"Horse Frightened by Lightning", ca. 1829, by Eugene Delacroix (Budapest Museum of Fine Arts)
Is it possible that neoclassicism, with its focus on order and the enduring values of Greece and Rome, can co-exist with romanticism, with its emphasis on exotic scenes, and studies of sublime nature? Yes it can—and did—in the 18th- and 19th-century art world. Art historian Joseph Cassar explores the artistic and cultural highlights of neoclassicism and romanticism, from the Enlightenment to the Age of Revolution, and the movements’ lasting impact on Western artists.
9:30–10:45 a.m. The Discovery of Greco-Roman Ideals
The classical ideals of ancient Greece and Rome as the starting point for the birth of neoclassicism; balance, geometry, and mathematical rules as guides to perfection.
11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. David and Ingres: Guardians of Academic Orthodoxy
The impact of these artists in shaping the social and political climates of their time.
12:30–1:30 p.m. Lunch (participants provide their own)
1:30–2:30 p.m. Gericault and Delacroix: A Passion for the Exotic
Orientalism’s influence on works that reference history and the allure of foreign cultures.
2:45–4 p.m. Turner, Blake, Fuseli, and the Forces of the Sublime
Landscape painting and the encounter with nature as a means to transcend human existence.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit
