The first half of the Classical Era was known for having Rococo style artwork. Rococo style art was very light and lavish, often depicting leisurely activities. Later on in the era, thanks to the Enlightenment, people began to question the moral content in art which resulted in the neoclassical style of art taking over. The neoclassical style was anti-Rococo, and often inspired by the ancient Greeks and Romans who were thought to have been more virtuous. Neoclassical artwork often depicted moral virtue, patriotic self-sacrifice, goodly deeds, and Roman ideals.
Angelica Kauffmann – Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to her Children as Her Treasures, Circa, 1785.
Kauffman’s piece Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to her Children as Her Treasures is representative of morals and ideals during the Classical Era in several ways. This image depicts Cornelia, Roman mother of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, in white, with her children and their visitor in red. The woman in red is showing Cornelia her “treasures” which consist of pearls, gems, rings, and other materialistic things. When the woman asks Cornelia what treasures she has, Cornelia points to her children as her treasures. This painting represents moral virtue in a couple ways. One way this painting represents morality is that the mother is depicting an ancient Roman, who were thought of as quite righteous at the time. She is wearing white to represent her purity. Also, Cornelia’s most precious treasure is not material, which shows a great reason and intellect. It was this capacity to reason that brought about the shift in moral values of the time. This is a lovely depiction of motherly sentiment and bond for her children. I love how lighthearted the children and Cornelia seem to be.
Jacques-Louis David- The Oath of the Horatii, Rome, 1785
The above painting by Jacques-Louis David depicts morality of the Classical Era in several ways. Similar to Kauffmann’s work, this painting also has Greek and Roman influence as shown by the attire of the Horatii brothers. These brothers are reaching for their swords while taking an oath that they are willing to give their lives for their country. As the story goes, the Horatii sister was married to one of the men from the other side, a Curiatii. When the lone surviving brother returned, she was upset that he had killed her husband. In response to this, the brother killed his sister because she was behaving selfishly by putting herself before her country. This image overall suggests that rationalism, character, heroism, patriotism, and self-sacrifice are all values that should be admired and practiced. This image is inspirational and sad at the same time with the 3 warriors leaving their 3 women and children behind. The strength of the warriors is beautifully presented.
Jacques-Louis David- The Death of Socrates, Paris, 1787
The Death of Socrates is one of my favorite paintings from the classical era. Similar to the other two paintings, this image also uses ancient Greece to suggest virtue. Socrates, an Athenian philosopher, is representative of moral reasoning and intelligence. The Athenian government didn’t like Socrates’ teaching methods so Socrates was forced to choose between exile and death. Socrates chose death by Hemlock poisoning. The image depicts his grief-stricken friends by his side as the executioner shamefully hands Socrates his poison. What is inspiring about this image is that Socrates is still teaching and demonstrating his ideals even in the face of death. Socrates is choosing to sacrifice himself before he will sacrifice his beliefs; a virtue we should all strive for. I particularly enjoy Socrates’ enthusiasm for his ideals as it is represented in this image.
Hackett, Lewis. “The Age of Enlightenment.” The Age of Enlightenment. History World International, n.d. Web. 02 July 2014.<http://history-world.org/age_of_enlightenment.htm>.
“The Death of Socrates – Jacques-Louis David.” The Neoclassicism and French Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 July 2014. <http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav_soc.html>.
Martin, Dana. “Kauffmann’s Cornelia Presenting Her Children as Her Treasures.” – Smarthistory. Khan Academy, n.d. Web. 02 July 2014. <http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/kauffmanns-cornelia-presenting-her-children-as-her-treasures.html>.
“What in the World…”: Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures, Angelica Kauffman, circa 1785. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 July 2014. <http://uncgartgrads.blogspot.com/2008/04/cornelia-mother-of-gracchi-pointing-to.html>.
Lauren Gravatt's Blog 
Lauren,
I really enjoyed your blog. In the painting by Angelica Kauffmann – Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to her Children as Her Treasures, Circa, 1785. I enjoyed your explanation of Cornelia pointing at her children to describe them as her treasures. I also liked what you said about having Cornelia in white and the rest of the children and the visitor in red. I agree that the White we see Cornelia wears signifies purity, do you think that the fact that both the children and the visitor are in red show that the intellect of the visitor is that of a child? especially since she is showing Cornelia gems, and jewelry as her treasures? I am also curious to know what the meaning is behind the script in the child’s hand. Good Blog!!
I really liked your blog. The three pieces that you chose are all beautiful. I enjoyed reading your description of each. I actually learned more about Socrates because of this blog. I really enjoyed the story behind the first painting. It is a beautiful painting as well. I really like the second painting, as I included it in my own blog. It had a wonderful story, and the contrast of light and dark within it is stunning and adds great depth to it.Thank you for the lesson on Socrates, as it was very interesting to read. The painting also is very good. I liked all of these. I like how the burnt out candle in the last painting represents the end of Socrates’ life. That was a very nice minor detail that was added.