The Arts had it tonight



Paolo Panini



Fuseli: Kriemhild shows Head to Hagen



 





With a visit to the MFAH and "Antiquity Revived" exhibit.

Angelika Kauffman, 1774 Ariadne abandoned by Theseus

( BTW HGO will present "Ariadne auf Naxos" by Richard Strauss in its spring repertoire..

How apropos is that?) and here a sample of Coloratura Kathleen Battle as Zerbinetta.



Death of Marat by David.



Neoclassism in Europe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was a movement to recapture the 'antiquities and classical arts'. Perhaps as a rebellion against the abundance and lushness of Baroque and Rococo styles. A wish for cleaner and clearer lines? 

Neoclassic Window from Melk, Austria

Panini: Modern Rome




Austrian Neoclassic Clock

 

H. Fuseli, 1778 The artist moved to despair at the grandeur of antique fragments-Kunsthaus Zurich 

 It inspired artists from France to Russia, in their paintings, sculptures, drawings,  

decorative artsand architecture.

Other cultures have other canons of classics, however, and a recurring strain of 'neoclassicism' appears to be a natural expression of any culture at a certain moment in time. 

It can happen to cultures that are aware of themselves, confident of their own high tradition,

but at the same time feels the need to regain something that they may deem to have lost.

Joseph M. Vien: Sale of Eros

The above IS based on a wall painting discovered in Pompey.

Many artists of the Neoclassic period, sought inspiration in Greek and Roman art, but also Norse and other Mythology, even the plays of Shakespeare gave subjects to paint.
The colors of most paintings  are vividly clear, the light luminous.
The human bodies painted or sculpted are voluptuous, a bit still Baroque,
but anatomically correct and show a fluidity that is special to the period.

Antonio Canova 1793, Psyche revived by the kiss of love (Louvre)

Neoclassicism is also represented by Music as f.i. this Opera "Alceste" by Christoph Willibald GLuck (Marilyn Horne sings)

In any case, I really loved the extensive exhibit and recommend a visit-it's truly worth it!