What is an academic art

What is academic art style? To understand this, our task is to provide an academic art definition. So, the academic or classic art style is the art that was created within the walls of art academies. The most significant was the French Academy of Fine Arts. Teachers here taught young artists to harmoniously combine neoclassical and romantic features in their works. Sometimes this style is also called “salon painting”, “historicism”, “syncretism” or “eclecticism”. In addition, academicism is logically connected with the empire style.

Let’s define the key characteristics of academic art:

universality, staying outside the patterns of national cultures;
idealization of images;
appeal to mythology;
opposition to realistic art;
conservatism;
traditionality;
observance of canons;
drawing as the basis of learning in the academy.

Popular academic art

You can study academic art history by following the work of such artists as William Bouguereau, Thomas Couture and Hans McCarthy. These academic artists most vividly embodied the principles of this direction in their works. So, the salon’s French art enjoyed the greatest popularity. Artists who studied in academies had a four-year course of education. To enter the School of Fine Arts, which worked at the French Academy, it was necessary to pass exams and have recommendations from a famous artist. Young student artists studied the main genres of art, working with nudes, etc. Often, academic art artists learned by drawing images of famous sculptures. We can conclude that academic art artwork is a work in which all the necessary canons and prescriptions were embodied, which was characteristic of this style.

What academic artwork can be called exemplary for this direction? Among the most famous works of art in this style, the following can be listed:

“Freedom on the Barricades” academic artist Eugene Delacroix;
“Napoleon Bonaparte” by Jean-Dominique Ingres;
“Dance”, “Bather”, “Art and Literature” by William Bouguereau;
“Chess Tournament at the Court of the King of Spain” by Luigi Mussini;
“Napoleon at Fontainebleau” by Paul Delaroche.

Buy academic artworks

In our academic art gallery, you can search for art in an academic manner. At all times, regardless of the popularity of experiments in art, the classics continued to be appreciated. Nowadays — both among artists and collectors — the academic art period is considered one of the most significant. Every professional strives to try to implement salon painting instructions in his work. On our website, you can buy academic art online — to your taste.

Academic Artworks for Sale