Historical Dictionary of Neoclassical Art and Architecture

by Allison Lee Palmer

Overview

Neoclassicism refers to the revival of classical art and architecture beginning in Europe in the 1750s and lasting until around 1830, with late Neoclassicism lingering through the 1870s. Neoclassicism is a highly complex movement that brought together seemingly disparate issues into a new and culturally rich era, one that was, however, remarkably unified under the banner of classicism. This movement was born in Italy and France and then spread across Europe to Russia and across the ocean to the United States.

The Historical Dictionary of Neoclassical Art and Architecture provides an overview of Neoclassicism, focusing on its major artists, architects, stylistic subcategories, ideas, and historical framework of the 18th century style found mainly in Europe and the United States. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and over 200 dictionary entries on famous artists, sculptors, architects, patrons, and other historical figures and events.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538133583
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/15/2020
Series:	Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	412
Sales rank:	729,100
Product dimensions:	6.32(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.42(d)

About the Author

Allison Lee Palmer isan Associate Professor of Renaissance and Baroque Art History at the University of Oklahoma. Her research focuses on Italian art and architecture from the late Middle Ages onward.

Table of Contents

Editor’s Foreword Jon Woronoff

Preface

Chronology

Introduction

THE DICTIONARY

Bibliography

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Palmer (Univ. of Oklahoma) intends this dictionary to provide important information on neoclassical art, which is situated between the waning of rococo and the development of Romanticism, from the 1750s to the 1830s across Europe and the US. The first edition was published a decade ago, and this revised and updated second edition is improved with more entries, artists, works of art, and an expanded bibliography. As series editor Jon Woronoff writes in the foreword, the dictionary has a chronology, introduction, and "more than 300 cross-referenced entries" on the historical context of the "leading artists, sculptors, and architects of the period" with reference to major works. The bibliography is divided into categories devoted to general sources; neoclassical aesthetics; art movements, styles, and related terminology; art media; individual countries and regions; and individual artists. The dictionary is a suitable starting point for research on neoclassical art and architecture. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals; general readers.

Choice Reviews

Palmer (Univ. of Oklahoma) intends this dictionary to provide important information on neoclassical art, which is situated between the waning of rococo and the development of Romanticism, from the 1750s to the 1830s across Europe and the US. The first edition was published a decade ago, and this revised and updated second edition is improved with more entries, artists, works of art, and an expanded bibliography. As series editor Jon Woronoff writes in the foreword, the dictionary has a chronology, introduction, and "more than 300 cross-referenced entries" on the historical context of the "leading artists, sculptors, and architects of the period" with reference to major works. The bibliography is divided into categories devoted to general sources; neoclassical aesthetics; art movements, styles, and related terminology; art media; individual countries and regions; and individual artists. The dictionary is a suitable starting point for research on neoclassical art and architecture. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals; general readers.

Choice

This is a fine work that is essential for all universities that support majors in art, architecture, and history.

American Reference Books Annual

Author Palmer characterizes neoclassicism as “the revival of classical art and architecture beginning in Europe in the 1750s and lasting until around 1830, with late neoclassicism lingering through the 1870s.” Palmer is associate professor of art history at the University of Oklahoma and author of Historical Dictionary of Architecture (2008), also part of Scarecrow’s Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts series. Following a format similar to other titles in the series, Historical Dictionary of Neoclassical Art and Architecture begins with a 3-page chronology and a 14-page introduction. A 237-page dictionary section is the heart of the book. Entries feature mostly painters, sculptors, architects, and other figures. Assorted entries also address relevant subjects including Biedermeier, French Revolution, Grand Tour, Rococo, Romanticism, and Veduta (“a painted, drawn, or engraved landscape of a specific place”), which has a 2-page entry. Boldface within an entry identifies subjects having their own main entry. See also references are frequent. An extensively subdivided 35-page bibliography (including a bibliographical essay) concludes the book. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.

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