Artistic Evolution During the French Revolution

683 Words2 Pages

The French revolution began in 1789 when citizens stormed the Bastille prison in Paris, for political and revolutionary reasons. Now while it may be called the French revolutions, this by no means was an isolated event. For many years, the French overthrew several constitutions and performed many executions and pretty much went to war with themselves and Europe. It was a mess. During this time, there were many radical changes to the way society functioned. These changes were influenced by the various ideals of the people of that time and in turn, those ideas began to take shape in the artwork of that time.
French art had been steadily evolving since the 17th century between the styles baroque and rococo eras and the classical academic styles. …show more content…

Art is constantly evolving, and while the neoclassical artist would have their time in the sun for years to comes, new budding artists were already looking for ways to further revolution art. These artists were moving away from academics and intellect as a foundation and started broadening their views in order to see what more could be added to art. It was through this way of thinking, that Romanticism was born. Romanticism was about moods and feeling, drama, life, emotion and all that jazz. Precision and or perfection were the furthest thing from it as its movement started to take shape. First there was the revival of the gothic style in England, then in Germany in the mid-18th century. While neoclassicism was still reigning, Artists like Casper David Friedrich from Germany and Turner from England were producing radical game changing …show more content…

Thédore Géricault was the first French artist to use the romanticism style. His Radeau de la Meduse, a giant tableau was full of emotions as it portrayed a new theme that was different from the norm. What made it different was that while artist depicted heroic event from French history, his tableau depicted the aftermath of a shipwreck, where the survivor a calling and reaching for help. Viewer could feel the terror and emotion and this form of human relatability drew them in instead of pushing them away. It was truly inspiring.
In closing, Neoclassicism and romanticism are both huge parts of the French revolution. Both these styles, appealed to the masses and were vital is serving their intended roles. The works done using these styles were truly beautiful and life changing. Both styles exist at the opposite of each spectrum, but because of that, they are able complement each

Open Document