating works and composing songs that everyone enjoyed. These artists were no longer catering solely to the upper classes. A result of this cohesion lead to the introduction of new art styles and forms: Rococo and Neoclassical. For my art assessment, I'll be sharing artwork from Francois Boucher, William Hogarth, and Angelica Kauffman. 

The Toilette of Venus 

    The Toilette of Venus was painted by Francois Boucher in 1751 with oil on a canvas. Boucher was a french artist that specialized in Rococo style art. The Toilette of Venus was executed for Madame Le Pompadour, Boucher's most significant patron. In this painting, a beautiful woman is depicted with three small angelic babies playfully surrounding her. The woman's skin tone is very light and soft, with rosy red cheeks. The red of her cheeks give me the sense of realism, as if I walked into the same room as them and were able to watch the woman and three children as if they were right there, living and breathing. The woman is holding a white, fluffy dove against her, and she's giving a calm, loving gaze towards the angelic child that's playing with her beaded pearl necklace. The placement of the bird in her lap and the one by her feet give me the feeling of peacefulness and trust, for she is a safe and loving person. The color scheme in this painting is of very soft and dusted blues, reds, pinks, golds, and whites. A strong teal-blue is used for the drapes surrounding their chair, which evoke a calming and caring emotion. I feel like the drapes really set a big tone for the whole painting, as blue is most often used to instill a sense of soothing calmness. The drapes themselves evoke a sense of togetherness, and the crinkled, bent shapes of them provide some realism for this painting. Vibrant, but soft, gold is used for the intricate, swirled designed frame of the chair they are sitting upon. The frame is carved into circular, decorative gold shapes, including the shape of a round, chunky baby laying propped on top of the frame. The swirled, gold designs of this frame tells me that the woman is of great royalty and nobility. Boucher devised a summary of the painting's key features: theatricality, voluptuous flesh, and an asymmetrical unfolding of luxurious furniture, fabric, flowers, and pearls. Overall, I think this has to be my favorite painting for this assessment. The woman's angelic, motherly essence is very soothing to me. 

A Fishing Party

    A Fishing Party was painted by William Hogarth in 1730 with oil on a canvas. Hogarth was an English artist that specialized in Rococo style art, and he was one of the first to bring themes from popular culture into fine art. He borrowed themes from Shakespear, Milton, and the theater. A Fishing Party depicts two women with a small child, a dog, a man sitting across from them, and a small boat with two or three men floating in the distance. Right away, this image gives me many conflicting feelings. I don't particularly enjoy this painting, which is why I chose to dive into it. The two women, the child, the dog, and the man are all placed on a wooden deck which is sitting right up against the lake. The small child is standing with the two women, who appear to be helping the child learn how to fish. The dog is sitting right next to the tiny child, patiently watching the scene. One of the women have a comforting hand placed on the back of the child as she is helping her learn. This group of the painting gives me the feeling of a blithe lakeside family outing. The pompous dresses the women are wearing are bathed in a dusty tan and a vibrant, but soft, red, which tells me that this family is of great majesty. The child is also decked out in a lively white and blue ribbon dress from her head, down to her feet. A shift of appeasing senses happen once you look over to the man sitting across from them and to the people in the boat floating on the lake. A darker contrast is used, with no pop of color to be seen, other than his dark blue uniform-like outfit. The color surrounding the boat is also dark and smoldering. These dim colors give me a brooding, serious feeling towards this man and the people in the boat. He's also depicted raising his hands to his chest level, as if he's holding something, which I believe might be a gun, and he is protecting the royal family while they are out on their fishing adventure. The only pleasant surrounding aspects of the man and boat are the fluffy green trees towering over them, and the hint of blue sky peaking through the clouds. The long branches of plump, circular green leaves hang off of the trees, while a sliver of clear blue sky shines down through the smoky looking clouds. Overall, while I enjoy the sense of family and the shapes of the round green leaves hanging from the trees, this painting gives me conflicting, moody feelings of uncertainty. After doing some research on this painting, I found out that Hogarth painted this as a conversation piece showing the antecedents of the Manner-Suttons who owned the picture in 19th century. 

Henrietta Laura Pulteney

    Henrietta Laura Pulteney was painted by Angelica Kauffman in 1777 with oil on a canvas. Kauffman was a Swiss-born artist who specialized in Neoclassical style paintings. She not only emphasized human emotion in her paintings, but she also played with altering size and scale. In her painting, Henrietta Laura Pulteney, a young woman is depicted. Her age/maturity is almost unknown because she's not small, but she's not full grown-- somewhere in between. The young woman appears to be amusing herself, taking a walk outside down a bushy, forest filled path. The immediate emotion in this painting is innocence. She is a delicate, young lady enjoying nature and picking through the bushes to find flowers and other earthly gifts. She is dressed in a long, flowing off-white dress with a soft pink ribbon tied around her waist. The pink of the ribbon establishes femininity but also a sense of childhood. Theres a hint of pink on the flowers she has in her basket too, which further confirms the joyful childhood sense to this image. There are twisted, long branches of trees surrounding her, which evokes a brooding feeling, but the path she is traveling down ends in an open, bright field of blue skies and green hills. The young woman is wearing a large crown-type hat on her head, which makes me think she might be of some royalty. The crown is the same color as her dress, but it has a shimmery glow to it. There is an intricate design of swirls and arches all around the crown. I really enjoy this painting by Kauffman. It makes me feel as if I'm waltzing through the forest with her, relishing in our youth, and appreciating the nature surrounding us. I really like the innocence to this painting, and I've mentioned in my first blog post that I am drawn to art with a big nature and floral vibe. After doing some research on this painting, it is said that Henrietta Pulteney was raised by parents who followed a new and free philosophy and as such allowed their daughter to ramble through the woods and learn through play, and that Kauffman likely feels that she shares much in common with Henrietta, for she too enjoyed a good education with restriction.

Reflection 

    Previous to the Enlightenment, the dominant artistic style was Rococo. This style carried a strong sense of theatricality and wittiness rather than political. Themes revolving around playfulness, love, and nature were very prominent in Rococo art, as well as the use of curved lines and a gold and pastel palette. Antoine Watteau is considered to be the first Rococo painter who heavily influenced later Rococo artists such as Francois Boucher. After the death of Louis XIV, the Fench court moved from Versailles back to their old Parisian mansions and they redecorated their homes with softer designs and more modest materials than that of the late King's Baroque style. Instead of the precious metals and rich colors, the French aristocracy surrounded themselves with soft, intimate interior, known as Rococo style.

    Neoclassicism refers to movements in the arts that draw inspiration from the “classical” art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. This style of art is defined by its use of straight lines, minimal use of color, simplicity of form, and an adherence to classical values and techniques. The height of Neoclassicism coincided with the 18th century Enlightenment era and continued into the early 19th century, and artists of this period were influenced by major historical events during the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment era promoted science, reason, and intellectual exchange. Neoclassicists wanted to express rationality and sobriety that was fitting for their times, and they believed that strong drawing was rational, and therefore morally superior, and that art should be cerebral, not sensual. 

Sources

"Francois Boucher (1703-1770)" The Met 150. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 2003. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bouc/hd_bouc.htm

"A Fishing Party" Dulwich Picture Gallery. 2020. https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/explore-the-collection/551-600/a-fishing-party/

"Angelica Kauffman" Angelica Kauffman Artworks. The Art Story, 2020. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kauffman-angelica/artworks/