Classical Era Blog

By; Samantha Morse

Through the many eras of art, they each brought important history and developments to the art we know today. In the classical era lesson I learned that there were a couple of things that influenced this time period. The influences that were done Politically changed, developed our growth as people, lastly it was affected by the enlightenment, which I learned was responsible for many of the ideas that were created during this time. With the information I learned through this lesson, I chose the pictures below.

This artwork is known as, “Oath of the Horatti.” This picture drew me in because of the colors and the story that is being told within it. I believe the colors in this piece help make the important details stick out. To me, this picture is showing a tyrant that looks as if he is being defeated by his men, as the women in the background morn for this situation. However, with more research into this piece I learned that during this time there was a disagreement among the Horatii brothers and the Curatii brothers, and in this moment, the Horatti brother was prepared to die for their allegiance so they were accepting an oath (The Cave Online, 2019). This picture does a great job representing the battles that the people faced by then. Since rulings between families feuds was one of the many important influences of this era this picture represented it well. The theme represented in this picture is based on Classical antiquities. This piece was created in Rome in 1784. 

I would own a copy of these piece because I think the message behind the piece portrays the important message of fighting for what you believe in. This piece is quite eye catching as well, so it would be a great piece to incorporate in a house. 

“Oath of the Horatti” artist; Jacques-Louis David

http://www.thecaveonline.com/APEH/horatti.html

McCoy, Dr. Claire. “David, Oath of the Horatii.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, 2019, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/enlightenment-revolution/a/david-oath-of-the-horatii.

Lerouge, Ophelie. “Work The Oath of the Horatii.” The Oath of the Horatii | Louvre Museum | Paris, n.d., https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/oath-horatii.

“Oath of the Horatti.” Oath of the Horatti, http://www.thecaveonline.com/APEH/horatti.html.

(link from the lesson)

This piece is called, “The Death of General Wolfe.” This piece stuck out to me because it shows that all the men are gathering around a specific thing or person. The artist, Benjamin West, also did a great job creating a background for this image. The background shows distress and chaos, which informs the readers that a battle is happening. Something else that stuck out to me was that the sky splits and seems as if its clearing after the battle, meaning that there is hope ahead. The title of this piece leads me to believe that the people in this picture are standing over General Wolfe. With the many men mourning their general and fellow fighter, it demonstrates that although they are in battle, they offer their fallen general a time of respect. I also thought it was fascinating how the men around all have different backgrounds. Benjamin made this picture in a way, where if the audience didn’t know what the backstory of this picture was, they would be able to choose how they want to interrupt the story. This picture was created in 1770 and a copy now sits in an art gallery in Canada.

Although I do enjoy this piece and learning about why it is so important to this era, I don’t see myself owning a copy of this piece. However, this piece does carry many great qualities that would allow it to fit in a house. 

“The Death of General Wolfe” artist; Benjamin West

https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artwork/the-death-of-general-wolfe-0.

“Benjamin West, The Death of General Wolfe.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, 2019, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-americas/british-colonies/colonial-period/a/benjamin-wests-the-death-of-general-wolfe.

“The Death of General Wolfe.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 6 Oct. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Death-of-General-Wolfe.

“The Death of General Wolfe.” National Gallery of Canada, 2019, https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artwork/the-death-of-general-wolfe-0.

“Cornelia Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures” artist; Angelica Kauffman

http://uncgartgrads.blogspot.com/2008/04/cornelia-mother-of-gracchi-pointing-to.html

I thought that this piece was very special. “Cornelia Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures,” shows that Cornelia really cares about her children. From the vibe I get from this picture, I feel as though Cornelia wants what’s best for her children and wants to teach them right from wrong. After reading about this piece in the lesson and online, it made the idea behind this picture very sweet. I learned that the lady thats sitting in red was gloating about items that her husband got her on his travels, but Corneila stated that her children were her treasures (Khan Academy, 2019). This represents that family was a very important aspect to many people from this era. This was painted in 1785 and is now in the “Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.”

This picture is another great example of a piece I would own from the classical era. I find beauty in this piece very important. I love how the mother, Cornelia, cherishes her children. After learning more about what the story of this picture is, I could tell how caring she is for her children.So I believe that this piece would be great for a home, to remind us that it’s not the things we have in our life that matter, but who we have in our life. This is a great piece. 

“Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures, Angelica Kauffman, circa 1785.” Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures, Angelica Kauffman, circa 1785, 1 Jan. 1970, http://uncgartgrads.blogspot.com/2008/04/cornelia-mother-of-gracchi-pointing-to.html.

Martin, Dana. “Kauffmann, Cornelia Presenting Her Children as Her Treasures.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, 2019, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/neo-classicism/a/kauffmann-cornelia-presenting-her-children-as-her-treasures.