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Neoclassicism

Europe turns back to Greece and Rome: clear line, calm figures and civic virtue.

109 works · hang 5467 ·

The rooms are imagined; every work on their walls is real.

Walk this roomRehang this room

First room, north wall

  1. Cupid and Psyche, by Jacques-Louis David, 1817
    Cupid and PsycheJacques-Louis David, 1817Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. PROJECT FOR THE PAINTED DECORATION OF THE CEILING OF A HALL (PAINTED OVAL CEILING)
    Project for the Painted Decoration of the Ceiling of a Hall (Painted Oval Ceiling)Jean Baptiste Marie Pierre, 1761Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

First room, south wall

  1. This image is a pencil sketch on paper with a monochrome palette of graphite gray. The viewer sees various scenes without a defined horizon line. The upper section shows figures in period clothing, possibly mid-19th century women's fashion. The middle area has abstract architectural forms. In the lower right corner, a sailing ship or boat is sketched with more detail than the rest. The drawing style consists of quick, expressive strokes. The image conveys multiple narrative or compositional ideas on a single sheet.
    Seaside StudiesEugène Isabey, 1830sCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Moonlight falls across several masted ships near a rocky shoreline in this horizontal painting. The sky fills the top three-quarters of the picture. A veil of slate-gray clouds is lit to pearl white around the crisp, full moon at the center of the composition. Patches of denim-blue sky are seen through breaks in the blanket of clouds. Moonlight reflects down the center of rippling, silvery-gray water that laps against a beach close to us, along the bottom edge of the painting. A tent is set up in the lower left corner of the composition. There, two women and one man stand looking at a glowing fire next to the tent. One woman holds a basket on her head, the other tucks a flat basket under one arm. The man stands between the two women, and a fourth man crouches near the fire, his back to us. In the opening of the tent, another woman kneels over a large bowl as she looks at the fire. A fifth person, a man, gazes at the fire as he sits smoking a long-stemmed pipe on a boulder. At the foot of the boulders, a man lies back against some bundles, one arm thrown up over his head. A dog curls up next to his hip. Not far from the sleeping man and in the center of the foreground, a man carries several long wooden objects, possibly oars, over one shoulder while a dog beyond him barks at the lapping surf. The beach curves like a C away from us, along the left. At the point of the curve in the middle distance, a structure like a city wall and gate jut out to the water’s edge. More buildings atop steep cliffs rise vertically beyond the gate. The shoreline curves into the distance again, and more buildings, including a lighthouse, and masted ships there are smoke-gray silhouettes. Near the lower right corner of the painting, four men pull on ropes tied around the prow of a small wooden boat while three others push it toward the land. Another man stands in the far end. A short distance beyond that boat is a tall wooden ship with three masts and rigging outlined against the night sky. Windows along the decks of that boat’s wide stern, angled toward us, glow with golden light. Beyond it and a bit to our left, another ship, smaller in scale, sails away from us. Several more ships move back to the horizon until we only see strokes of white and gray to indicate their unfurled sails.
    MoonlightClaude-Joseph Vernet, 1772Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Tomb with Sphinxes and an Owl, by Louis Jean Desprez, c. 1779–84
    Tomb with Sphinxes and an OwlLouis Jean Desprez, c. 1779–84Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Second room, south wall

  1. A work made of graphite and pen and black ink, with touches of opaque, white watercolor on cream laid paper.
    Farmer Requesting Permission to Marry a Nobleman's DaughterGabriel de Saint-Aubin, 1761Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The engraving depicts a gathering around a woman holding a child in her arms in an indoor setting with stone columns and an arched background. Another woman is next to her, looking towards her while leaning over what appears to be a child or possibly a doll on a small donkey. Surrounding the central woman are several children, some seated and playing on the floor. A dog is resting at the central woman's feet. The image features lush drapery, creating a warm and intimate setting. The style suggests classical or historical fashion, and there is an ornate border with ivy leaves. The text and emblem below likely contain relevant inscriptions.
    L'heureuse féconditéNicolas Delaunay, 1777Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Towering, pale, celery-green trees frame a view of a lush park with about a dozen elegantly dressed, light-skinned men and women in this vertical landscape painting. The color palette is dominated by moss and lemon-lime green, golden yellow, and spruce blue. The men all wear jackets with long tails over knee-breeches, and their long hair is pulled back at the napes of their necks. The women wear long dresses with full skirts and hints of lace at the sleeves and bust, and their brown or white hair is pulled up. Nine of the men and women gather to our right on a stone terrace along the bottom edge of the painting. A man in butter yellow kneels in front of a woman wearing rose pink. Around this pair, people stand, kneel, sit, or recline wearing aquamarine blue, light turquoise, or ivory white. A man and woman sit on a bench to our left, a little removed from the larger group. This woman wears ruby red and the man leaning toward her wears topaz blue. Two people in the park beyond these groups are painted with only a few strokes of pale blue and white paint, and they look over a low hedge row lining the walking path. Beds of red flowers fill the lower corners of the composition in front of a statue of a woman to our left and a person, perhaps on a fountain, to our right. The grassy walking path and trees become more blue as they fade into the hazy distance between the tall tress to either side. The sky fades from pale blue along the horizon to a silvery blue, almost white, at the top.
    A Game of Hot CocklesJean Honoré Fragonard, c. 1775/1780Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Second room, north wall

  1. This is a drawing of a group of mythological figures in a ceremonial scene. The composition features multiple figures in various poses, centered around a symbolic gathering. The drawing is detailed, providing a classical representation of human forms, draped fabrics, and an animal. A plateau with trees is subtly depicted in the background. The figures display expressions ranging from serene to contemplative.
    The Nursing of JupiterThéodore ChassériauCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Prancing HorseFollower of Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault, 1808–12Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Joseph-Antoine Moltedo (born 1775), by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, ca. 1810
    Joseph-Antoine Moltedo (born 1775)Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, ca. 1810Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Waterfall at Terni, by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, 1826
    Waterfall at TerniJean Baptiste Camille Corot, 1826Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Third room, north wall

  1. A work made of pen and brown ink, with traces of graphite, on tan wove paper, laid down on cream wove paper.
    Sketches of Algerian MenEugène Delacroix, c. 1832Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. View of Rome, by Pierre Henri de Valenciennes, c. 1782–84
    View of RomePierre Henri de Valenciennes, c. 1782–84Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. The Kaunitz Sisters (Leopoldine, Caroline, and Ferdinandine), by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1818
    The Kaunitz Sisters (Leopoldine, Caroline, and Ferdinandine)Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1818Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Marie Emilie Coignet de Courson (1716–1806) with a Dog, by Jean Honoré Fragonard, ca. 1769
    Marie Emilie Coignet de Courson (1716–1806) with a DogJean Honoré Fragonard, ca. 1769Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art