Neoclassical

 This week's reading deals with the Neoclassical movement-those design eras inspired by an admiration for Greco-Roman antiquity between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Some of the concerns put into Neoclassicism deal with symmetry, order, and classic motifs. It influenced architecture, interior, and furniture designs in a number of countries. In France, the Louis XVI style was prominent, going into refined craftsmanship expressed by motifs such as columns and laurel wreaths on elaborately crafted commodes and fauteuils. Indeed, French interiors joined the luxurious with the simple, and thus their wholeness defined this style in conformity with the spirit of the Enlightenment.

               George Jacobs Louis XVI Armchair                                Modern Armchair

     

                Empire Three-Legged Table                            Modern Three-Legged Table

The chapter also talks about how Neoclassicism shows up in different parts of the world. In the US, Thomas Jefferson's love of the Palladian style sparked a sense of pride that led to the Federal style. Duncan Phyfe and other designers made elegant furniture with traditional lines and inlay designs. In England, the designs of Robert Adam and Hepplewhite were light and graceful and folded classicism effortlessly into balanced rooms. Germany took it a bit more seriously, and architects such as Karl Friedrich Schinkel shaped a utilitarian yet beautiful aesthetic. The Gustavian style of Sweden had a lightness and restraint in its aesthetics, with painted furniture in soft tones still showing French influences but with a Scandinavian touch.

                                Recamier Sofa                                               Modern Sofa

 

               Thomas Jefferson Bedroom, Monticello                                Modern Bedroom

The Neoclassical design really differed around the world but followed a consistent formula of symmetry, classical decoration, and furniture, building, and interiors combined. This chapter addresses how the eternal beauty of Neoclassicism could be reflected in later revival styles and assumes today's style. It achieved this with the use of balance, proportion, and high-quality craftsmanship.

One Step Further

While Thomas Jefferson is better known as one of the Founding Fathers, he was equally a visionary architect whose work strongly influenced American architecture. Symmetry, proportion, and Ancient Roman and Renaissance European democratic values, rooted in Classical principles and Enlightenment ideals, comprised the base of his architectural theory. Jefferson was highly influenced by the Palladian architecture he witnessed firsthand on his travels throughout Europe and strove to transpose these ideas into an American context. He felt that architecture could show progress, education, and democracy and prove to be the concrete manifestation of the ideals of the nation.

Of his greatest works that can be associated with him, his residence at Monticello married classical design to functional innovation, while the University of Virginia, which he designed as an "Academical Village" around a centerpiece called the Rotunda. Other examples of Jefferson's architectural experimentation include his retreat at Poplar Forest, an octagonal design allowing natural lighting to work its way through much of the space. Beyond his own buildings, Jefferson promoted classical architecture in civic spaces, helped to popularize the Federal style of architecture that still defines an uniquely American architectural aesthetic. Contributions that remain as a testament to his faith in the power of architecture to shape culture and reflect national ideals.