by Jurate Macnoriute ......
Art style of Neoclassicism changed Rococo, the latest modification of Baroque style. Like in the Renaissance eyes of artists were turned to the grandness and nobility of ancient Grecian and Roman art. The conjunction of the American and French revolutions with period of Neoclassical Art gave for art style heroic and severe features.
For us (analyzing nonverbal expressions in art) neoclassicism is interesting chiefly by its unemotional form and rational appliance of approaches of pure nonverbal communication in visual arts.
Naturalism combined with idealization characteristic for Neoclassic bodies. Body is in oppositional state than relaxation. Intent hero prepared himself in any moment for fight (Fig.168). Intention cue can be called one of main cues met in Neoclassicism.
Fig. 168. François-Joseph Bosio. Aristaeus. God of the Gardens. 1817. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Neoclassic non emotionalism also seen in facial expression of personages (Fig.169) has its particularities different from blank face with the unchanging facial expression like it is in schizophrenia. Neoclassic moderate unflinching faces lightly smiles, eyes look sprightly with interest (David. Portrait of the Marquise d-Orvilliers; David. Portrait of Francois Buron; David. Portrait of Madame Seriziat).
Fig. 169. Jacques Louis David. Woman in a Turban.
Posture arm cross frequently used for secular pictures, especially portraits. That posture obtained form of full arm cross, not wrists or hands like in epochs of the Renaissance and Baroque. But grace remained. Looking at examples below we can perceive that arm cross sooner was an element of gracefulness of figure, and less as posture of self-comforting, self-stimulating posture, unconsciously used to alleviate anxiety and social stress as it is described in contemporary psychology (Fig.170, Fig. 171).
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Fig. 170. 1. Antoine-Jean Gros. Christine Boyer. 1800. Musée du Louvre, Paris; Benjamin Robert Haydon. Wordsworth on Helvellyn. 1842. National Portrait Gallery, London.
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Fig. 171. 1. François-Xavier Fabre. Portrait of the Countess d'Albany. 1793. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence; 2. Ingres. Antoine Thomeguex.
Display arm show similar to Baroque, often arms not very undressed, but Neoclassic arm show more graceful and refined (Fig.172). That posture contains also tactile sign self touch.
Fig. 172. Joseph Nollekens. Countess of Yarborough. 1787. Marble, life-size
Mausoleum at Brocklesby Park, Lincolnshire.Self touch tactile sign in portraits of Ingres showing lack of self-confidence (Fig.173-1), interest (Fig.173-2), critical estimation and negative thoughts (Fig.173-3).
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Fig. 173. 1. Ingres. Madame Paul Sigisbert Moitessier; 2. Ingres. Mario Luigi Carlo Zenobia Salvatore Cherubini; 3. Ingres. Portrait of Delphine Ingres-Ramel.
Posture body bend expresses tedium when figures' elbows resting onto prop (Fig.174).
Fig. 174. Albert Joseph Moore. Pomegranates.
Bow posture seen in love scene (Fig.175) representing soft subtle feelings.
Fig. 175. Pierre-Paul Prud'hon. Innocence Choosing Love Over Wealth
With Constance Mayer-Lamartinière. 1804. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg.Gesture or posture hand behind head received refined gracefulness. Famous The Source of Ingres has directly this hand position (Fig.176-1), but Neoclassicist Sergel applied this gesture for expression of drunken state (Fig.176-2).
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Fig. 176. 1. Ingres. The Source. 1820. Musée d'Orsay, Paris; 2. Johan Tobias Sergel. The Drunken Faun. 1774. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.
Neoclassic hands on hips seem especially aggressive and militantly (Fig.177). We can consider that it helps for showing swagger walk (Fig.177-3) -- straight stand, red color in wear, one leg upwards as if put onto something what property is stated by duke. That position of leg also strengthens the posture high stand display.
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Fig. 177. 1. Ingres. Lorenzo Bartolini; 2. Thorvaldsen. Bertel Paris; 3. James Barry. Portrait of the 1st Duke of Northumberland.
Neoclassic sit (Fig.178-1, Fig.-3) posture is a copy of Roman sit posture (Fig.178-2). Difference lies in set of head. Roman head tilt back, Neoclassic -- bent forward. Besides that in Neoclassicism we met more freely and uncomfortable sited figures (Fig.178).
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Fig. 178. 1. Antonio Canova. Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte. 1804-07. Marble.
Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth; 2. Fig. Roman statue of woman. Uffizi Museum; 3. Francois Gerard. Madame Recamier; 4. Antonio CANOVA. Theseus and the Minotaur. 1781-83. Victoria and Albert Museum, Lodon.Appliance of balance cue infrequent. They liked to depict people strong. In David's The Oath of the Tennis Court we can detect some case of balance cue in indistinct figures standing on windowsill aloft (David. The Oath of the Tennis Court). Fluttering curtains abreast fortify their instability.
In Neoclassicism submission status is represented by suppliants (Fig.179-1) and people of lower range participating in scenes representing high society (Fig.179-2). Palms together like praying, body a bit bend, hand to beneath of breast.
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Fig. 179. 1. David. Deputies swearing oaths; 2. Friedrich Heinrich Füger. Catherine of Alexandria before the Emperor Maxentius. 1805.
Touch cue expressed in portrait of a girl holding dog (Fig.180-1). With that posture girl shows that she is dog's owner. Other owner depicted by Lefèvre (Fig.180-2). Gracious like bird starling princess Pauline Borghese touches some ancient bust as if saying that it is her. In Fig.180-3 Blücher holding his foot onto some object as if states that it is his property.
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Fig. 180. François van der Donckt. Portrait of Sylvie de la Rue. 1810. Groeninge Museum, Bruges; 2. Robert Lefèvre. Princess Pauline Borghese. 1808. Château de Versailles et de Trianon, Versailles; 3. Christian Daniel RAUCH. Model of the Blücher Monument. 1826. Staatliche Museen, Berlin.
Ready response fight or flight seen in David's The Combat of Mars and Minerva (Fig.181). Caught by Minevra Mars is floundered and he does not know fight or flight. Mars's state shown by sudden rising, lifted hand with spread fingers towards Minevra, gaze to Minevra's eyes. Here we have eye contact and gesture point too. That Minevra's point is characterized by uncertainty of indication object.
Fig. 181. David. Detail of The Combat of Mars and Minerva.
Power grip is met in fight scenes (Antonio CANOVA. Theseus and the Centaur. 1804-19).
An example of Neoclassic precision grip in Fig.182.
Fig. 182. David. Self-Portrait. 1790. Pushkin Museum, Moscow.
In Neoclassicism fear was shown by lifted arm towards danger, staring bulging eyes, open mouth, snuggle to elder persons of family (Karl Pavlovich Bryulov. Last Day of Pompei. 1833. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg).
Love emotion gracefully shown by personage woman -- head tilt side, gaze down, arm show, prop; by personage man -- body show, decision grip, gaze to woman's face, enchantment by music (Fig.183-1). In Ingres's variant love expressed applying head tilt side, gaze down, bow, embrace, fall of book from hand, touch cue, kiss (Fig.183-2). Navez show love emotion in motion and embrace (Fig.183-3). These scenes contains also afferent signal pleasure.
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Fig. 183. 1. David. The Loves of Paris and Helen. 1788. Musée du Louvre, Paris; 2. Ingres. Paolo and Francesca. 1819. Musée des Beaux-Arts, Angers; François-Joseph Navez. The Nymph Salmacis and Hermaphroditus. 1829. Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Ghent.
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Fig. 184. 1. David. Andromache Mourning Hector; 2. David. The Lictors Returning to Brutus the Bodies of his Sonscry.
Sadness and sorrow expressed by palm up put on object of sorrow, palm with all fingers spread out indicating object of sorrow, body sliding down, hanging arms, face up or head drooped down, head covered with fabric, palms close view of sorrow object (Fig.184); head tilt side, gaze up, head drooped down, hands to face, leg cross (Fig.185).
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Fig 185. 1. David. Detail of The Oath of the Horatii. 1784. Musée du Louvre, Paris; 2. David d'Angers. Sorrow. 1811. Private collection; 3. François-Dominique-Aimé Milhomme. Sorrow, Tomb of Pierre Gareau. 1816. Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris.
Pain cue is not characteristic for Neoclassical personages. Heroes die carrying themselves with dignity and strength of mind.
Fig. 186. Sir Thomas Lawrence. Mr and Mrs John Julius Angerstein. 1792. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Coldness of British character is shown through posture angular distance (Fig.186) -- the spatial orientation, measured in degrees, of an individual's shoulders relative to those of another. Angular distance here 90 degrees. This example interesting that angular distance 90 degrees detected twice -- in position of shoulders and orientation of faces.
