Art Embodied: Neoclassicism

"Make copies, young man, many copies. You can only become a good artist by copying the masters," wrote Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, poster child of the Neoclassical era between 1765 and 1830.

Overlooking the fact that Ingres addresses only young artists with a Y chromosome, the guy makes a point. Neoclassical art looked back to the artistic masters of antiquity for inspiration. They copied ancient works, sometimes simply regurgitating them, sometimes reinterpreting them. Frustrated by the drama queens of the Baroque era and the soap-opera nature of Romanticism artwork, Neoclassists decided to make art that evoked a time when the values were good and the living was clean. The Greeks and Romans were back in the hot seat.

This week for my independent study project 'Art Embodied' I have focused my attention on this period in art history, which involves a return to western classicism. I revisited the Louvre to get up close and personal with some of the striking and elegant paintings and statues made during this time. Inspired by Ingres' call to copy the masters and the perfect weather we've had in Paris this week, I hit up Luxembourg Gardens and the Tuilleries, parked myself in front of some statues, and sketched away:

Neoclassist works harbor a simplicity and symmetry in stark contrast with the ornamented, contorted, asymmetrical works of the early-18th century Baroque era. The human figures in Neoclassist artwork are evocative of human bodies in Greek and Roman works, and are sometimes exact copies of ancient models. 

Values held dear by Greek and Roman artists are thus reiterated in Neoclassist art. Their figures feature an elegance and grandeur in pose and expression. Stoicism and innate morality are common themes. Naturalism is a guiding value.

An especially important element of depictions of the human figure in Neoclassist art is the simplification and idealization of physical features. For these artists, the goal was to achieve universal beauty. The artist's job was to pick and choose the superior features in each individual and spit out perfection. The result? Human figures that look like Abercrombie and Fitch models — elegant, muscular and heavily air-brushed.

The postures of these figures are often relaxed and natural, with respect to the contorted postures featured in Baroque art. Anatomical accuracy was considered a fundamental aspect of the artist's education by this point, but often the artists took liberty in idealizing the figures. In male figures the muscles are emphasized, and commonly over-emphasized. Female figures are similarly idealized with clear skin luminescent under smooth light, perfect contours, and elongated facial features, spines and limbs.

Below is a piece by Theodore Chasseriau titled 'La toilette d'Esther'. Directly translated that means the toilet of Ester, but I'm quite sure it just means Ester is preparing herself to be presented to King Asserus. The sensual character of the body and the simplicity of form is typical of Chasseriau's depiction of the feminine form.

The next piece is also by Chasseriau. 'Andromede attachee au rocher par les Nereides', or 'Andromede attached to a rock by Nereides, was painted in 1840. The female figure appears anatomically-conscious, but is idealized with elongated limbs, a trim waist and luminescent skin. The female figure in the front seems especially neoclassical with the elongated spine, elegantly curved and simplified.  In terms of what's going on here, Andromede being offered as a sacrifice to the sea monster on the left. Don't worry, she's saved by Perseus.

'La Tentation du Christ' was made by Dutch artist Ary Scheffer in 1858 for the Gallery of Luxembourg palace. It took the guy the last ten years of his life to crank out. The experts see evidence of incessant modifications in composition and form as Scheffer sought to achieve perfection in the work. The only thing that was never altered or retouched is the face of Christ. The closeup below focuses on the leg of the figure on the right as you look at the painting. Individual muscles are emphasized, revealing Scheffer's attention to anatomy.

Many of the works in this blog post are by Ingres, a french painter who's work is featured heavily at the Louvre.  His work embraces many of the Neoclassist concepts, especially in regards to anatomy. Ingres wrote: "Muscles I know; they are my friends. But I have forgotten their names." While he may not have known the medical terms, Ingres was attuned to the structure of the human body. His figures are idealized but the undercurrent of naturalism is strong.

Ingres was the best student of Jacques-Louis David, another major Neoclassical painter. He was also the nemesis of Delacroix, the superstar of Romanticism, which I will study next week. Ingres is considered the guardian of academic orthodoxy and the perfection of antiquity. He considered himself not an innovator, but a conservator of the elegant and idealized imagery and cultural values of Antiquity.

Below is an Ingres work titled 'Angelique', painted around 1819. The figure is strikingly corps-like, evocative of the Renaissance painters who modeled their figures directly from corpses propped up with strings.The figure, idealized under bright light, stands out against a plane of red.

'La baigneuse,' the bather, was created by Ingres in 1808. The figure is quiet, noble and serene. Ingres was attuned to the nuanced ways in which the soft light bounced off the subtle planar changes in the woman's back. This was the first of Ingres extensive and famous series of nude female figures.

'Le Bain Turc' is another Ingres work from 1862. Fifty years later and the guy's obsession with the female back was as strong as ever. The subject of the bath is a direct evocation of life during Antiquity, when bathing time was social hour. The eye is first drawn to idealized back of the woman in front, then moves right to rest on the fact of the lounging figure to her right. The nuanced soft lighting and elongated spine make this piece a standout, and about as classic neo-classical as you can get. On that note, keep is classy, and tune in next week when I check out the romantics.