Academic More Art
During the Renaissance, the first European fine art academies were established in Italy and would guide the style and standards of visual culture in the following centuries. Academic art became dominant across the continent in the 17th century, with artists coming together to offer instruction in this style of painting and sculpture.
The academic art period represented a significant change from the previous era when painters, sculptors and other artists were part of guilds and seen more as artisans than purveyors of culture. While patronage from the elite and the church remained pivotal, young artists were able to support themselves for the first time through academic exhibitions and an independent marketplace. The leading academies included the French Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture founded in Paris in 1648 (which became the Académie des Beaux-Arts after the French Revolution) and the London Royal Academy of Arts formed in 1768 under the inaugural leadership of painter Joshua Reynolds.
Academy students sketched drawings based on prints, sculptures and, finally, live models. Movements including neoclassicism and romanticism were particularly popular in these art schools and institutions where the influence of Raphael and Nicolas Poussin was prominent. Beaux Arts architecture and furniture design drew on these movements, too, and, as they also originated at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the disciplines share common ground with academic painting and sculpture.
Although academic art was a major shift for artistic status when it began, by the middle of the 19th century it was viewed as stodgy and resistant to new ideas, with the subject matter of artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-Léon Gérôme generally limited to allegorical or mythological themes. Impressionism, realism and the other movements that engaged with contemporary issues that followed were direct reactions to the academic tradition, although it continued to inform the avant-garde as artists like Gustav Klimt and Pablo Picasso started their practices as academic realists.
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1960s Academic More Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Academic More Art
Oil
1880s Academic More Art
Porcelain, Oil
1840s Academic More Art
Wax
1910s Academic More Art
Lithograph
20th Century Academic More Art
Oil, Canvas
Early 2000s Academic More Art
Pastel, Charcoal
Early 2000s Academic More Art
Charcoal, Pastel
1740s Academic More Art
Watercolor, Engraving
1740s Academic More Art
Watercolor, Engraving
1860s Academic More Art
Gold
1860s Academic More Art
Gold
1860s Academic More Art
Gold
1860s Academic More Art
Gold
1860s Academic More Art
Gold
1860s Academic More Art
Gold
1910s Academic More Art
Canvas, Oil
1890s Academic More Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
19th Century Academic More Art
Other Medium
18th Century and Earlier Academic More Art
Engraving
18th Century and Earlier Academic More Art
Engraving
1910s Academic More Art
Porcelain
Early 1900s Academic More Art
Paper, Watercolor
Late 19th Century Academic More Art
Porcelain, Oil
Artist Comments
A vibrant citrus wedge basks in the morning light. While slicing a lemon, the glossy pulp and the shadow beneath the fruit captivates artist Malia Pettit. The s...
21st Century and Contemporary Academic More Art
Oil
2010s Academic More Art
Oil, Canvas
Early 20th Century Academic More Art
Bronze
Early 2000s Academic More Art
Bronze
Mid-19th Century Academic More Art
Bronze
2010s Academic More Art
Lithograph
2010s Academic More Art
Oil, Canvas
Early 20th Century Academic More Art
Oil, Canvas
20th Century Academic More Art
Bronze
2010s Academic More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
White lilies grace a clear vase. The blue background imparts a refreshing and vibrant energy to the still life. Painted with a palette knife, the spontaneous st...
21st Century and Contemporary Academic More Art
Oil
1970s Academic More Art
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
1960s Academic More Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
1950s Academic More Art
Oil, Wood Panel
1740s Academic More Art
Watercolor, Engraving
1740s Academic More Art
Watercolor, Engraving
1940s Academic More Art
Oil, Wood Panel
1960s Academic More Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
1880s Academic More Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
1950s Academic More Art
Oil, Wood Panel
Early 20th Century Academic More Art
Early 1900s Academic More Art
Lithograph