Today our class was based on Neoclassicism. We started by discussing some of the historical context for neoclassicism like the ideas of the enlightenment and logic and morality. We started with discussing the work of artist Anton Raphael Mengs and comparing the work to Rococo. We also compared his work to that of Raphael and how the compositions were similar, in Mengs’ Apollo Belvedere painting specifically. The painting was also very linear and not painterly.
Another work we covered in class today was Benjamin West’s The Death of General Wolfe. This was a depiction of a contemporary event where General Wolfe, the leader of British troops in the French and Indian War, perished in battle. Although he died, he led his troops to victory. We compared the depiction of General Wolfe to the death of Christ, and the many works surrounding The Lamentation that we’ve studied in class.