යුරෝපීය නව සම්භාව්‍යවාදී කලා ප්‍රවණතාව

Abstract

The artistic style know as “Neoclassicism” was the predominant movement in European art and architecture during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It reflected the desire to imitate the spirit and form of classical art and culture. The increasing interest of classical antiquity in the artistic style and the development of taste in European art of this period was greately influenced by the freshly discovered archaeological ruins of the classical world. Additionally, the theoretical and historical writings savoring the classical antiquity, notably that of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, contributed to this change in taste. Neoclassicism was also, in part, built on the prevailing mood of Enlightenment, and a reaction aginst the decadent frivolity of the Rococo style and the social class which catered to Rococo art. Moreover, classical ideals which reflect the pinnacle of civilised society were more appealing to Enlightenment and its emphasis on rationality. This paper thus addresses the various factors that prodded the rise of the Neoclassical movement in European art.