|
|
Italy Architecture: Neoclassicism
The neoclassicism architecture was the predominant style in Europe during 1750s-1850s, marked by the imitation of Greco-Roman forms. Classical architectural models were adapted or referenced in a range of architectural forms, including churches, arches, temple, house, terraces, garden monuments and interior designs. Later, Neoclassical architecture became an international style, each country held some distinct characteristic in their style.
Neoclassical architecture often uses the orders of classical Greek and Roman architecture to achieve effects of balance and harmony. Pillars, capitals and porticos are frequent, and in England many new public buildings were constructed in the Neoclassical style. But private homes and interiors were also decorated with geometric shapes, pillars and pilasters, and the characteristic rounded archways of Neoclassicism.
The neoclassical movement that produced Neoclassical architecture began in the mid-18th century, as a reaction against both the surviving Baroque and Rococo styles, and as a desire to return to the perceived "purity" of the arts of Rome, the more vague perception ("ideal") of Ancient Greek arts (where almost no Western artist had actually been) and, to a lesser extent, 16th century Renaissance Classicism.
Neoclassicism first acquired influence in London, through the examples of Paris-trained Sir William Chambers and James "Athenian" Stuart, and in Paris, through a generation of French art students trained at the French Academy in Rome and influenced by the presence of Charles-Louis Clérisseau and the writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann; it was quickly adopted by progressive circles in Sweden. In Paris, many of the first generation of neoclassical architects received training in the classic French tradition through a series of exhaustive and practical lectures that was offered for decades by Jacques-François Blondel.
Neoclassicism continued to be a major force in academic art through the 19th century and beyond, a constant antithesis to Romanticism or Gothic revivals, although from the late 19th century on it had often been considered anti-modern, or even reactionary, in influential critical circles. By the mid-19th century, several European cities - notably St Petersburg and Munich - were transformed into veritable museums of Neoclassical architecture.
Back to:
« Italy Architecture
|
|
|
|
|
