462 7 Art of the Modern Era t the beginning of the nineteenth century, A the elegant, lighthearted Rococo style lost favor with artists who adopted new styles, including Neoclassicism and Romanticism. Artists responded to the new freedoms developing during this era by experimenting with new ways to express their ideas and feelings. In this unit, you will discover works such as the one shown here, by glass artist David Chihuly. His installa- tion In the Light of Jerusalem, includes spectacu- lar colored glass sculpture displayed at the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem. Web Museum Tour Discover more innovative glasswork by Chihuly in the Mint Museum’s contemporary collection. Visit the museum galleries and tour the Mint’s Museum of Craft and Design. Click on Web Museum Tours at art.glencoe.com. Activity Choose between the Mint Museum of Art or the Museum of Craft and Design. Scroll through the thumbnails to view the collections. Note the variety of media represented in the artworks. What other types of glass artworks can you find at the museum site? Dale Chihuly. Red Spears. 1999. Glass installation. Jerusalem. 463 21 New Directions in Nineteenth-Century Art ave you ever taken an art lesson or attended an art school? Do stu- H dents learn from each other as well as from the teacher? The acade- mies, or art schools, in France and England during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries urged their students to study the works of the past as a way of developing their own skills. This inspired an artistic style called Neo- classicism, which replaced the Rococo style. As the nineteenth century pro- gressed, Romanticism and Realism took their turns in the spotlight. Another new style was Impressionism, a style of art used to create paintings like the one on the right by Berthe Morisot. Read to Find Out Read this chapter to learn about European art in the nineteenth century. Learn about the Neoclassical movement, Romanticism, Realism, English landscape painting, and Impressionism. Focus Activity Look closely at Morisots painting in Figure 21.1. Divide a piece of paper into four columns, and as you examine this Impressionist painting, follow the steps of art criticism and record your answers to the following questions. Describe: How are the subject mat- ter and setting different from earlier styles of art? Analyze: What effect is created by the quick, short brushstrokes? Interpret: What feelings, moods, or ideas do you associate with this painting? Judge: Do you regard this as a successful work of art? Why or why not? Using the Time Line The Time Line introduces you to events and art styles of the nineteenth century. What aesthetic qualities might be uniquely associated with Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism? 1839 Louis J. M. 1793 Daguerre devises July 14, 1789 Jacques Louis a method 1789 Parisian peasants David paints 1793 1819 of making a Marie-Louise- storm the Bastille and The Death of Théodore photographic Élisabeth Vigée- start the French Marat Louis XVI is Géricault paints in image Lebrun portrait Revolution executed Romantic style painter (Detail) 1750 1800 1730–1800 1790–1850 Neoclassicism Romanticism 464 ■ FIGURE 21.1 Berthe Morisot. Mme. Boursier and Daughter. 1874. Oil on canvas. 73 ϫ 56.5 cm (28 3⁄4 ϫ 22Љ) Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, New York. Museum Collection Fund. 1891 Claude Monet 1876 begins his series Renoir creates of haystack Impressionist Art paintings Refer to the Time Line on page H11 in your Art Handbook for more 1850 1900 about this period. 1830–1900 1870–1920 Realism Impressionism 465 LESSON ONE Neoclassicism Vocabulary he academies, or art schools, urged their students to study the ■ academies T famous works of the past as the best way of developing their own ■ Salons skills. The people who bought paintings also showed a preference for art- ■ Neoclassicism works produced by the great masters. For example, a wealthy French mer- ■ propaganda chant interested in buying a new painting usually chose a work by one of the old masters rather than one by a living artist. Artists to Meet ■ Jacques-Louis David To encourage interest in contemporary artists, the Royal Academies in ■ Marie-Louise-Élisabeth Vigée- Paris and London began to hold yearly exhibitions. These Salons, or exhi- Lebrun bitions of art created by Academy members, became important social ■ Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres events and aroused great interest and even controversy. Reputations were made and destroyed during these annual events. The artists who won Discover honors at these exhibitions were not always the most gifted, however. After completing this lesson, Those who best reflected the tastes of the academies were acclaimed, you will be able to: while others risked being ignored or ridiculed. ■ Explain how the growth of acad- emies in France and England changed the way artists were taught. Neoclassic Artists ■ Describe the Neoclassic style and In France, the Academy endorsed a new style of art based on the art of discuss the works of artists who classical Greece and Rome. This style had been born late in the eighteenth practiced this style. century. When the buried ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum were found in the 1730s and 1740s, the world gained renewed interest in the Classical period and art forms. This interest was true of artists as well. They studied and copied classi- cal sculptures hoping that, in time, their works would equal those of leg- endary ancient artists. These French artists rejected the earlier Baroque and Rococo styles and turned to classical forms to express their ideas on courage, sacrifice, and love of country. Their new art style, known as Neoclassicism, sought to revive the ideals of ancient Greek and Roman art, and was characterized by balanced compositions, flowing contour lines, and noble gestures and expressions. Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825) One of the first artists to work in this style was the painter Jacques- Louis David (zhjahk loo-ee dah-veed). David’s involvement in politics, his love of ancient art, and his skill as a painter are all apparent in his picture The Death of Marat (Figure 21.2). The Death of Marat ■ FIGURE 21.2 David admired the noble simplicity and calm beauty of Greek art and tried to achieve the same qualities in this tribute to Jean-Paul Marat, one of the major figures of the French Revolution. 466 This shocking painting shows the dead fig- Influence of Classical Sculpture ure of the political leader slumped over the David’s study of Greek and Roman sculp- side of his bathtub. The murder weapon still tures taught him how to paint figures that lies on the floor where it was dropped by the look realistic and noble. He also learned to assassin. The clear, cool lighting illuminates a avoid details that could interfere with the sim- room that is almost bare. The textured wall ple, direct statement he wanted to make in a contrasts with the smooth skin of the dead work of art. (See Figure 21.1, page 464.) Like politician. Marat, wearing a white turban, the Dying Gaul (Figure 8.21, page 184), leans back against a white cloth that lines the David’s picture was meant to stir your emo- tub. His color is pale except for the red around tions. He wanted you to become involved in the small wound. Throughout the work, color the drama, to share the pain and anger he felt has been used sparingly. at the “martyrdom” of Marat. ■ FIGURE 21.2 This work shows the body of an important political leader moments after he was mur- dered. What makes this painting an example of propaganda? Jacques-Louis David. The Death of Marat. 1793. Oil on canvas. Approx. 1.6 ϫ 1.24 m (5Ј3Љϫ4Ј1Љ). Musée d’Art Ancien, Brussels, Belgium. Chapter 21 New Directions in Nineteenth-Century Art 467 David’s work gives you only one side of the story, however. Like many pho- tographs you may have seen, David’s painting is a form of propaganda, infor- mation or ideas purposely spread to influ- ence public opinion. Napoleon in His Study ■ FIGURE 21.3 Under Napoleon, David became the court painter. Napoleon recognized the value of propaganda, and David knew how to produce it. In a portrait of Napoleon (Figure 21.3), David presents the emperor standing by a desk covered with important papers of state. The clock tells you that it is after four o’clock and the candle tells you that it is nighttime. The message here is clear: While his subjects sleep peacefully, the emperor toils far into the night for their well-being. Marie-Louise-Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (1755–1842) David chose to stay in France and take an active part in the revolution. Another artist, Marie-Louise-Élisabeth Vigée- Lebrun (mah-ree loo-eez ay-lee-zah-bet vee-zhay luh-bruhn), left France and did not come back until peace was restored. Vigée-Lebrun is one of history’s most celebrated women artists. She was a portrait painter for members of the French aristocracy, including Queen Marie ■ FIGURE 21.3 The emperor is shown in his study, surrounded by his work, Antoinette. After she left Paris, she was in the middle of the night. What statement does this painting make about the efforts and accomplishments of Napoleon? able to continue painting with equal success in other capitals of Europe. ϫ 1 ϫ 1 Љ Jacques-Louis David. Napoleon in His Study. 1812. Oil on canvas. 203.9 125.1 cm (80 ⁄4 49 ⁄4 ). Many of Vigée-Lebrun’s portraits were National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Board of Trustees, The Samuel H.