Antonio Canova artist

Antonio Canova

1757-1822

Italian Neoclassical Sculptor and Painter of the Roman School

Artistically and Stylistically Influenced by the Following Painters - Giuseppe Torretto

Education - learned to the basics of sculpture from Giuseppe Torretto and later Torretto at Bassano

Cause of Death - typhoid fever in Venice, Italy

Biography of The Artist

Antonio Canova is considered the greatest sculptor of the Neoclassical era. He began his education at the Venetian workshop of Giuseppe Bernardi Torreto, who stressed the dramatic Baroque style. Canova later became captivated by the writings of Winckelmann, who championed a return to the gracious order and serene dignity of Greek and Roman Art.

Cupid and Psyche are considered Canova's finest works. His compositions were based on smooth rhythmic lines, the harmony of figures and refined gestures, creating an atmosphere of lighthearted decorativeness.

The period is called neoclassical because its artists looked back to the art and culture of classical Greece and Rome. The spread of Neoclassical Art was primarily inspired by recent roman archeological excavations, including Pompeii and by art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann. Winckelmann touted the homoeroticism of Greco-Roman art, "beauty is rather male than female. But the beauty of art demands a higher sensibility than the beauty of nature, because the beauty of art, like tears shed at a play, gives no pain, is without life, and must be awakened and repaired by culture. Now, as the spirit of culture is much more ardent in youth than in manhood, the instinct of which I am speaking must be exercised and directed to what is beautiful, before that age is reached, at which one would be afraid to confess that one had no taste for it.” His enthusiastic descriptions of art from Classical Antiquity encouraged an interest in Greek antiquities.

☼☼☼☼☼

Important Words, People, Phrases, Characteristics related to the Italian Renaissance Art Movement - rebirth, rediscovery of the classical world, City-state, Humanism, Humanist, Francesco Petrarch, Reform, The Prince, Theocracy, The Inquisition, Human Reasoning, Medici Academy, publication of Della Pittura, a book about the laws of mathematical perspective for artists, sfumato, chiaroscuro, linear perspective, Heliocentric Theory, Petrarch, Baldassare Castiglione, The Book of the Courtier, liberal arts, civic humanism, Verrocchio, secularism, Leonardo Bruni, Lorenzo Valla, Neo-Platonism, nominalism, Giotto, Masaccio, Botticelli, Quattrocento, vanishing point, Savonarola, oligarchy spiritually significant, illuminated manuscript, idealized biblical themes, scriptorium, emotion, illuminator, iconoclast, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci, Age of Discovery, axonometric drawing, curiosity about the natural world, mythology, realistic use of colours and light, Bonfire of the Vanities, Old Testament stories, ethereal and foggy backgrounds, Gospel parables, The Blackdeath, romanticized landscapes, Christian symbolism. Paradise

☼☼☼☼☼

If you feel you have worthwhile information you would like to contribute we would love to hear from you. We collect essential biographical information and artist quotes from folks all over the globe and appreciate your participation. When submitting please, if possible, site the source and provide English translation. Email to historyofpainter@gmail.com