All About Art

The Classical Era The Classical Era of art had many revolutionary impacts on art history. Because of this, I wanted to showcase a few revolutionary paintings. Before we take a look at some famous French Revolution art let's learn about what The Classical Era entailed. The two art styles of the time included Rococo and Neoclassicism. Rococo consisted of pastel colors, curving forms, and light subject matter. Neoclassicism focused more on displaying mortal virtue and patriotism and was often more symmetrical and simplistic.  Although both styles are beautiful, the paintings displayed below are all in Neoclassicism style because they display exactly what the style encompasses. Unlike Rococo, they capture the reality of what the time period was like. All of the following paintings are also believed to have been painted in France. Now let's look at some art... The Death of Marat, Jacques-Louis David, 1793 This Neoclassicism painting represents the French Revolution. Jean Paul Marat

About The Night Watch Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Baroque artist. He completed  The Night Watch , a nearly 12x14 foot oil painting, in 1642 (Kate Connolly 2018). The painting captures a group of civilian soldiers along with their captain. Each figure modeled for the painting separately despite the final painting portraying them together in one scene. At the time the painting was started the soldiers duty was to defend their city however, by the time the painting was completed, the soldiers would have been considered elite members in society (Smarthistoryvideos 2015). What makes The Night Watch  stand out against other artworks of its time is the movement and action displayed in the piece. What would typically be painted as still portraits, was painted with a complex composition and figures in motion. Despite the name being deceiving and the darkness of the painting, The Night Watch  wasn't meant to be a night scene. The more neutral colors as wel

About  Mona Lisa Mona Lisa  is arguably the most famous painting in the world. It is predicted that Leonardo da Vinci completed the oil painting between 1503 and 1506 after fleeing to Florence during the Milan invasion (History.com Editors 2022). He painted a series of portraits during this time however,  Mona Lisa , or La Gioconda  as it was once called, is the only remaining portrait (History.com Editors 2022).  Portraits were often commissioned by wealthy people during the Renaissance period. Mona Lisa  is thought to be commissioned by a wealthy merchant who mysteriously never received the painting of his wife (Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris 2015). Leonardo da Vinci held onto the painting and brought it with him to France where it became a part of the royal collection and remains today (Louvre.fr Editors).  The Louvre Museum in Paris, France displays Mona Lisa  in the largest room of the palace (Louvre.fr Editors). It is hung in a glass case and is always guarded. Although th