At the beginning of the 20th century, some artists and art critics considered academic painting to be a kind of stagnation, and the academicians themselves were called mossy conservatives who did not give way to new art. But why were their paintings so popular then, and why do they still evoke understandable admiration among art lovers for their impeccable technique, beauty, and aesthetics?
Peter Paul Rubens. The Triumph of Faith over Heresy
Peter Paul Rubens. Guillermo and Vincenzo Gonzaga with their family venerating the Holy Trinity. 1605
And what kind of painting is better to hang on the wall in the living room: something abstract and avant-garde, representing a collection of different lines and dots, or academic classics, with eternal themes that please the eye: for most ordinary art lovers, the choice was obvious. In this article, we will talk about academicism, how it came to be, and why the Impressionists, and later the avant-garde, rebelled so much against it.
Nicolas de Largillière. Charles Le Brun, Painter to the King
Nicolas de Largilliere. Etude brushes of hands. 1710s.
Academicism developed within the walls of the academies of arts - special educational institutions financed by the state and under the patronage of monarchs and other influential persons. But this patronage imposed certain obligations on artists - a minimum of creative experimentation: paintings had to be made according to certain canons and on certain subjects, where the main thing was aesthetics, beauty and strict rules.
Charles Le Brun. The Queen of Persia at the Feet of Alexander the Great.
Charles Le Brun. Mucius Scaevola in Porsena's camp.
Academicism meant unconditional imitation of classical forms, to the point of complete depersonalization of the artist's own creative vision. The main thing in academicism is a flawless image, and it was regulated by many rules and laws: up to and including how to apply brushstrokes, what colors to use, how to build a composition, and even what poses and body turns should be.
Charles Le Brun. Adoration of the Shepherds
Charles Le Brun. The Entry of Alexander into Babylon. From the series "History of Alexander the Great". 1665.
The academicians divided the genres into several levels: the most respected and highly paid were historical scenes, mythological and genre paintings, portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. The number of paintings presented at exhibitions was divided by genre: usually the best places were occupied by historical and mythological paintings, while landscapes and still lifes were given very little space.
Francois-Joseph Em. Salon of 1824
François (Francis) Joseph Heym. Theseus - the conqueror of the Minotaur.
A good painting should have a high moral, show heroic events and heroes, glorify the existing power and the monarch. The sources of inspiration for academicians were antiquity, the Bible, myths and legends, sometimes literature, and the undisputed authority was Raphael Santi. The characters in Academicians' paintings were often idealized, and their clothing had to conform to the established canons.
Paul Delaroche. The Execution of Lady Jane Grey
Paul Delaroche – The Princes in the Tower, 1830
The representation of naked female nature was also regulated: it had to be flawless and impersonal, an unattainable ideal. Only goddesses, naiads, and mythological heroes could be painted nude, but never real people.
Sebastian Bourdon. Bacchanalia
Sebastien Bourdon. The Finding of Moses. Between 1655 and 1660.
The academicians painted their pictures for a long time - they worked for several years on a large historical or mythological canvas, because it was necessary to paint an extremely detailed image with very small brushstrokes, with impeccable perspective and carefully painted chiaroscuro. However, the semantic content of the pictures was often lost behind the external beauty; they only pleased the eye, but did not arouse emotions or make the viewer think.
Alexandre Cabanel. The Birth of Venus
Alexandre Cabanel. Nymph Surprised by a Satyr (1875)
Gradually, the academics, as artists, and the movement itself degraded; they simply made money from conservative art lovers, without thinking about new subjects and new ways of depicting reality.
Jacques Louis David. The Death of Socrates
Jacques Louis David. The Sabine Women Stopping the Fight between the Romans and the Sabines. 1799
And then came Impressionism to replace Academism, and then the Avant-garde. At the beginning of the 20th century, neither society nor the majority of successful artists were interested in academicism, it seemed hopelessly outdated and vulgar, suitable only for decorating the living rooms of rich merchants and manufacturers who had little understanding of art. But at present the interest in academicism has grown again, after having played enough with the avant-garde, artists and society have returned to the eternal values, one of which is academicism, which was so despised in the 20th century.
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