For this class we discussed Neoclassicism. We started by discussing the enlightenment and how it led to a revival in classical ideas and art, specifically logic and morality. We first looked at Anton Raphael Mengs’ Parnassus, which depicts Apollo at the top of Parnassus surrounded by the Muses. The structure and symmetry of the painting links to a similar one done by Raphael for the Vatican, and shows a shift from Rococo. We then looked at architecture of the period, such as Lord Burlington and William Kent’s Chiswick House. The architecture of the house resembles a 16th century Palladian villa, which was derived from the Pantheon. The house is characterized by it’s use of basic geometric shapes and the familiarity with ancient architecture. While there was a shift away from the style of Rococo, some of its features are still found in examples of Neoclassicism. For example the colors used in Robert Adam’s Library in Kenwood House, or the painterly blend Thomas Gainsborough used in his Portrait of Mrs. Richard Brimley Sheridan.
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