Hellenism

also: Neoclassical Hellenism

movement c. 1760-1840 Germany England

Neoclassical Hellenism was the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century turn to ancient Greece as the highest model of beauty, distinct from the Roman, imperial strain of Neoclassicism. The term and the doctrine come from Johann Joachim Winckelmann, the German art historian who defined Greek sculpture as 'noble simplicity and quiet grandeur' and made it the standard for modern artists - though he studied only Roman copies and never reached Greece. The taste took strongest hold in Germany and England: sculptors such as Antonio Canova, Bertel Thorvaldsen, and John Flaxman set idealized Greek marbles and linear Homer illustrations against Baroque excess, while English Romantic poets dreamed of Greece as the home of ideal beauty. With the arrival of the Parthenon sculptures in London in 1816 the style reached architecture, interiors, furniture, and fashion in the Greek Revival, and its serene classicism echoed on through Puvis de Chavannes and the young Picasso.

Perseus holding Medusa's head.
Perseus holding Medusa's head.Public domain (credit: Antonio Canova) · source

Defining characteristics

  • Idealized, proportioned human figures modeled on classical Greek sculpture
  • Smooth, cool marble surfaces and restrained color that suppress visible brushwork
  • Greek mythological and historical subjects favored over Roman or Christian ones
  • Serene, contemplative mood - 'noble simplicity and quiet grandeur'
  • Clear, sculptural outlines and calm, balanced compositions
  • Greek temple forms in architecture: colonnades, pediments, plain entablatures

Key figures

  • Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768) — Art historian whose writings defined the Greek ideal for modern Europe
  • Antonio Canova (1757-1822) — Sculptor whose polished Greek-subject marbles set the Hellenist standard
  • Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844) — Danish sculptor in Rome who rivaled Canova with idealized Greek heroes
  • John Flaxman (1755-1826) — English sculptor-draftsman whose linear Homer illustrations spread the Greek style

Example works

Sources

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