FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS, METHODS, & MODES IN THE HUMANITIES - Essay Example

Development of Neo icism from icism Works of art vary considerably across time periods and genres. Some works of the humanities seem to have originated from social and cultural influences or from the minds of specific individuals, while the styles and characteristics of earlier periods influenced other works of art, which are usually a progression of or reaction to those styles of art. For instance, ancient Greece and Romes classical art was revived during the neoclassical period. This paper analyzes, critiques, and explores the development of creativity and inspiration from classicism art to Neoclassicism art.

Classicism era was a period whereby, emphasis on form, proportion, simplicity and restrained emotion made the basis of culture, literature and art in ancient Greece and Rome’s aesthetic attitudes and principles (Grafton, Most & Settis, 2010). Neoclassicism movement in painting and other visual arts, on the other hand, started in the 1760s and climaxed in the 1780s and ‘90s, whereby it was rampant in emphasizing on austere linear design, use of correct archeological settings and costumes, and depicting classical themes and subject matter.

It is arguable that neoclassicism was partly a reaction against the sensitivity and frivolous decorations of the then dominant Rococo style as well as stimulations by the then arising scientific interest from classical relic of 18th century (Grafton, Most & Settis, 2010). Neoclassicism advent was steered by the new knowledge of the classical past obtained from the archeological discoveries regarding the Greco-Roman art from the monuments and other Greek antiquities of the past. The stylistic aspects of neoclassicism were similar to those of its predecessor classical antique.

For instance, the ornamented paintings of Jacques-Louis David evidenced in the classical period also prevailed in the neoclassical era. The decorative prettiness and softness in the Rococo antique extended to the era of neoclassicism as well as the Kauffmann’s sentimental subjects. The movement from classicism to neoclassicism was experienced in the arts of paintings and decorative, architecture and visual arts, and in music. In architecture and visual arts, the Neo-classical paintings are different from the classical ones by their virtue of ignoring pastel colors and haziness; instead, they are sharp colored and have Chiaroscuro.

The neoclassical music, however, shows considerable similarities with the classical music in the use of harmony and instrumentation such as the wind instrument and the classical symphony in the neoclassical works such as that by Prokofievs. The development of the neoclassicism art was necessitated by the perceived excesses of the existing Rococo arts that restrained composition and had line severity. Neoclassicism integrated both Renaissance and classical structures, but it emphasized on order and simplicity.

The martial courage perceived in Latin and Greek epics further inspired the neoclassicism. It is further noted that the neoclassical artists such as Apollonius from Rhodes were solidly familiar with the canon and thus they attempted to develop and extend the canon in their various work. They endeavored to avoid merely imitating classical themes and motifs; instead, they elevated their work based on well-known tradition but demonstrated their mastery of the genre’s rules. Other than the neo-classicism art borrowing from the classicism art, it also brought into limelight the beauty of its predecessor art.

For example, the neoclassicism led to the discovery of the genuine classic interior by raising audience for the rediscoveries at Herculaneum and Pompeii (Grafton, Most & Settis, 2010). Each form of Neo-classicism selects some features from a range of possible classical arts available to it and ignores other features of the classics. Therefore, the neo-classics relates with the classics by virtue of their incorporated features from a variety of the classics. The classical art period is a decisive period in the art world because it provides evidence to various movements, humanity strives, the history of academics and the historical varied regions’ cultures (Grafton, Most & Settis, 2010).

For example, some European classical architecture of the early 18th century reveals an anti-Rococo strain. There is also an evidence of a generation of arts student from France but trained in Rome, who were influenced by the classics of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, thereby showing evidence of shifting academic systems in the historical era.ReferencesGrafton, A., Most, G., W. & Settis, S. (2010). The Classical Tradition. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.