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Classicism

Classicism was a form of historical painting inspired by the art of Classical Greece and Rome.

In the 19th century, there was a great popular interest in the Mediterranean region's ancient civilizations and cultures, and this interest fuelled the rise of Classicism in Britain.

The movement was highly romantic and was inspired by historical and mythological themes -- the key distinction being that the Classicists epitomized the rigid Academic standards of painting. Frederick Leighton and Lawrence Alma-Tadema were the leading Classicists.

Contemporary Realism

It is different from Photorealism. Contemporary Realism is the realistic approach to representation which continues to be widely practiced in this post-abstract era.

Contemporary Realists are literate in the concepts of Modern Art but choose to work in a traditional form. Many Contemporary Realists actually began as abstract painters, having come through an educational system dominated by professors and theorists who are against representational painting.

Some of the best-known artists associated with this movement are William Bailey, Neil Welliver and Philip Pearlstein.


Adapted from Artcyclopedia

Nathan Paul Gibbs