Academic Art and the Characteristics of Academic Art

Post by: Wasla Zainab
February 3, 2021
No Comment

Characteristics of academic art has significant value to understand as Art has its impactful presence since the beginning. It is considered as a significant devotion and admiration. With art being in multiple forms, Academic art has introduced itself in the trend. Read ahead to know more about its definition and overview.

Definition Academic Art:

The term ‘Academic Art’ is traditionally used to describe style of true-to-life high-minded realist painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art.

Specifically, the art termed as academic art is influenced by the the French Académie des Beaux-Arts, which was practiced under the movements of Neoclassicism and Romanticism, and the art that followed these two movements in the attempt to synthesize both of their styles, and which is best reflected by the paintings of William-Adolpe Bouguereau, Thomas Couture, and Hans Makart. It is often called “academism,” “academicism,” “art pompier” and “eclecticism,” and sometimes linked with “historicism” and “syncretism.”

Origin of Academic Art:

Beginning in Italy, a number of art schools came in existence in the sixteenth century. These art schools were then called academies and were sponsored by respective patron of the arts. These academies were supposed to encourage and teach young artists according to the classical theories of Renaissance Art.

Many renowned names including Leonardo Di Vinci and Michelangelo were involved in these efforts to build the art and polish the talent of young painters and craftsmen.

History of Academic Art:

Different debates based on art models were observed in the history which show characterization of the premature models and history of academic art. French artists introduced numerous art styles which included pastoral landscapes, classical paintings, and old vintage structures.

Moreover, The Italian Renaissance embraced two important factions which were the Florentine Renaissance faction that championed “disegno” (design), and the Venetian Renaissance faction that preferred “colorito” (colour).

Major Characteristics of Academic Art :

Basic features and characteristics of Academic Art were laid down by the French Academy, stated below:

• Rationality:

It considered fine art to be an intellectual discipline, involving a high degree of reason, thus the “rationality” of a painting was all-important. Such rationality was exemplified by a work’s subject-matter, its use of classical or religious allegory, and/or by its references to classical, historical or allegorical subjects.

• Message:

Great importance was placed upon the ‘message’ of the painting, which should be appropriately “uplifting” and have a high moral content as an important characteristics of academic art.

• Artistic Conventions:

Over time the Academic authorities gradually built up a series of painterly rules and conventions.