The artistic style of classicism expressed renaissance. Classicism in art (XVII-XIX centuries)

Among the artistic styles, classicism is of no small importance, which became widespread in the advanced countries of the world in the period from the 17th to the beginning of the 19th century. He became the heir to the ideas of the Enlightenment and manifested itself in almost all types of European and Russian art. He often came into confrontation with the Baroque, especially at the stage of formation in France.

The century of classicism in each country is different. First of all, it developed in France - back in the 17th century, a little later - in England and Holland. In Germany and Russia, the direction was established closer to the middle of the 18th century, when the time of neoclassicism had already begun in other states. But this is not so significant. Another thing is more important: this direction became the first serious system in the field of culture, which laid the foundations for its further development.

What is classicism as a direction?

The name comes from the Latin word classicus, which means "exemplary". The main principle manifested itself in an appeal to the traditions of antiquity. They were perceived as the norm to which one should strive. The authors of the works were attracted by such qualities as simplicity and clarity of form, brevity, rigor and harmony in everything. This applied to any works created during the period of classicism: literary, musical, pictorial, architectural. Each creator strove to find its place for everything, clear and strictly defined.

The main signs of classicism

All types of art were characterized by the following features that help to understand what classicism is:

• a rational approach to the image and the exclusion of everything related to sensuality;
• the main purpose of a person is to serve the state;
• strict canons in everything;
• an established hierarchy of genres, the mixing of which is unacceptable.

Concretization of artistic features

Analysis of individual types of art helps to understand how the style of "classicism" was embodied in each of them.

How classicism was realized in literature

In this form of art, classicism was defined as a special direction in which the desire to re-educate with words was clearly expressed. Authors of works of art believed in a happy future, where justice, freedom of all citizens, and equality will reign. It meant, first of all, liberation from all types of oppression, including religious and monarchical. Classicism in literature certainly demanded the observance of three unities: action (no more than one plot line), time (all events fit into a day), place (there was no movement in space). J. Moliere, Voltaire (France), L. Gibbon (England), M. Twain, D. Fonvizin, M. Lomonosov (Russia) received more recognition in this style.

The development of classicism in Russia

The new artistic direction was established in Russian art later than in other countries - closer to the middle of the 18th century - and occupied a leading position until the first third of the 19th century. Russian classicism, in contrast to Western European, was largely based on national traditions. It was in this that his originality was manifested.

Initially, it came to architecture, where it reached its greatest heights. This was due to the construction of a new capital and the growth of Russian cities. The achievement of the architects was the creation of majestic palaces, comfortable residential buildings, country noble estates. Special attention should be paid to the creation of architectural ensembles in the city center, which fully make it clear what classicism is. These are, for example, the buildings of Tsarskoe Selo (A. Rinaldi), the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (I. Starov), the spit of Vasilievsky Island (J. de Thomon) in St. Petersburg and many others.

The peak of the architects' activity can be called the construction of the Marble Palace according to the project of A. Rinaldi, in the decoration of which natural stone was used for the first time.

No less famous is Petrodvorets (A. Schluter, V. Rastrelli), which is an example of landscape gardening art. Numerous buildings, fountains, sculptures, the layout itself - everything is striking in its proportionality and purity of execution.

Literary direction in Russia

The development of classicism in Russian literature deserves special attention. Its founders were V. Trediakovsky, A. Kantemir, A. Sumarokov.

However, the greatest contribution to the development of the concept of what classicism is, was made by the poet and scientist M. Lomonosov. He developed a system of three calmness, which determined the requirements for writing works of fiction, and created an example of a solemn message - an ode that enjoyed the greatest popularity in literature of the second half of the 18th century.

The traditions of classicism were fully manifested in the plays of D. Fonvizin, especially in the comedy "The Minor". In addition to the mandatory observance of the three unities and the cult of reason, the following points belong to the peculiarities of Russian comedy:

• a clear division of characters into negative and positive and the presence of a reason that expresses the position of the author;
• the presence of a love triangle;
• punishment of vice and triumph of good in the finale.

Works of the era of classicism as a whole have become the most important component in the development of world art.

Translated from Latin "classicus" means "exemplary". In simple words, at the very dawn of its formation, classicism was considered ideal in terms of painting. The artistic style developed in the 17th century and began to gradually disappear in the 19th century, giving way to such directions as romanticism, academicism (a combination of classicism and romanticism) and realism.

The style of painting and sculpture of classicism appeared at a time when artists and sculptors turned to the art of antiquity and began to copy many of its features. The ancient art of Greece and Rome during the Renaissance generated a real surge of interest in works of art and creativity. The authors of the Renaissance, who today are considered one of the greatest creators in history, turned to ancient motives, plots, and most importantly - the forms of depicting human figures, animals, environment, composition, and so on. Classicism expresses an accurate image, but the figures in the paintings of the artists look quite sculptural, one might even say - exaggerated and unnatural. People on such canvases may seem like frozen sculptures in "speaking" poses. The poses of people in classicism speak for themselves what is happening at the moment and what emotions this or that character is experiencing - heroism, defeat, grief, and so on. All of this is presented in an exaggerated, ostentatious manner.

Classicism, which was built on the foundations of the ancient portrayal of men and women of an idealized athletic or exaggeratedly feminine physique, required Renaissance artists and artists of subsequent periods to depict people and animals in their paintings in exactly this form. Therefore, in classicism it is impossible to find a man or even an old man with flabby skin or a woman with a shapeless figure. Classicism is an idealized depiction of everything that is present in a painting. Since in the ancient world it was accepted to depict a person as an ideal creation of the gods, which has no flaws, then artists and sculptors who began to copy this style began to fully comply with this idea.

Also, classicism often resorted to ancient mythology. With the help of ancient Greek and Roman mythology, both the plots from the myths themselves and the plots modern for artists with elements of ancient mythology (ancient architecture, gods of war, love, muses, cupids, and so on) could be depicted. Mythological motives in the paintings of classicist artists later took the form of symbolism, that is, through ancient symbols, artists expressed this or that message, meaning, emotion, mood.

Paintings in the style of classicism

Gros Antoine Jean - Napoleon Bonaparte on the Arkol bridge

Giovanni Tiepolo - Cleopatra's Feast

Jacques-Louis David - Oath of the Horace

Greuze Jean Baptiste - Spoiled Child

Jacques-Louis David "Portrait of Lavoisier and His Wife Marie-Anne", 1788 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Classicism Lavoisier is a chemical scientist known for his research on oxygen, gunpowder and the chemical composition of water. David gives an almost homely friendliness to the image of a scientist sitting at a table, surrounded by working instruments. His wife is standing next to him. The manuscript lying in front of Lavoisier is probably his "Treatise on Elementary Chemistry" ...

Ivan Fomich Khrutsky "Flowers and Fruits", 1839 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow Classicism Khrutsky's painting "Flowers and Fruits" cannot leave any spectator indifferent. Luxurious still life with objects that the artist especially loved. Earthenware jug filled with a rich combination of various colors. Nearby is a simple bast basket. There is a huge variety of fruits on the table. Peaches and pears, pumpkin and lemon, ...

Pierre Paul Prudhon "Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime", 1808 Louvre, Paris Classicism This painting occupies an important place in the creative heritage of P. P. Prudhon. The artist reveals the content of the picture, the meaning of the allegory inherent in it in one of the letters dated 1805. He writes: “Under the roof of the night, in a desolate landscape, the greedy Crime, strangling and robbing its victim, ...

John Singleton Copley "Girl with Bird and Dog", 1767 Toledo Museum of Art, USA Classicism

Ivan Petrovich Argunov "Portrait of an Unknown Woman in Russian Costume", 1784 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow Classicism The portrait of an Unknown Woman reflects the interest in peasant themes that appeared at that time in Russian society. Argunov, himself descended from the serfs of Count Sheremetyev, strove to show in his portraits the natural beauty and dignity of a person, regardless of his class affiliation. The image of a peasant woman in this work of the artist ...

Ivan Ivanovich Firsov "Young Painter", 1765-1766 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow Classicism Painting by Ivan Firsov "Young Painter" is one of the first works of Russian genre painting. Archival documents show that the Russian artist Ivan Firsov, a decorator of the imperial theaters, lived and worked in Paris in the mid-1760s, where he improved his skills at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. There…

Virgilius Eriksen "Portrait of Catherine II in front of a mirror", 1762 - 1764 State Hermitage, St. Petersburg Classicism The whole history of Russia in the second half of the 18th century is connected with the name of Catherine the Great, who ruled the country for 34 years. In addition, she was one of the most powerful and successful monarchs in Europe of her time. The ideal, hero and example of a statesman for Catherine was ...

Claude Lorrain "Noon (Rest on the Flight to Egypt)", 1661 Hermitage, St. Petersburg Classicism It is no coincidence that the artist chose a holy biblical subject for his sublimely beautiful landscape. And where else could a Catholic believer have placed the Holy Family for rest - the Virgin Mary, the baby Jesus, the betrothed Joseph and the Angel accompanying them? An idealistic narrative picture with a peacefully grazing flock, majestic trees, graceful ...

Classicism is the direction of European culture of the late 17th - early 19th centuries. The name comes from the Latin word classicus, which means "exemplary". A distinctive feature of classicism is considered to be a strictly developed system of artistic norms, which had to be strictly observed, the manifestation of creative imagination was considered unacceptable. The ideas of classicism were present in all spheres of cultural life. Classicism in art, literature, painting, architecture, music was supposed to express universal harmony.

The basic principles of classicism were formulated in the treatise by Nicolas Boileau (France in 1674). In it, he convincingly substantiated a number of artistic requirements that were imposed on literary creativity. Dramatic works had to be sustained in a strict manner. The unity of the place implies a fixed space where events take place, the unity of time - a certain, limited time period, the unity of action - one central plot line.

Also, according to F. Fenelon and M.V. Lomonosov, representatives of classicism in literature are obliged to observe a strict hierarchy of genres and styles. "High Calm" - sublime vocabulary, genres: odes, heroic poems. "Average Calm" - elegies, satirical works, dramas. "Low Calm" - private and everyday life, genres: fables, comedies, letters. was forbidden. By the beginning of the 19th century, classicism began to be ousted from the pedestal by such styles as sentimentalism and romanticism. The pursuit of severity and clarity has stopped.

In Russia, classicism appeared only at the beginning of the 18th century. The impetus for its development was also the theory of "Three Calms" by Lomonosov, the reform of Trediakovsky. The most famous representatives of classicism in Russia: Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin (comedy), Antioch Dmitrievich Kantemir (satire), Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin and Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (ode), Ivan Ivanovich Khemnitser and Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov (fable). The central problem of society at that time was the problem of power, therefore, Russian classicism has peculiar aspects, in contrast to Western classicism. Since after no one emperor came to power legally, the problem of intrigues, palace coups, the monarch's discrepancy with the expectations of the courtiers and the people was urgent. It is these problems that are reflected in Russian classicism.

Representatives of classicism in music, for example, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, forever entered world history. Their works became a reference point for the development of further musical composition. Musical works began to have a clearer structure, all parts of one piece were balanced.

Classicism strongly influenced such a branch of culture as architecture. Ancient forms were used, Greek and Roman motifs are visible. Pastel shades prevail. In Russia, a mixture of Russian baroque is also very noticeable. Representatives of classicism in Russian architecture: Kazakov, Eropkin, Zemtsov, Korobov, Rossi, Stasov, Montferrand.

As a rule, it emphasizes the smoothness of forms, and the main elements of the form are line and chiaroscuro. N. Poussin and C. Lorrain are recognized as some of the best painters. Poussin created masterpieces depicting heroic deeds and stories in a historical style. Lorrain, in turn, was engaged in landscapes, where the connection between man and nature is noticeable, the harmony of their interaction. Representatives of classicism in Russian painting: the unsurpassed master of the subject A.P. Losenko, his students (I. A. Akimov, P. I. Sokolov and others).

Translated from Latin "classicus" means "exemplary". In simple words, at the very dawn of its formation, classicism was considered ideal in terms of painting. The artistic style developed in the 17th century and gradually began to disappear in the 19th century, giving way to such directions as romanticism, academicism (a combination of classicism and romanticism) and realism.

The style of painting and sculpture of classicism appeared at a time when artists and sculptors turned to the art of antiquity and began to copy many of its features. The ancient art of Greece and Rome during the Renaissance generated a real surge of interest in works of art and creativity. The authors of the Renaissance, who today are considered one of the greatest creators in history, turned to ancient motives, plots, and most importantly - the forms of depicting human figures, animals, environment, composition, and so on. Classicism expresses an accurate image, but the figures in the paintings of the artists look quite sculptural, one might even say - exaggerated and unnatural. People on such canvases can seem like frozen sculptures in "speaking" poses. The poses of people in classicism speak for themselves what is happening at the moment and what emotions this or that character is experiencing - heroism, defeat, grief, and so on. All this is presented in an exaggerated ostentatious manner.

Classicism, which was built on the foundations of the ancient portrayal of men and women of an idealized athletic or exaggeratedly feminine physique, required Renaissance artists and artists of subsequent periods to depict people and animals in their paintings in exactly this form. Therefore, in classicism it is impossible to find a man or even an old man with flabby skin or a woman with a shapeless figure. Classicism is an idealized image of everything that is present in a painting. Since in the ancient world it was accepted to depict a person as an ideal creation of the gods, which has no flaws, then artists and sculptors who began to copy this style began to fully comply with this idea.

Also, classicism often resorted to ancient mythology. With the help of ancient Greek and Roman mythology, both the plots from the myths themselves and the plots modern for artists with elements of ancient mythology (ancient architecture, gods of war, love, muse, cupid, and so on) could be depicted. Mythological motifs in the paintings of classicist artists later took the form of symbolism, that is, through ancient symbols, artists expressed this or that message, meaning, emotion, mood.

Paintings in the style of classicism

Gros Antoine Jean - Napoleon Bonaparte on the Arkolsky bridge

Giovanni Tiepolo - Cleopatra's Feast

Jacques-Louis David - Oath of the Horace