Ch. 26: Rococo to Neoclassicism: The 18th Century in Europe and America

Question 1

Fragonard. The Swing

Answer 1

1766. A girl is on a swing while her lover gazes at her from down below. She flirtatiously kicks her shoes at a statue of Cupid. Soft lighting and pastel colors create a whimsical tone.

Question 2

Chardin. Grace at Table

Answer 2

1740. A mother and her two daughters praying before dinner. The soft, earthly colors and simplistic setting give off a natural tone that looks into the uncorrupted domestic life of the common people of France.

Question 3

Vigee-Lebrun. Marie Antoinette

Answer 3

1787. Portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette and her children. Their appearances are lavish and idealized, but Marie appears inattentive towards her children, who move restlessly as she gazes at the painter.

Question 4

Hogarth. Marriage á la Mode.

Answer 4

1745. Painting of a couple lounging in a slightly unkempt lavish home. Satirizes the immoral relationships of the married couples of Britain’a upper class. Husband is cheating on wife and both appear to waste a lot of money.

Question 5

Gainsborough. Mrs. Sheridan

Answer 5

1787. Woman in a pink dress sits in front of a view of the countryside. Combines unspoiled beauty of nature with the natural beauty of the subject. Blend of “naturalistic” and Rococo art.

Question 6

Kauffman. Cornelia Presenting Her Children as Her Treasures

Answer 6

1785. Mother bringing her two sons out as her treasures as apposed to jewelry like the woman before her. Follows Enlightenment virtues with a Neoclassical aesthetic.

Question 7

David. Oath of the Horatii

Answer 7

1784. Group of male warriors fighting on the left, while a group of women are grieving on the right. Symbolizes love and patriotism in the spirit of Neoclassicism, but also the pain and sorrow that comes with war.

Question 8

David. The Death of Marat.

Answer 8

1793. A man lying in a bathtub after his murder. Famous writer during French Revolution. Depicted as a martyr. Wooden crate has the names of both the writer and the artist on it like that of a tombstone.

Question 9

Jefferson Monticello, Charlottesville

Answer 9

1770-1806. Brick house with white pillars and a dome. Home was modeled in the Neoclassical style because of Roman virtues of freedom and independence.

Question 10

Wright. Experiment on a Bird

Answer 10

1768. A scientist tests the importance of oxygen on a bird in a glass sphere. Audience is either amazed or terrified. Uses tenebrism to create a sense of mystery. Emphasizes breakthroughs of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution.

Question 11

Greenough George Washington

Answer 11

1840 A sculpture of Washington in the manner of the Greek god Zeus. Semi-nude and covered in robes. Sits on a throne, one hand holding a sword and the other in the air to give off a commanding presence.