Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism is the term used to describe an art movement which originated in France and Italy. Its influence was largely derived from ancient Greece and Rome. The influence of Neoclassicim however did not remain solely in France and Italy, it spread as far as St Petersburg, Sydney, Philadelphia and Edinburgh. The audience was not limited just to high society, managed to span across all classes.

The results of the Herculaneum and Pompeii excavations during the second half of the 18th century provided a mass of influential publications and artefacts about Classic art and society which played an important role in the definition of the style. The roots of Neo Classicism however are not just found in antiques. Some smaller contributions from the East, Medieval times and the Egyptians have also been a factor.

Artists of the Neo Classical age often made use of "Classical' imagery such as Cherubs and Cupids. Such examples of this method can be found in a painting of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin West, titled "Drawing Electricity from the Sky". It shows Franklin observing a jolt of electricity passing from his kite string to his clenched fist. In the background he is being helped by Cupids. A prime example of mixing the old with the new.

"Like the two faced Classical god Janus, Neo Classicism looks both behind and ahead'.
David Irwin, Neo Classicism, Phaidon

Benjamin West was one of many 'Grand Tour' artists. Grand Tour being the term used to describe a year long Italian education, spent studying various art forms. He produced many religious paintings and often had as many as five assistants helping him with large works. Some paintings where produced for Windsor Castle at the request of George III, but he also catered for hospital chapels, cathedrals and churches with alter pieces. His work painting church windows, which where not created in a similar fashion to stain glass windows in many smaller parts, but rather painted on to the surface restricted the levels of light in the churches, making other windows glow in an almost divine manor. However this method did not meet the approval of many other artists who believed it to be criminal.

One such Benjamin West painting titled "British Manufactory: A Sketch" features a copy of an antique vase designed by Josiah Wedgwood, who at the time was also designing the ceiling of the lodge at Windsor. Wedgwood owned his own showroom in St James Sq, where he exhibited some of the most expensive British pottery available in London. He succesfully managed to create a market for luxury Neo Classical vases in a way never done before, through the use of a showroom and a printed catalogue, which offered a wide range of varied designs.

Neo Classicism was one of the few styles from Europe which found its way into Japan around 1868. The design of the Yokohama Shohkn Bank, which is now a Museum, was specifically made Neo Classical as the bank at the time was engaged in international trade and thus decided a foreign style of architecture was the most appropriate.

The White House, originally commissioned as a place of residence for Jefferson, who at the time was the Secretary of State, was designed by Hoban after winning a competition to design the residence. Jefferson expressed concern, believing the residence should not be too extravagant due to the current economy of the newly developing United States. What originated as a humble dwelling soon became much more and is a prime example of Neo Classical architecture in the US.

Jay Keefe

Bibliography

Books
David Irwin (1997), Neoclassicism, London, Phaidon Press Limited

Images
Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricyt from the Sky (P174)
David Irwin (1997), Neoclassicism, London, Phaidon Press Limited

Britain and France united by Mercury (P222)
David Irwin (1997), Neoclassicism, London, Phaidon Press Limited

Yokohama Shohkin Bank (P394)
David Irwin (1997), Neoclassicism, London, Phaidon Press Limited

The White House (P126)
David Irwin (1997), Neoclassicism, London, Phaidon Press Limited