Category: Neoclassicism

Translations have a big impact on the developments and literal meanings of languages. The author of Transatlantic Education; Phillis Wheatleys Neoclassicism provides an essay that details how cultural knowledge and literal translations intertwined with neoclassicism.

The works of Tony Morrison and other writers of the middle passage provide solid examples of the aspects that are carried by languages in the continuum of literature and linguistics.

On the other hand, Wheatley provided a method of translations that utilized a continuing aspect of linguistics. Consequently, Wheatley modeled her translations to coincide with three lingual aspects namely English, Latin, and her original African language.

This style is known as neoclassical translation and it is noted as one of the tactics that have stamped Wheatleys status as a neoclassical poet. On the other hand, Wheatley is responsible for outlining a style of literature that introduces a foreign element to American-literature.

Wheatley is also credited for promoting literary diversity by accommodating fragmented elements of culture in her work. This essay examines how Phillis Wheatleys neoclassicism features in past and modern linguistics using Boggs essay, Transatlantic Education; Phillis Wheatleys Neoclassicism as a guide.

According to the available records, Phillis Wheatley was initially educated through informal methods and without a consideration of her personal preferences. Consequently, Wheatleys initial entry to the multi-lingual language was somehow coerced.

For instance, it is noted that Wheatleys first poem addressed the issue of translation. The literary icon notes that she was taught how to translate from her native African language to English in a very crude manner.

Most of Wheatleys earliest works point out the crudity of Wheatleys process of coming to terms with the English language and mannerisms.

For instance, Wheatleys poem On Being Brought from Africa to America catalogs the authors process of translation from an African society to an American one and from her native African language to English.

The details that are outlined by Wheatley in her early poems have suspicious themes because their agendas concise with those of her slave master. Boggs notes that Wheatley was clear about which parts of her literary works were translated and which ones had English origins.

Consequently, Wheatley accentuated her views about translation by using citations and quotation marks. The quotations were used by Wheatley to outline various deviations as encountered by the author including cultural objections.

In contrast, the agendas of the white slave masters were incorporated in the translation mechanisms that were used by Wheatley and other neoclassical literary icons.

According to Boggs, the ability to translate was an early constituent of modern education. For instance, some early scholars were taught how to translate by translating Latin works into English, and then back to Latin.

The objective of this mode of translations was to master the entire process with the view of eliminating any inconsistencies. At Harvard University, the earliest students had to prove their authenticity by showcasing their ability to connect Latin literature classics such as Cicero with the English language.

There is debate as to whether translation is still a viable method of teaching grammar. The multilingual method of teaching the mastery of languages is subject to various alterations but it is no longer employed by modern scholars.

John Locke recognized the need for streamlining the translation process for educational purposes. Lockes methodology was later taken up by Benjamin Franklin. The Lockean method of translation operated under the assumption that it was easier for individuals to learn, when languages are translated literally.

Locke noted that literal translations were easier to master and they provided individuals with an exciting learning method. When Benjamin Franklin was composing his memoirs, he used Lockes methodology by writing down his thoughts in both Latin and English.

There are translational similarities between the styles that were used by Morrison, Wheatley, and Franklin. All the three authors are considerate of their lingual origins and their cultural significance.

This approach is significant because it allows the readers to understand the process of transformation that occurs when a language is translated.

Wheatley does not delude her audiences by making them think that the process of translation does not have an impact on culture. Consequently, the author takes her time to lay down the translation system through a series of literal devices.

The resulting language is considerate of the authors ability to introduce readers into the intimate aspects of her culture. On the contrary, Alexander Pope does not see the need to contextualize translation.

Instead, the author is of the view that the reader should not be concerned with translation but it is the duty of the translator to convey translational elements.

Neoclassical translations are important to our understanding of the modern language as well as classical literature. Wheatley was subjected through various languages and cultures and she sought to capture this transition by objectifying the translation process.

This process was later improved on by other neo classic writers such as John Locke and Benjamin Franklin. Other neoclassical authors deviate from the need to include the element of translation in their literary process and they choose to leave this work to the translators.

Ever since the United States got its independence in the 18^th century it has been operating under a federal government. Despite its effectiveness in operation, the federal government of the United States is not a democracy. The government operates under three branches, the legislature, the judiciary and the executive. Ever since the Civil War, the power of the federal government have been growing despite the few instances where the state rights have succeeded in limiting the federal power. Due to this fact, the federal government has influenced a lot of things which have been happening in the United States. It is the federal government which makes the laws that govern the country, control the education system, the military, health, and banks and so on.

North America had a very beautiful landscape prior to the invasion of the Europeans in the 16^th century. With time, industrial revolution was experienced in the region which led to increased use of science and technology to make work easier. Although there was a lot of development due to the industrial revolution, the beautiful landscape of the United States was being destroyed with time.

Ever since its incorporation by the founding fathers of the United States of America, the federal government has influenced the architecture of the country. Most of the early buildings were constructed in the neo-classical style. This has been the trade mark of most buildings which are owned by the government up to the present day. This architectural design was produced by members of the neoclassical movement in Greece and Italy during the 18^th century. This architectural design was a retaliation to the Rococo naturalistic style. The neoclassical architectural blueprint ponders more on the structural walls instead of the chiaroscuro retaining a unique identity of every single part.

This architectural design was mainly used in the construction of buildings in the United States during the late 18^th century and early 19^th century. This architectural design was referred to as the federal architecture. It is during this time that that neoclassicism was viewed as a form of the American renaissance movements. Many buildings portray this architectural blueprint such as the National Gallery, Lincoln Memorial, and Baltimore Basilica not forgetting the famous Roosevelt Memorial. At the present moment there is a growing movement towards the revival of the classical architecture and the protection of such buildings in the Unites States.

The civil war of the United States lasted from 1861 to 1865. It a war between 11 southern slave states and the northern states which had. The southern states were referred to as the confederacy while the northern states that were more powerful were referred to as the union. War broke out because Abraham Lincoln who was the president had abolished slave trade in all the states an idea which the southern states did not like. They therefore wanted to separate from the United States something which the government saw as a rebellion. After four years of bloody war, the confederacy surrendered and the reconstruction era begun.

After the civil war the reconstruction era begun in the United States. Reconstruction was conducted in two phases; the first involved the reconstruction of the whole country while the other was concentrated in reconstructing the confederacy states. Reconstruction involved constitutional amendments which aimed at ensuring that the southern states are self governed. It also ensured that the freed men had equal rights as other Americans. The reconstruction also ensured that new cities and states were built. Most of the government buildings that were constructed during this era followed the neoclassical designs.

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the Unites States of America. Before becoming president, he served several positions in the government. At one time he was the U.S minister to France where he saw the difference in architecture, a concept which he brought back to the United States. His ideas were highly accepted and were mainly used during the reconstruction period after the civil war of the United States.

In 1893 there was a world fair held at Chicago to commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus in north America 400 years ago I the year 1492. The fair had an extraordinary of art and architecture which were used to show how the city should look like. The architectural design was exclusively neoclassical and laid a lot of emphasis on symmetry, balance and splendor. The fair was designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick Olmsted which followed the beaux architectural principles of neoclassical designs of France. The fair covered an area of around 600 acres containing around 200 building of neoclassical architecture which ran for six months. It was attended by around 27 million people who were about half of the U.S population at that time. The main aim of the fair was to portray how the cities and buildings of the United States should be constructed using the neoclassical design.

In 1893, Fredrick Jackson Tuner put forward the frontier thesis. The thesis argued that the American people and their government were different from the Europeans in that they are democratic, innovative, egalitarian and aggressive in character. This brought about the American frontier experience. In his theory turner felt that the united states need to expand overseas so as to spread republicanism instead of embracing territorial conquest and subordination of the native Americans.

Neoclassicism focuses on Greek and Roman dramatic imagery, nude heroic subjects, and realistic visual narrative. I chose Aurora and Cephalus (1811) by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin for this period because he was one of the brightest representatives of this era, and he is deservedly considered the legislator of various arts in Paris and beyond. The medium of a chosen painting is a canvas; given the chosen medium, the form of the subject is three-dimensional composition within two-dimensional medium.

This artistic choice is common for neoclassicism; however, it does not convey depth and form as well as sculpture does. As a visual piece with a narrative historical content and clearly identifiable figures of Aurora (in ancient Greek mythology, the goddess of the morning dawn) and Cephalus (the Athenian prince) (The State Hermitage Museum, n.d.). The plot tells of the love of the gods for mortal people; the artist pictured the moment when Aurora saw a beautiful young man, Cephalus. Aurora fell in love with Cephalus and then drove the sleeping hunter in a chariot to the heavens. That is, the figures are representational rather than abstract and non-objective.

The emphasis of the color, hue, and light makes the figure of Cephalus the focal point, while toning down the background and other characters help to avoid distraction of the audience with the use of subordination. Cephalus’s pose and mood resemble that of ancient statues at rest. At the same time, the work with its smooth manner of writing, decorativeness, and beautifulness is characterized by the theatrical effect (Ringbom, 1968).

The style of this painting can be characterized by noble forms, which contributed greatly to keeping the balance. Meanwhile, geometrized composition achieved through proportion, balanced shape, and complementary colors in the palette brought unity of parts and stage effects. Interestingly, Neoclassicism arose as a reaction to frivolity and excessive ornamentation of the Baroque and Rococo styles (Ringbom, 1968). In painting, it reflected heroism during the ancient Romans and Greeks time. This era opened up with Louis XV, became more pronounced with the reign of Louis XVI, and went all the way down to the French Revolution.

References

Ringbom, S. (1968). Guérin, Delacroix and ‘The Liberty’. The Burlington Magazine, 110(782), 270-275. Web.

The State Hermitage Museum. (n.d.). Guérin, Pierre-Narcisse. 1774-1833: Aurora and Cephalus. Web.

Translations have a big impact on the developments and literal meanings of languages. The author of “Transatlantic Education; Phillis Wheatley’s Neoclassicism” provides an essay that details how cultural knowledge and literal translations intertwined with neoclassicism.

The works of Tony Morrison and other writers of the middle passage provide solid examples of the aspects that are carried by languages in the continuum of literature and linguistics.

On the other hand, Wheatley provided a method of translations that utilized a continuing aspect of linguistics. Consequently, Wheatley modeled her translations to coincide with three lingual aspects namely English, Latin, and her original African language.

This style is known as neoclassical translation and it is noted as one of the tactics that have stamped Wheatley’s status as a neoclassical poet. On the other hand, Wheatley is responsible for outlining a style of literature that introduces a ‘foreign element’ to American-literature.

Wheatley is also credited for promoting literary diversity by accommodating fragmented elements of culture in her work. This essay examines how Phillis Wheatley’s neoclassicism features in past and modern linguistics using Boggs’ essay, “Transatlantic Education; Phillis Wheatley’s Neoclassicism” as a guide.

According to the available records, Phillis Wheatley was initially educated through informal methods and without a consideration of her personal preferences. Consequently, Wheatley’s initial entry to the multi-lingual language was somehow coerced.

For instance, it is noted that Wheatley’s first poem addressed the issue of translation. The literary icon notes that she was taught how to translate from her native African language to English in a very crude manner.

Most of Wheatley’s earliest works point out the crudity of Wheatley’s process of coming to terms with the English language and mannerisms.

For instance, Wheatley’s poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America” catalogs the author’s process of translation from an African society to an American one and from her native African language to English.

The details that are outlined by Wheatley in her early poems have suspicious themes because their agendas concise with those of her slave master. Boggs notes that Wheatley was clear about which parts of her literary works were translated and which ones had English origins.

Consequently, Wheatley accentuated her views about translation by using citations and quotation marks. The quotations were used by Wheatley to outline various deviations as encountered by the author including cultural objections.

In contrast, the agendas of the white slave masters were incorporated in the translation mechanisms that were used by Wheatley and other neoclassical literary icons.

According to Boggs, the ability to translate was an early constituent of modern education. For instance, some early scholars were taught how to translate by translating Latin works into English, and then back to Latin.

The objective of this mode of translations was to master the entire process with the view of eliminating any inconsistencies. At Harvard University, the earliest students had to prove their authenticity by showcasing their ability to connect Latin literature classics such as “Cicero” with the English language.

There is debate as to whether translation is still a viable method of teaching grammar. The multilingual method of teaching the mastery of languages is subject to various alterations but it is no longer employed by modern scholars.

John Locke recognized the need for streamlining the translation process for educational purposes. Locke’s methodology was later taken up by Benjamin Franklin. The Lockean method of translation operated under the assumption that it was easier for individuals to learn, when languages are translated literally.

Locke noted that literal translations were easier to master and they provided individuals with an exciting learning method. When Benjamin Franklin was composing his memoirs, he used Locke’s methodology by writing down his thoughts in both Latin and English.

There are translational similarities between the styles that were used by Morrison, Wheatley, and Franklin. All the three authors are considerate of their lingual origins and their cultural significance.

This approach is significant because it allows the readers to understand the process of transformation that occurs when a language is translated.

Wheatley does not delude her audiences by making them think that the process of translation does not have an impact on culture. Consequently, the author takes her time to lay down the translation system through a series of literal devices.

The resulting language is considerate of the author’s ability to introduce readers into the intimate aspects of her culture. On the contrary, Alexander Pope does not see the need to contextualize translation.

Instead, the author is of the view that the reader should not be concerned with translation but it is the duty of the translator to convey translational elements.

Neoclassical translations are important to our understanding of the modern language as well as classical literature. Wheatley was subjected through various languages and cultures and she sought to capture this transition by objectifying the translation process.

This process was later improved on by other neo classic writers such as John Locke and Benjamin Franklin. Other neoclassical authors deviate from the need to include the element of translation in their literary process and they choose to leave this work to the translators.

This theory has been criticized in the modern days because the thought is it cannot describe the actual economy at the time. The critic argues that assuming customers act logically when making decisions misses natural humanity’s propensity to emotional reactions (Zainuddin & Noranee, 2017). It is also blamed for inequalities in the global arrears and economic relations due to its argumentative nature. However, this theory states that short-term steadiness is said to be the outcome of fluctuating quantity of work and investment in the total factor productivity. According to neoclassical theory, the market forces result in an effectual utilization of capital.

Firstly, the model emphasizes how the confluence of three motivating factors, finance, effort, and expertise—principals to a continuous pace of financial expansion. Technological progressions have a noteworthy influence on entrepreneurship, and monetary progress cannot be unrelenting when they are deprived. Although the economy’s potential labor assets are restricted, technology’s expansion is limitless (DesJardins, 2021). Furthermore, according to monetarism, a business model has merit far beyond its expenses. Secondly, neoclassical theory is appropriate since it enhances self-satisfaction to consumers. This is because one may make purchase selections based on personal assessments of an item’s or service’s usefulness. The economists who believe in this theory claim that an item’s pricing is determined by the user’s sense of its worth. This idea is similar to rational behaviorism, which claims that individuals make logical judgments when it comes to money.

Finally, as per this theoretical framework, growth is mainly attributed to the optimal utilization of capital inside an ecosystem. The equilibrium price is created by the dynamics of producers and consumers. The neo-classical line of thinking, contrary to Keynesian economics, holds that resources dictate expenditure. It implies that perfect competition and comprehensive growth ought to be the key economic aims of the authorities.

References

DesJardins, j. (2021). An Introduction to Business Ethics (5th Ed.).

Zainuddin, A., & Noranee, S. (2017). Customers’ Emotional Reactions as Significant Predictors towards Excellent Customer Service Experiences. Advances in business research international journal, 3(1), 9. Web.

Ever since the United States got its independence in the 18^th century it has been operating under a federal government. Despite its effectiveness in operation, the federal government of the United States is not a democracy. The government operates under three branches, the legislature, the judiciary and the executive. Ever since the Civil War, the power of the federal government have been growing despite the few instances where the state rights have succeeded in limiting the federal power. Due to this fact, the federal government has influenced a lot of things which have been happening in the United States. It is the federal government which makes the laws that govern the country, control the education system, the military, health, and banks and so on.

North America had a very beautiful landscape prior to the invasion of the Europeans in the 16^th century. With time, industrial revolution was experienced in the region which led to increased use of science and technology to make work easier. Although there was a lot of development due to the industrial revolution, the beautiful landscape of the United States was being destroyed with time.

Ever since its incorporation by the founding fathers of the United States of America, the federal government has influenced the architecture of the country. Most of the early buildings were constructed in the neo-classical style. This has been the trade mark of most buildings which are owned by the government up to the present day. This architectural design was produced by members of the neoclassical movement in Greece and Italy during the 18^th century. This architectural design was a retaliation to the Rococo naturalistic style. The neoclassical architectural blueprint ponders more on the structural walls instead of the chiaroscuro retaining a unique identity of every single part.

This architectural design was mainly used in the construction of buildings in the United States during the late 18^th century and early 19^th century. This architectural design was referred to as the federal architecture. It is during this time that that neoclassicism was viewed as a form of the American renaissance movements. Many buildings portray this architectural blueprint such as the National Gallery, Lincoln Memorial, and Baltimore Basilica not forgetting the famous Roosevelt Memorial. At the present moment there is a growing movement towards the revival of the classical architecture and the protection of such buildings in the Unites States.

The civil war of the United States lasted from 1861 to 1865. It a war between 11 southern slave states and the northern states which had. The southern states were referred to as the confederacy while the northern states that were more powerful were referred to as the union. War broke out because Abraham Lincoln who was the president had abolished slave trade in all the states an idea which the southern states did not like. They therefore wanted to separate from the United States something which the government saw as a rebellion. After four years of bloody war, the confederacy surrendered and the reconstruction era begun.

After the civil war the reconstruction era begun in the United States. Reconstruction was conducted in two phases; the first involved the reconstruction of the whole country while the other was concentrated in reconstructing the confederacy states. Reconstruction involved constitutional amendments which aimed at ensuring that the southern states are self governed. It also ensured that the freed men had equal rights as other Americans. The reconstruction also ensured that new cities and states were built. Most of the government buildings that were constructed during this era followed the neoclassical designs.

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the Unites States of America. Before becoming president, he served several positions in the government. At one time he was the U.S minister to France where he saw the difference in architecture, a concept which he brought back to the United States. His ideas were highly accepted and were mainly used during the reconstruction period after the civil war of the United States.

In 1893 there was a world fair held at Chicago to commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus in north America 400 years ago I the year 1492. The fair had an extraordinary of art and architecture which were used to show how the city should look like. The architectural design was exclusively neoclassical and laid a lot of emphasis on symmetry, balance and splendor. The fair was designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick Olmsted which followed the beaux architectural principles of neoclassical designs of France. The fair covered an area of around 600 acres containing around 200 building of neoclassical architecture which ran for six months. It was attended by around 27 million people who were about half of the U.S population at that time. The main aim of the fair was to portray how the cities and buildings of the United States should be constructed using the neoclassical design.

In 1893, Fredrick Jackson Tuner put forward the frontier thesis. The thesis argued that the American people and their government were different from the Europeans in that they are democratic, innovative, egalitarian and aggressive in character. This brought about the American frontier experience. In his theory turner felt that the united states need to expand overseas so as to spread republicanism instead of embracing territorial conquest and subordination of the native Americans.

Introduction

Art develops over generations through improvements and modifications of previous art works. Many art styles we see today such as the rococo, middle ages, renaissance, mannerism, baroque, neoclassical, romanticism and the likes all seem to have evolved out of individual works or from the cultural or social influences that surrounded their formation.

Certain art works are also developed from the styles and characteristics of previous art periods while others developed as a continuation of previous art works or as a reaction to specific art styles (Sporre, 2003, p. 3).

For instance, during the ancient Greek period, classical art developed from the neoclassical period and cubism developed as a reaction to the ancient art style of painting (Sporre, 2003, pp. 2-3). This study illustrates such relationships with a keen sense of analysis and critique on the origin and development of art. Specifically, we will analyze the relationship between neoclassical and rococo arts since the neoclassical art developed as a reaction to the latter.

Rococo Art

Rococo art started in the 18^th century and was characterized by the flexibility of artists to become more experimental with art. When compared to previous art forms, it was more playful, ornate and florid (Lewis, 2008, p. 342). In the French analysis of rococo, it is largely assumed that the style developed from the Louis XV’s reigns; meaning that most of the art developed in France during the mid 18^th century falls in this category.

Rococo art was characteristic of the use of objects in decorating art (especially the use of stones and ornaments). The style was also characteristic of shell-like curves which were interestingly used as grounds for its critique as well (Yegengil, 2010, p. 3). However, the rococo art design has been widely accepted in most artistic circles and now stands as a major turning point in conventional European art.

Neoclassical Art

The Neoclassical art movement was majorly advanced as a reaction to the rococo art. Basically, it was a reaction to the use of natural ornaments in the rococo movement.

This style originated from the classical Greece period and from the works of an Italian artist, Andrea Palladio, who majorly emphasized on portrait walls as opposed to the chiaroscuro while maintaining different identities to each part (Buser, 2005, p. 406). The neoclassical art is majorly termed as evocative and picturesque but it majorly seeks to relive the classical periods or the ancient Rome period as some of its proponents would suggest (Yegengil, 2010, p. 3).

The advent of the neoclassical art later became some sort of global movement with many of its proponents emphasizing more on the planar qualities of art as opposed to the sculptural volumes evidenced in rococo and baroque architecture. With regard to the general outlook characteristics of neoclassical art, Yegengil (2010) says that:

“Projections and recessions and their effects of light and shade are flatter; sculptural bas-reliefs are flatter and tend to be enframed in friezes, tablets or panels. Its clearly articulated individual features are isolated rather than interpenetrating, autonomous and complete in themselves” (p. 4).

Some of the most common types of neoclassical architecture can be seen in the Old museum in Berlin, Capitol in Washington D.C and similar buildings across Europe. The advent of this art style was majorly facilitated in the Napoleonic era which was largely fanned by young and upcoming Italians who wanted to make a progressive political statement in art and other areas of social progression at the time (Yegengil, 2010, p. 3).

Historical Art Analysis

To best conceptualize the development and characteristics of the rococo art period, we can use a champagne bottle. The design of the bottle can be viewed as a baroque art design (which the rococo developed from) but the form in the champagne bottle can be best analyzed as rococo art.

In other words, the themes associated with rococo art are lighter because they don’t revolve around serious themes like religion or politics; instead, it deals more with social matters like man’s lust for the woman, the social life of aristocracy, physical nature and the likes (Wilder, 2007, p. 27). Principally, this art style also revolves around asymmetry and also majorly includes the use of curved lines and ornaments which don’t emphasize the need for balance.

However with the advent of the neoclassical art period in the mid 18^th century, balance and symmetry was emphasized as a reaction to rococo art designs. In other words, this art period emphasized more on technical art and balance, inspired by antiques derived from the Roman era. Since rococo art was also characteristic of pale colors, the neoclassic proponents emphasized more on sharp colors. This movement was later picked up in many fields such as music, visual arts, architecture and the likes.

There was a deep sense of Romanism during the development of this art style but the Roman inspiration was derived from the archeological studies that were going on during that period (Yegengil, 2010, p. 5). More specifically, the discovery of the antique ruins created an emphasis on the beauty of civilization and the successes associated with Greeks and Romans; with regard to the development of their empires.

This fact totally changed the perception of art during that time because there was a shift in emphasis from the natural forms of art (rococo art) to classical antique (Yegengil, 2010, p. 5). Comparatively, the rococo art period was much more inspired by nature, personal amusement, and the physical world. Also in drawing more comparison, the rococo period was facilitated by the death of Louis XIV, from whom the baroque art derived its principles from.

Its prominence was also facilitated by the rise of the middle class and the increased consciousness of fashion in the French capital, Paris (Yegengil, 2010, p. 6). It is therefore clear that the advent of the rococo art was a major shift from the emphasis of fear and respect which was advanced by the baroque art to more relaxed forms of art. In other words, it focused on the lighter elements of life, like pleasure and nature.

On the other hand, the neo classic proponents were majorly inspired by the simplicity of certain figures in the roman and Greek empires and this was later followed by a high appreciation of Greek democracy (Buser, 2005, p. 406).

The importance of the neoclassical art in the real world was seen from its wide use in the French empire by the napoleon regime which sought to stamp its superiority by using the art style to paint heroic figures. In this manner, the neoclassic art style majorly revolves around themes such as heroism, justice, courage honor and other virtues associated with democratic leadership and hierarchical structures (Yegengil, 2010, p. 6).

The Rococo art on the other hand had a huge bearing on the interior design of arts and the development of sculptures and paintings; it was also largely associated with the regime of King Louis XV. Its major impact in the art world was that it developed pieces of art which appealed more to the senses as opposed to the intellect.

Conclusion

The neoclassical art can be seen to react to the lack of emphasis on order and restraint by the rococo art. Rococo art on the other hand seems to emphasize more on natural beauty and the appeal to human senses as opposed to the intellectual appeal of neoclassical art. Neoclassical art was also greatly inspired by antiques of the Roman Empire but rococo art was facilitated by the death of King Louis XIV.

Both art styles had a lot of influence on European literature of the 18^th century because the neoclassical art portrayed political truths in a comical manner and rococo art instilled a need to decorate art in a fluffier manner.

References

Buser, T. (2005). Experiencing Art around Us. London: Cengage Learning.

Lewis, R. (2008). The Power of Art. London: Cengage Learning.

Sporre, D, J. (2003). Perceiving the Arts: An Introduction to the Humanities. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Wilder, J. B. (2007). Art History for Dummies. New York: For Dummies.

Yegengil, O. (2010). Neoclassical and Rococo Styles after Baroque Period. Web.

The particularities of different works of art are predetermined by stylistic and historical factors, which depend on the period in art development. In this paper, two artworks representing the Neoclassical and Romantic periods are compared to detect similarities and differences in their stylistic features and how they were influenced by the cultural context. The compared works are Angelica Kauffman’s Cornelia Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures, and Jean-August-Dominique Ingres’ Grande Odalisque. It is argued that while stylistically, the two artworks share some similarities, the subject matter of the paintings is different, which is validated by the shifts in cultural contexts surrounding the painters.

Stylistically, one might detect several similar features between the two paintings presented in Figures 1 and 2. The shape and texture of brushstrokes are smooth and light, which gives both paintings a significant level of realistic depiction of the figures and environment. These characteristics are influenced by the previous historical periods in art; namely, neoclassicism was impacted by Renaissance, while Romanticism derived its brushstroke clarity from Neoclassicism.

As for the differences between the two paintings, one might note that the romantic painting by Ingres is marked by distortions of the woman’s figure. Indeed, the body appears elongated in order to emphasize the sensuality of the painting, which is a characteristic feature of romantic artworks in general (Ingres). On the contrary, the neoclassical painting by Kauffman does not contain any distortions due to the focus of the painter on the realistic depiction of all elements in the painting (Kauffman). In addition, while both paintings are balanced in terms of the compatibility of colorwork, the adherence to darker shades in the background in Ingres’ paintings suggests an emphasis on emotional appeal. Furthermore, the use of light and shadow to highlight shapes in odalisque’s figure is more evident in the work by Ingres rather than in work by Kauffman.

The choice of stylistic devices is validated by the impact of cultural context on the artists. Although both paintings were commissioned by monarchs, Kauffman’s artwork was used for recreational and educational purposes, while Ingres’ work was used to signify a shift in the style of art marked by the painter’s ideas. Moreover, since neoclassical art was inspired by Roman themes, the choice of Cornelia as a subject matter for the painting was logically validated (Kauffman). However, romantic painters were inspired by oriental themes, which validates the selection of an odalisque, who is a chambermaid, as a subject matter (Ingres). Thus, the cultural context was a decisive element in informing the partners’ decisions pertaining to the subject matter.

In summation, the comparison of the two artworks has revealed that the examples of neoclassical and romantic artworks are similar in the stylistic depiction emphasizing the clarity of objects and the accurate use of shapes. However, given the distinctions in cultural contexts and the impact of realistic features in neoclassicism and sensuality in romanticism, the paintings present different subject matters and adhere to the non-similar manner of conveying the meaning. Thus, the shift from Neoclassicism to Romanticism was marked by the integration of new emotionally colored principles of artwork and adherence to provoking subject matter.

Works Cited

Ingres, Jean-August-Dominique. Grande Odalisque. 1814. Louvre, Paris. Joy of Museums. Web.

Kauffman, Angelica. Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures. 1785. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Web.