Art that takes ancient Greek and Roman art as its model of perfection, prizing order, balance and restraint.
Recurring, from the Renaissance onwardItaly and France12 key artists
Tap or drag the canvas to stir it · open any work to paint it with that work's colours.
Overview
What is Classicism?
Recurring, from the Renaissance onwardPeriod
Italy and FranceBegan in
12Key artists on this page
8Works with free images
6Museums to visit
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthetic attitude dependent on principles based in the culture, art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, with the emphasis on form, simplicity, proportion, clarity of structure, perfection and restrained emotion, as well as explicit appeal to the intellect. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint and compression we are simply objecting to the classicism of classic art.From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Original Art Movements text
This is the text that appeared on this page on the original Art Movements site. It is kept for reference; some statements are simplified or out of date. Where it differs from the overview, characteristics and dates above, which are checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata, trust those instead.
This is a movement that can be defined by its attention to traditional forms concentrating on elegance and symmetry. It takes the art of the Greeks and Romans as its idea of perfection.
Developing in Rome in the late 15th century, the classical style was widespread particularly among the Renaissance artists. Their aim was to capture the precision of the antique age which for them represented the possibility of attaining absolute beauty in their art. Using examples such as the ‘Belvedere Torso’ and the ‘Medici Venus’, the artists rejected emotionalism in favour of attention to form and detail.
The style’s main exponents included Michelangelo, Raphael, Correggio and Mantegna. The classical style was revived in the late 18th and early 19th century in Neoclassicism a movement that arose in reaction to the flamboyant Rococo style and which included artists such as Anton Raffael Mengs and Johan Joachim Winckelman.
Nicolas Poussin, Claude Lorrain, Charles Le Brun, Philippe de Champaigne
Related
Mannerism, Flemish School, Symbolism
How to recognise it
Key characteristics of Classicism
Clarity, symmetry and balance
Idealised human figures based on ancient sculpture
Subjects from classical myth, history and the Bible
Restraint and reason valued over emotion
Careful drawing and finish
Timeline
When was Classicism?
Classicism is usually dated Recurring, from the Renaissance onward, beginning in Italy and France. Dates for art movements are approximate: artists joined and left, and styles overlapped.
Art that takes ancient Greek and Roman art as its model of perfection, prizing order, balance and restraint.
When was Classicism?
Classicism: Recurring, from the Renaissance onward. It began in Italy and France. Dates for art movements are approximate.
What are the main characteristics of Classicism?
Clarity, symmetry and balance; Idealised human figures based on ancient sculpture; Subjects from classical myth, history and the Bible; Restraint and reason valued over emotion; Careful drawing and finish.
Who are the most famous Classicism artists?
Nicolas Poussin, Claude Lorrain, Charles Le Brun, Philippe de Champaigne, Pierre Mignard I.
What are some famous Classicism works?
Hall of Mirrors; The Flight into Egypt by Nicolas Poussin; The Adoration of the Golden Calf by Nicolas Poussin; Massacre of the Innocents by Nicolas Poussin; Portrait of a young girl by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin.
Where can I see Classicism art?
Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon (France), National Gallery (London, United Kingdom), Condé Museum (Chantilly, France), Department of Paintings of the Louvre (France), Museo del Prado (Madrid, Spain) hold works shown on this page.
