Neoclassism and Romanticism History Essay Research (Essay Sample)

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The comparison of Neoclassicism and Romanticism
Neoclassicism and romanticism represent two distinct movements that originated in western art culture. They are two art forms that have differing values and logics that have spanned across time and space. Neoclassicism can be dated to have originated as far back as the eighteenth century while romanticism followed later on and is recorded to have begun during the late eighteenth century (Bietoletti 39). Over the years, both movements had made significant gains in the fields of art, literature and architecture most of which remain in the up to today. This paper provides a historical review of the two art forms by explaining the origins and the inspirations that led to their development. It also contains a critical analysis of the differences between the two and how they came about.
In definition, neoclassicism is an art form that focuses on using the ancient Rome and Greece culture for the creation of new art forms. More specifically, its name is derived from the Greek names “neo” and “classicism” which means “new” and “of high value” respectively (Bietoletti 55). The ideas of Neoclassicism were first bought up by various artists such as Alexander pope, Johann Joachim Winckelmann and John Dyren who managed to inspire people to refer to old texts and paintings done by ancient Greeks and Romans (Janson, Horst, and Anthony 155). They came with the idea that writers and artists should refrain from being original by creating new forms of art and instead they should stress on the imitation of skilled artists such as the likes of Michael Angelo. These ideas were further fueled by the discovery of the Pompeii ruins that showed a display of the ancient roman culture (Jonson, Horst, and Anthony 157). It is in this way, that the principles of reason, logic and simplicity became popular among artists of the time, marking a revival of the ancient cultures of the Greek and Romans. Thus the core ideologies of the neoclassic art were in the concepts of rediscovery and imitation of old age artists.