{"id":11864,"date":"2022-12-31T11:07:46","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T16:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/?p=11864"},"modified":"2022-12-31T17:46:24","modified_gmt":"2022-12-31T22:46:24","slug":"death-of-history-painting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2022\/12\/death-of-history-painting\/","title":{"rendered":"Death of history painting"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of the eighteenth century, art flowed along several currents. History painting, the primary current, was in its heyday and remained the undisputed champion until ‘history’ intruded into contemporary events with the French Revolution. This current continued into the middle of the nineteenth century with Delacroix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another important current used myth to launch the modern preoccupation with inward-looking psychology. It’s interesting that the same artists, the Neoclassicists, for instance, followed both paths simultaneously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more<\/span>Cleveland Museum of Art Opens Renovations<\/span><\/a><\/div>

The academic art of the nineteenth century that the early modern artists rebelled against was from the second current (history painting died mid-century). Bouguereau, one of the preeminent 19th-century academic artists and the chief villain in the Undergraduates Big Book of Art History<\/em>, painted genre and mythic subjects. He had no interest in history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of these currents, only the second has echoes today, although most people use ‘myth’ to actually mean fantasy and has no underlying reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more<\/span>In the Studio Oct. 14 2012<\/span><\/a><\/div>

History painting died because artists lost confidence in their political alliances. During the French Revolution, competing voices disagreed about what was worth commemorating. Then, as today, artists could be canceled for being on the wrong side of the political divide. It was worse for canceled artists then than today. David, the greatest artist of the past 250 years, barely escaped execution during the Revolution after his radical Montagnard friend Robespierre was beheaded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

David’s Death of Marat<\/em> is the best example of ‘history’ intruding into current events. The revolutionary Montagnard Marat’s assassination was an important story to his contemporaries, including his fellow Montagnard David. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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David’s Death of Marat<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Read more<\/span>In the Studio—10\/28\/12<\/span><\/a><\/div>

The last noteworthy current, realism, was in its infancy at the end of the eighteenth century. By realism,<\/em> I mean substituting the particular for ideal beauty. Realism implies interaction with nature with the possibility of discovery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To my mind, the immortal David’s history paintings were more successful than his myth-based paintings. David spent a lot of time on this painting and considered it one of his best. Putting aside the dreary army of 19th-century imitators, this painting lacks David’s psychological realism and dynamic design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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David’s Mars Disarmed by Venus<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Read more<\/span>Hurricane Sandy<\/span><\/a><\/div>

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more<\/span>Thumbs-up: van Ruisdael; Thumbs-down: Renoir<\/span><\/a><\/div>

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the end of the eighteenth century, art flowed along several currents. History painting, the primary current, was in its heyday and remained the undisputed champion until ‘history’ intruded into contemporary events with the French Revolution. This current continued into the middle of the nineteenth century with Delacroix. Another important current used myth to launch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":11974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[251,489,6,254,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aesthetics","category-art-history","category-paintings","category-politics","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/108857995_muerte-marat.jpg?fit=800%2C1062&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9005,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2020\/09\/in-the-kitchen\/","url_meta":{"origin":11864,"position":0},"title":"In the kitchen","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"September 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"For the most part, I've stopped showing the early stages of my paintings. One thing that I've learned after running this site for 8 years is that readers assume that I only post finished work--the opposite of what I actually do. 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That's the good news--videos for every taste and interest. The bad news is that the quality is--to put it charitably--spotty. You get what you pay for. Of course, you know this, so why am I taking the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art history"","block_context":{"text":"Art history","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/art-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/zzzbrushes.jpg?fit=800%2C839&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/zzzbrushes.jpg?fit=800%2C839&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/zzzbrushes.jpg?fit=800%2C839&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/zzzbrushes.jpg?fit=800%2C839&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12349,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2023\/05\/good-art-books-david-to-delacroix-the-rise-of-romantic-mythology\/","url_meta":{"origin":11864,"position":2},"title":"Good art books: David to Delacroix, The Rise of Romantic Mythology","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"May 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Dorothy Johnson has written several books related to David and the Neoclassicists. David to Delacroix: The Rise of Romantic Mythology is probably her best work. I think about this little book a lot. Even though the Neoclassicists are best known for their Classically-inspired history paintings, Johnson reminds us that it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "aesthetics"","block_context":{"text":"aesthetics","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/aesthetics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/david-johnson_.jpg?fit=360%2C499&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9722,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2021\/07\/thomas-crow\/","url_meta":{"origin":11864,"position":3},"title":"Thomas Crow","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"July 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Thomas Crow is an American art historian. For a short time, his interests overlapped with mine, which is how I became aware of him. Some readers might know that I am a fan of the French artist J.L David. Early in his career, Crow wrote a book focused on David\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "aesthetics"","block_context":{"text":"aesthetics","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/aesthetics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/crow2.jpg?fit=474%2C244&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5917,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2016\/03\/james-groves-art-supply-manufacturer-and-artist\/","url_meta":{"origin":11864,"position":4},"title":"James Groves, art supply manufacturer and artist","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"March 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I use several\u00a0products manufactured by James Groves. \u00a0Jim specializes in historical painting mediums and ingredients. \u00a0I've tried almost all of his products and they are unfailingly excellent--world class. \u00a0I use his 19th Century Copal Oil varnish and Siccatif Courtrai every day. \u00a0Both ingredients are staples in my practice. \u00a0By itself,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/groves-stuff.jpg?fit=600%2C430&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/groves-stuff.jpg?fit=600%2C430&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/groves-stuff.jpg?fit=600%2C430&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7863,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2018\/05\/review-eyewitness-views\/","url_meta":{"origin":11864,"position":5},"title":"Review: Eyewitness Views","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"May 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Cleveland Museums of Art's Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe is the best show I've seen at the museum since I started my near-weekly visits six years ago.\u00a0 As good as the show is, however, the theme--artists as eyewitnesses to history--is a stretch.\u00a0 The paintings are souvenirs of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "aesthetics"","block_context":{"text":"aesthetics","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/aesthetics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/canal-6.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/canal-6.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/canal-6.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/canal-6.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Gw6F-35m","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11864"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11977,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11864\/revisions\/11977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}