Feminine Form Of Art And Neo Classicism example essay topic

How Rococo and Neoclassicism Illustrate the Process of Deciding The artists Jean-Honore Fragonard and Jaques-Louis David both successfully embody their respective stylistic differences. Fragonard's style of painting is Rococo, which is characterized by its softness, asymmetry and curviness. Contrasting these ideals is David's style of painting, Neo-Classicism. Neo-Classicism is synonymous with strong gestures, symmetry, and solidness. Two works that best exemplify the ideals of each style of painting are Fragonard's The Swing, 1767 and David's The Death of Socrates, 1787. Although at first glance, it is easier to focus on how each work is different to the other, one can argue that they are similar in theme.

Both The Swing and The Death of Socrates are works that deal with the theme of decision making. However, they differ in how each work portrays the theme of deciding. While The Swing focuses on infidelity and the process of deciding, The Death of Socrates makes it clear that loyalty to government is stronger than the ties of friendship or acquaintance. By examining use of light, form, subject matter as well as other artistic elements, one can see how each artist conveys a message by utilizing their style of art. Although both Fragonard's and David's work convey different ideals through their style of painting, they are still able to use light in a very similar form. The viewer's attention is directed on a specific point in the painting through the use of light.

Both artists cast a spotlight on the figure or action in the painting that they want the viewer to especially notice. It is what each artist decides to focus on that makes his work is different from the other. A young woman on a swing who enjoys the pleasures of life is clearly where Fragonard wants to direct the viewer's attention. However, David focuses attention on a male figure, specifically Socrates. How does the use of light help the viewer understand the ideals of each form of art?

While Fragonard chooses to focus on a female and David chooses to focus on a male, the viewer now understands how Rococo can be a feminine form of art and Neo-Classicism the opposite. In addition, other stylistic elements like color and form depict how each art form differs from the other. By using all this visual evidence, we will later see how the concept of deciding is presented depending upon which form of art is conveying its ideals. Soft colors like, pinks and pastels are usually linked to femininity. The colors used in The Swing are soft pastel-like colors that best illustrate the painting's femininity.

The masculine ideals imposed by Neo-Classicism are even evident in David's use of color. The colors presented in his work are solid, which suggest a male's ability at making a solid and just decision. On the other hand, the colors used in The Swing are not pure but mixed. Mixing red, yellow, and white probably created the shade of pink in the young woman's dress.

This lack of purity conveyed in the colors of The Swing makes it clear to the viewer that a female's decision lacks solidness as well as clarity. The forms used in the painting also illustrate how the process of deciding is dependant upon which style of art is representing the process. As we continue to utilize this theme of femininity versus masculinity, we can see how the composition of each painting depicts each contrast. The Swing places the viewer inside an outdoors setting that is clearly soft, curvy, and feminine. The Death of Socrates takes place in an indoor setting marked by its attention to geometry, straight lines, and 90-degree angles. When looking at the setting in Fragonard's work, we can see that there is no sense of order or structure, the same that are conveyed in David's The Death of Socrates.

This lack of order or structure was used by the Neo-Classicist to repudiate Rococo. By giving their form of art masculine qualities like logic and structure, Neo-Classicists asserted their form of art as being valid in a male dominated society. They claimed that Rococo paintings have no sense of order or logic; they believed the same is true of a woman making a decision. The most crucial form of evidence that suggests the difference in the process of deciding conveyed by each painting is the subject matter of each work, and how the placement of figures is essential to this process. The subject matter of each work is clearly distinct from the other.

The Swing represents a delight that could only be enjoyed by those of the aristocracy. The Death of Socrates is a history painting, a favorite genre of the Neo-Classicist. In Fragnorad's work, the placement of figures helps the viewer understand what is taking place in the painting. Fragonard introduces the viewer with three figures: a young man who is closest to the foreground, a young woman on a swing, and an older man placed aside in a shadow. The young man seems to be looking up the young woman's dress. The woman seems to be flirting with him.

She is so carefree that she kicks her shoe off as she enjoys herself on the swing. However, the older man who is put aside in the shadow does not seem to be enjoying these events. As a result, he wants to limit the woman's enjoyment, by pulling the woman back from the swing. What is the relationship between all these figures? With the visual evidence we have gathered, we can argue that the young man closest to the viewer is the potential lover of the young woman on the swing.

The older man who pulls the young woman away is the husband of the young woman. In essence, he is pulling his wife away from a potential infidelity. We say potential infidelity because she is still in the process of deciding. The act of swinging represents the whole process of deciding. If the young woman were to fall off the swing, she would fall in the arms of the young man.

At another level, she would be falling into temptation, thus breaking her marriage vows and committing adultery. In David's work, the placement of figures also helps explain what is taking place in the story. However, The Death of Socrates contrasts the process of deciding that is presented in Fragonard's work because a decision is made. A logical decision is depicted in David's work, according to the values imposed by Neo-Classicism. The Death of Socrates illustrates the moment that Socrates is sentenced to death by giving him a poison to drink. David includes Socrates's tu dents to emphasize what is going on in the work.

The emotions on of the figures are emphasized by their attempt to hide these emotions. David strategically places Socrates and the figure that carries out the sentence at the center of the work. The most interesting aspect of the painting is the moment that Socrates's entente is carried out by the giving of the poison. If one looks at the figure closely, one notices that he is reluctant to carry out the decision he makes.

The figure is presented in profile. The hand that is placed on his head is clearly weaker than the one handing Socrates the poison. This shows how one's duty to the government is far more important than one's own personal views or feelings. We can make the argument that there had to be a relationship between Socrates and this figure. By paying attention to elements such as subject matter, light, form, and placement of figures, we can see how these enhance the ideals depicted by each form of art.

As a result, we can understand how Neo-Classical art is an attempt to counter the values of Rococo. Rococo is a form of art directly targeted to the privileged. Because not everyone in society belongs to the aristocracy, the Neo-Classicist wanted to impose order as an alternative to the frivolous life style. As a result, we have to works of art that challenge each other's ideals.

The theme of infidelity versus loyalty and how one arrives at the decision made is animated in the works of Fragonard and David. However, it is important to note that there is no right or wrong form of art, although it may seem that this was the common perception of the time. In conclusion, both works of are similar in one important aspect; they are both works of art.