The Bund One Art Museum has opened a new art exhibition featuring 18th-century art from the Uffizi Gallery’s collections. Arina checked out the exhibition with Nicola Villanacci, an art historian and official guide from the Uffizi Gallery. They studied the ideas that influenced 18th-century art development.
Shot by Ma Xuefeng. Edited by Arina Yakupova. Reported by Arina Yakupova. Subtitles by Wang Xinzhou.
Rococo: The aristocratic splendor
Rococo emerged in the early 18th century as a reaction against the formalities of the preceding Baroque period. It embraced elegance, grace, and decorative ornamentation, often depicted in intricate details and pastel hues. Prominent in France, Rococo art adorned palaces, salons, and theaters, reflecting the refined tastes of the aristocracy.
Jean-Antoine Watteau, François Boucher, and Jean-Honoré Fragonard epitomized the Rococo style, creating enchanting scenes of love, leisure, and nature. Their paintings celebrated the joys of aristocratic life, featuring themes ranging from aristocratic gatherings to pastoral idylls.
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Van Houbraken Autoportrait, 1720
Neoclassicism: Ancient virtues reborn
Neoclassicism, on the other hand, evolved in the mid-18th century as a revival of the classical ideals of ancient Greece and Rome. Neoclassical art was inspired by antiquity’s rationalism, order, and moral principles, and it sought to improve the human soul via idealized forms and noble ideas.
Fabre, an Italian artist, contributed to the movement’s ideas of Neoclassical revivalism. Among his noteworthy works is the portrait of Vittorio Alfieri, a great Italian dramatist and poet from the 18th century. Fabre’s painting of Alfieri exemplifies Neoclassical aesthetics, depicting the subject with dignity, clarity, and magnificent simplicity.
Fabre’s painstaking attention to detail and composition gave the image a timeless grace, reminiscent of classic Roman portraiture. The portrait depicts Alfieri with a solemn demeanor, embodying the stoic ideals championed by Neoclassical artists, including his tragic plays and advocacy for political independence.
The painting honors Alfieri’s brilliance and dedication to the Neoclassical movement’s core values of reason and enlightenment. Fabre’s painting of Alfieri exemplifies Neoclassicism’s ability to capture the essence of the Enlightenment era, which valued reason, virtue, and classical principles.
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Portrait of Vittorio Alfieri (1797) by François-Xavier Fabre
The Grand Tour: The birth of tourism
The Grand Tour, a cultural pilgrimage primarily to Italy and other classical sites undertaken by young European aristocrats, ushered in modern tourism in the 18th century. This phenomenon emerged as a rite of passage for the elite, allowing them to widen their perspectives, refine their cultural skills, and solidify social connections.
The Grand Tour provided a transforming experience, exposing guests to the rich heritage of past civilizations. These tours focused on Italy, which has a plethora of classical ruins, Renaissance art, and a dynamic cultural landscape.
Travelers visited historic sites in Rome, Florence, Venice, and Naples to immerse themselves in antiquity’s magnificence and Renaissance achievements.
This cultural interaction had a far-reaching impact on European art and society. Artists, scholars, and collectors embarked on the Grand Tour to study classical art and architecture. The arts, architecture, and design of the time reflected their newfound appreciation for classical motifs and techniques upon their return home.
Artists like Canaletto, known for their precise cityscape paintings, played a key role in this cultural interchange. Canaletto’s works were cherished souvenirs for nobles on the Grand Tour, providing a concrete connection to the places they visited and preserving the beauty of European cities for future generations.
Canaletto’s command of light, perspective, and composition influenced generations of artists and visitors. His paintings not only fed the burgeoning interest in European art and architecture but also contributed to the larger cultural exchange that defined the Grand Tour.
Canaletto’s paintings shaped the Grand Tour experience by creating a visual narrative and adding to the cultural dialogue among Europe’s elite. His paintings reflect the transformational effect of travel and the perennial appeal of Europe’s creative legacy.
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“View of the Ducal Palace in Venice” (1735-1750) by Canaletto
The fundamental outcome and achievement of 18th-century art was its wide range of styles and movements, from the ornate elegance of Rococo to the classical rebirth of Neoclassicism. This era saw the democratization of artistic expression as artists gained prominence and patronage, allowing them to experiment with new themes and techniques. Art became a forum for social commentary and political critique, reflecting the cultural and intellectual currents of the day.
The 18th century laid the framework for the Romantic movement of the 19th century, which emphasized emotion, individualism, and the sublime. The curiosity about the exotic, as well as cultural interaction through events such as the Grand Tour, influenced modern art’s diversity and vitality.