FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS, METHODS, & MODES IN THE HUMANITIES Essay - 2

FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS, METHODS, & MODES IN THE HUMANITIES - Essay Example Classicism era was a period whereby, emphasis on form, proportion, simplicity and restrained emotion made the basis of culture, literature and art in ancient Greece and Rome’s aesthetic attitudes and principles (Grafton, Most & Settis, 2010). Neoclassicism movement in painting and other visual arts, on the other hand, started in the 1760s and climaxed in the 1780s and ‘90s, whereby it was rampant in emphasizing on austere linear design, use of correct archeological settings and costumes, and depicting classical themes and subject matter. It is arguable that neoclassicism was partly a reaction against the sensitivity and frivolous decorations of the then dominant Rococo style as well as stimulations by the then arising scientific interest from classical relic of 18th century (Grafton, Most & Settis, 2010). Neoclassicism advent was steered by the new knowledge of the classical past obtained from the archeological discoveries regarding the Greco-Roman art from the monuments and other Greek antiquities of the past. The stylistic aspects of neoclassicism were similar to those of its predecessor classical antique. For instance, the ornamented paintings of Jacques-Louis David evidenced in the classical period also prevailed in the neoclassical era. The decorative prettiness and softness in the Rococo antique extended to the era of neoclassicism as well as the Kauffmann’s sentimental subjects. The movement from classicism to neoclassicism was experienced in the arts of paintings and decorative, architecture and visual arts, and in music. In architecture and visual arts, the Neo-classical paintings are different from the classical ones by their virtue of ignoring pastel colors and haziness; instead, they are sharp colored and have Chiaroscuro. The neoclassical music, however, shows considerable similarities with the classical music in the use of harmony and instrumentation such as the wind instrument and the classical symphony in the