Classicism is called the search to recover values , both aesthetic and thematic, of classical civilizations , that is, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome .
Throughout history, classicism was manifested during the Renaissance , in some Baroque currents , and at different times in the 18th and 19th centuries , especially between 1780 and 1820, approximately, in the movement called Neoclassicism that had enormous influence on the official architecture, both European and American.
Characteristics of classicism
The main characteristics of classicism are:
- It manifests itself especially in the different artistic disciplines, although in some periods it also reached fashion, furniture and customs.
- It responds to a rationalist ideal. Put aside the emotional and subjective aspects to focus on the rational aspects of the representation.
- A naturalismoften idealizing was sought . That is, it was intended to represent or express the elements of reality in a faithful way , but at the same time bringing them closer to a type of ideal beauty.
- Institutionally it manifested itself in the These organisms, generally dependent on the power of the State, imparted artistic education, established quality parameters and regulated the activities of artists. They also established a hierarchy of themes, considering historical themes as the most important.
- Aesthetic classicism responds to currents of thought that privilege rationality, for example, Humanism during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment during Neoclassicism.
- Topics related to Greco-Latin culture, both mythological and historical, are privileged .
Classicism in painting and sculpture
In painting and sculpture, classicism manifests itself in works that reproduce both classical forms and themes . In the formal aspect, it is characterized by privileging the drawing based on rigorous anatomical studies and on the investigation of the proportions , as well as the modeling of Greek and Roman works .
The canonical proportions of classical Greek art are reproduced and the clear and simple composition , organized by straight lines, as well as symmetry is privileged .
Although in almost all periods there were classicist manifestations (for example, the Bolognese and Roman baroque schools of the late seventeenth century , with artists such as the Carracci brothers, Domenichino or Guido Reni or the French baroque of artists such as Nicolas Poussin or Claude Lorrain) ; the periods in which this trend manifested itself most clearly after antiquity were the Italian Renaissance (1400-1520) and Neoclassicism (1770-1820).
Classicism in architecture
Classicist thought conceives the architectural work as a unit in which the measurements of the parts are related to the complete set through a strict system of proportions . At the same time, great importance is attached to symmetry and visual order .
It recreates visual forms typical of Greek and Roman art , such as the colonnades with finishes of the Greek orders (Doric, Ionic and Corinthian), the tympanum, the domes, etc.
The Brandenburg Gate (Carl Gotthard Langhans, 1789), in the city of Berlin, is inspired by the Propylaea, the gateway to the acropolis of ancient Athens.
Musical classicism
Musical classicism corresponds to the period that goes approximately between 1770 and 1820 . The center of development of musical classicism was the city of Vienna , in Austria and among its most important musicians we can mention Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Joseph Haydn .
It is characterized by being a refined , courteous and little emotional music . Unlike the visual arts that took old models, it is not inspired by the music of antiquity, but it is inspired by certain values considered classic such as balance , the search for proportion and clarity .
The typical forms of classicism are the sonata, the symphony and the soloist concerts .
Literary classicism
The concept of classicism in literature has several meanings:
- Classics are all the authors of ancient Greece and Rome.
- The definition of literary classicism also refers to the establishment of literary models considered perfect and the development of a writing canonbased on them. This concept is opposed by the concept of modern literature.
- It refers to the literary authors who are influenced by the Greco-Latin classics.
- It refers to the literary movement that emerged in France in the seventeenth centuryand was part of the Neoclassicist current. Its most prominent authors were Racine , Molière and Boileau .
Classicism sought to establish clear rules to rationally order the activity of writers. He proposed a writing in which order , the purity of the language and conceptual clarity were privileged .
Authors of classicism
- In paintingand sculpture:
- Agostino Carracci (1557-1602): Italian painter of the Bologna
- Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665): French painter of the Baroque period, representative of French classicist painting.
- Jacques-Louise David (1748-1825): French painter, the greatest exponent of Neoclassicism.
- Antonio Canova (1757-1822): Italian sculptor.
- In architecture:
- François d’Orbay (1634-1697): French architect who worked alongside Louis Le Vau and Jules Hardouin Mansart.
- Robert Adam (1728-1792): British architect and interior decorator.
- Jacques-Germain Soufflot (1713-1780).
- In literature:
- Homer (8th century BC): Greek poet, author of the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey .
- Sappho (650/610 BC-580 BC): Greek poet.
- Virgil (70 BC-19 BC): Roman poet, author of the Aeneid .
- Jean Racine (1639-1699): French playwright of Neoclassicism.
- Andrés Bello (1781-1865): Venezuelan philosopher and poet belonging to American Neoclassicism.