With the rise of reality television, it has become banal for young girls to become child stars. Unfortunately, with the present attention deficit disorder society, their success is often brief and limited. Knowing how easily fame can be achieved as well as lost, it magnifies the impressiveness of the accomplishments of Angelica Kauffmann. Born in 1741 in Chur, Switzerland, Angelica Kauffman’s father, Joseph Johann Kauffmann had minimal success of his own as a painter. But, Angelica Kauffmann was quick to adopt his best qualities with her fascination for stark colors. At a young age, Angelica Kauffmann developed a reputation for herself that would evolve into becoming arguably the most prominent female painter of the 18th century and one of the leading artists of early neoclassical art . Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
It is woven and conditioned into our imaginations that “different” is synonymous with the “new.” To be unique requires no precedent. The field of architecture is no different in that respect – architectural movements and schools have continuously evolved, changed, and been invented because architects prefer to leave their mark and remove themselves from the mundane. That is precisely why neoclassical architecture stands in stark counterpoint. As the name of it suggests, it embraces the tried; the true; the old. The neoclassical style of architecture was conceived as a direct response to its disenchantment with the “new”, particularly Rococo and Baroque architecture that enjoyed popularity in the early 18th century when the neoclassical period began to gather its momentum.
The Rococo movement focused particular attention to the interior design of buildings and developed in France in the early 18th century. The Rococo style sought to display individual rooms as art itself, and consequently paintings were prevalent and furniture was intentionally highlighted as its own lavish form of art. As one would expect, Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Even the most inexperienced and naïve of the world of architecture would be capable of identifying the architectural landmarks that define the neoclassical movement. Indeed, many that are standing today remain as visually impressive as when they were constructed. Descriptive terms such as ‘classical’ and ‘imposing’ are among the characteristics that immediately are identified with neoclassicism. This is altogether unsurprising. Neoclassicism, after all, as a movement was rooted in two things: first, a backlash against the newer schools of architecture that gained popularity in the early 18th century. Second, neoclassicism was a product of an aching nostalgia for a lost world of architecture that inspired pride and strength, namely the classical Greek and Roman architecture.
Visuals such as Capitol Hill in the United States or the Prado Museum in Madrid offer a window as to why neoclassical architecture may be the most identifiable style that exists in architecture, even if many cannot identify it by name. The buildings are elaborate, symmetrical, imposing, and timeless works. Though neoclassicism adapted itself differently in individual countries, this Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
