Why did subject and style in art change so dramatically over the course of the 19th century - from Madame Recamier, by Jacques-Louis David (1800) to Luxe, Calme, et Volupte by Matisse (1904)? Dominant artistic trends are not the result of some collective consciousness working its will. They are simply the styles that the majority of artists choose to embrace, and each of those artists makes his own choice of style. In this 30,000-word essay, we look at changes in art over the 19th century via a combination of art analysis and philosophical detection.
During the 19th century, France was the epicenter for artistic change. We briefly survey the works of 18 French artists: Neoclassicists David, Ingres, and Corot; Romantics Gros, Gericault, and Delacroix; Naturalists Millet and Courbet; Manet; Impressionists Monet, Renoir, and Degas; Post-Impressionists Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin; Pointillist Seurat; Symbolist Moreau; and Academic Bouguereau.
In the philosophical-detection sections of the essay, we read what these artists plus a few influential art critics (Baudelaire, Ruskin, Zola) had to say about four issues crucial for artists: the role of training; the role of reason vs. emotion in creating art; the importance of style vs. subject; and qualifications for judging art. Then we see how these statements relate to the philosophical context of the time, particularly to Immanuel Kant’s philosophy.
During the 19th century, France was the epicenter for artistic change. We briefly survey the works of 18 French artists: Neoclassicists David, Ingres, and Corot; Romantics Gros, Gericault, and Delacroix; Naturalists Millet and Courbet; Manet; Impressionists Monet, Renoir, and Degas; Post-Impressionists Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin; Pointillist Seurat; Symbolist Moreau; and Academic Bouguereau.
In the philosophical-detection sections of the essay, we read what these artists plus a few influential art critics (Baudelaire, Ruskin, Zola) had to say about four issues crucial for artists: the role of training; the role of reason vs. emotion in creating art; the importance of style vs. subject; and qualifications for judging art. Then we see how these statements relate to the philosophical context of the time, particularly to Immanuel Kant’s philosophy.
