7/19/16 Art History II

Today's Class- Back to Art History today.  We started looking at Volume 6 of our textbook, and the periods up first are the Rococo and NeoClassicism.  The former is characterized by a lot of gaudy decorations and fancy clothes.  The latter is yet another way of celebrating the glories of the ancient past.  The Classic periods (Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome) gave birth to much of what influenced the society.  The 18th Century began a period of revolutions in western society, starting with America, then France, and then so many others.  These new democratic republics were inspired by aspects of the classical societies of thousands of years earlier, and artistic styles often imitated that art as a way of gaining association with the greatness of the past.  The graded midterm tests were returned and reviewed.

Important terms- fete galante, pastel, putto

Important works- Pilgimmage to the Island of Cythera (Watteau), Girl Reclining: Louise O'Murphy (Boucher), The Swing (Fragonard), Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset (Carriera), The Doge's Palace and the Riva Degli Schiavoni (Canaletto), View of the Pantheon, Rome (Piranesi), Pauline Borghese as Venus (Canova)

Homework- next current events article for Thursday

Next Class- We continue with the 18th Century.