What are the main characteristics of Neoclassicism?

Question

And can anyone help me to analyze Jacques-Louis David's "The Death of Socrates"?

Answer 1

Neoclassical art or history painting is the visual embodiment of the academic values set out by the Academie Royale,Paris and Felibien in the hierarchy of the genres.

This method of history painting harks back to antiquity and was generally produced for powerful, educated patrons and should contain the following;

There should be a narrative aspect to the work. The Death of Socrates being an ancient tale/event fit this well.

There should be a grouping of figures as the ideal of the human form in a group situation is thought as the most difficult to paint and organise.

Organisational structures such as perspective should be used to suggest an intellectual element to the work.

Facial expressions should be clearly discernable according to Charles le Brun. This helps to make the narrative clear.

The background is generally quite boring so as to focus the viewers attention onto the main figure groupings.

The work will look almost stage set and dramatically lit.

The level of finish of the work will be very high with few individual brushstrokes discernable.

Ok that's some of the main charateristics of Neoclassicism.

Now for an interpretation. I'll start you off an then give you some pointers so you can finish.

Jacques Louis David was presenting paintings like this to the academy roughly around the time of the French Revolution. His paintings were propeganda and the tales told in them could be connected to Rousseau's Social Contract. The artist appears to be portraying duty and the general will as an ancient protocol and a lesson in ‘human nature’. For example Socrates is about to drink hemlock and poison himself which is bad for him but he is making a sacrifice for the greater good (the general will) and making himself free according to Rousseau's theory by ignoring his own particular will (the will to live).

That was perhaps the most difficult thing to find out. Now for the easy bit. You need to identify how the artist has organised his work, where the perspective lines converge and whether this is significant, where the light is coming from, who is looking at who and why would that be, why is Socrates pointing upwards, and look at the use of colour, is it repeated does it make any particular figures stand out or recede from our view. Lastly see if you can identify other figures such as Plato for example.

Good luck

Answer 2

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Answer 3

The topic.
It draws on the classics. Not just the look and feel but also directly. Mythology and well classical figures.