Neoclassicism vs Romanticism: Unit 5

Neoclassicism and Romanticism are the 2 opposite artistic spectrums that arose from 18^th century Europe. Neoclassic art is art that was meant to revive classical art from the past. Many of these artworks had straight lines, bright lighting, reason, and controlled elegance. Meanwhile, Romanticism marches to a completely different beat. Romantic art was meant to be extremely emotional, imaginative, and colorful.  Kerry James Marshall is a good example of a neoclassical artist in the sense that many of his artistic figures do not show extreme emotion. Meanwhile, Julie Mehretu’s art is completely driven by emotions, and emotional response to her artwork. As an audience member and an appreciator of art I would say that I like to pick and choose from both spectrum. To be honest, many art pieces come down to the artist and the way they show that specific genre of art. For Example, many Romantic artists over exaggerate the emotion in their artwork, and it becomes uncomfortable and unappealing for me to be exposed to it. I do not like too much drama, and emotion such as what Orlan, and Chris Burden do. Yet, I like artists like Julie Mehretu and Layla Ali who use emotion in controlled relatable way. Neoclassic art is also nice to me, but artists like Andy Warhol can become boring because the art too controlled.