What is Classicism?

Classicism is an aesthetic and artistic direction in the art of Europe 17-19 centuries. This period brought to the world many talented authors who made a significant contribution to the development of art: literature, painting, sculpture, music and architecture. For the first time tendencies of classicism appeared in France, when the interest of people to the ancient times and ideals of that time renewed.

Features of Classicism

The main features of this direction originate in antiquity. The authors' thinking was artistically directed and had a tendency to a clear, holistic expression, as well as simplicity of pictorial means, balance and logic of utterances. Therefore, we can say that the thinking of the man of the era of classicism is rationally idealized.

If we talk about the fact that classicism is related to antiquity, it is important to note that their similarity was in a form that, incidentally, might not meet the standards that were adopted in the ancient world. Classic art distinguishes from others in the first place respect for old values and the ability to display them even when they are irrelevant.

A characteristic feature of classicism is the ontological understanding of beauty. Here it is timeless, and therefore eternal, and also much attention is paid to the laws of harmony.

Psychologically, classicism is explained by the fact that in complex historical periods, which are transitional and carrying a lot of new things, people tend to turn to what is invariable: for example, to the past. In this he finds support: the ancient Greeks are an example of rationalism in thinking, they gave mankind complete ideas about space and time, and many other phenomena in life, and did it in a simple and accessible form. Complex and ornate thoughts and the same design do not mean the clarity and concreteness that humanity needed in a dramatically changing world. Therefore, antiquity played an important role in the formation of classicism.

The ideas of classicism are romantic, so many people hold the opinion that they are inseparable. And yet they have significant differences: romanticism is more divorced from reality in its ideals and ways of displaying them than classicism.

What is Classicism? This was attempted to explain V. Tatarkevich with the help of several principles, which, in turn, were originally expounded by the theorist LB Alberti:

1. Beauty is an objective property of real objects.
2. Beauty is the order, the right composition, which is judged by the mind.
3. Since art enjoys science, it means that it must possess rational discipline.
4. The image created in the direction of classicism can be real, but depicted according to the pattern of antiquity.

What is Classicism in Painting

The main feature of this trend in artistic creativity is manifested in relation to the artist to the work: his feelings, expressed through painting, are subordinated to aesthetic norms and logic.

Among the prominent representatives can be identified the work of N. Prussen, who painted paintings with mythological themes. Particular attention in them attracts an exact geometric composition and a thoughtful combination of colors. Also K. Lorren: although the themes of his paintings differ from the works of N. Prussen (landscapes of the surroundings of the city), but rationalism in performance is also sustained: he harmonized them with the help of the light of the setting sun.

What is classicism in sculpture and architecture?

Since in classicism as an example the antique works performed, then when sculpting the authors encountered a contradiction: in Ancient Greece the models were depicted naked, but now it was immoral. Artists came out of the situation in a cunning way: they portrayed real people in the form of ancient gods. During the reign of Napoleon, sculptors began to make models on which togs are worn.

Classicism in Russia was born much later, but, nevertheless, this did not prevent the talented authors who created according to his ideas appeared in this country: Boris Orlovsky, Fedot Shubin, Ivan Martos, Mikhail Kozlovsky.

In architecture, they also sought to recreate the forms inherent in antiquity. Simplicity, rigor, monumentality and logical clarity are the main features.

What is classicism in literature

The main achievement of classicism is that literary genres were divided into hierarchical groups: among them high (epic, tragedy, ode) and low (fable, comedy and satire).

In the literature, a strict requirement was made for observing the genre features in the work.