ETERNAL RETURN: THE RECURRING EMPLOYMENT OF THE GREEK AND ROMAN CLASSICAL TRADITION FOR IDEOLOGICAL PURPOSES IN WESTERN ART HISTORY

Document Type : Articles and research extracted from theses

Authors

1 Faculty of Fine Arts,, Helwan University

2 Galala University, Faculty of Art and Design Helwan University, Faculty of Fine Arts,,

10.47436/jaars.2023.165514.1113

Abstract

The paper attempts to map out "The eternal return of the classical tradition", tracing its origin to the Italian Renaissance, built to a large extent on the rediscovery and revival of classical Greek philosophy, and how, the revived visual motifs and art techniques of the Greco-Roman tradition came to symbolize, and communicate changing and sometimes contradictory identities. Highlighting how the classical lives in a cycle of eternal revival in which it is only invoked to be denounced or to suffer a decline, then be revived with new readings. This paper moves through various stops in western Art History, starting from the Renaissance (the unearthing and defining), moving to the late Renaissance (sometimes called anti-classicism), then the first revival with Neoclassicism, moving towards Modern Art and then the complex relationship between Fascism and Classicism. The paper moves chronologically but creates small interventions and moments of reflection, drawing comparisons and bringing up similarities that emerge across centuries, comparing both artistic practices and the way these practices were read and received.

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References

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Journal of Arts & Architecture Research Studies
Volume 4, Issue 7 - Serial Number 7
Volume 4 - Issue 7 - June 2023
June 2023
Pages 326-339

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