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Academic Art

ACADEMIC STYLE

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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Style: Academic
Plate 5: Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Passing Room
Plate 5: Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Passing Room

Plate 5: Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Passing Room

Located in New York, NY

This photogravure is the fifth plate presented in Josef Folnesics publication "Alte Innenräume österreichischer Schlösser, Paläste und Wohnhäuser" (Old interiors of Austrian Castles,...

Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Photogravure

Pair Italian Limestone Garden Sculptures with Cornucopia
Pair Italian Limestone Garden Sculptures with Cornucopia

Pair Italian Limestone Garden Sculptures with Cornucopia

Located in Rome, IT

Finely carved mythological subject in limestone with Cornucopia associated with the harvest, prosperity, or spiritual abundance. Excellent condition. Measurements: Statue cm 160, ba...

Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

Cute Koala Bear Australia,  Photorealism
Cute Koala Bear Australia,  Photorealism

Cute Koala Bear Australia, Photorealism

By John Ruthven

Located in Miami, FL

John Ruthven is recognized as the “20th-century Audubon. In this very detailed and meticulously rendered work the artist depicts a Koala in an iconic and proud pose and a Photoreali...

Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

Calligraphy 2
Calligraphy 2

Calligraphy 2

Located in Atlanta, GA

Born in 1969 1991, Graduated top of his class at Iranian Society of Calligraphy, Tehran 1993, Graduated from the Wood Industry & Paper-making, Tehran Sol...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Landscape of Mountains
Landscape of Mountains

Landscape of Mountains

By MOSNY Henry

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

MOSNY Henry (19th Century) Landscape of Mountains Oil on canvas signed below and dated 1882 Black and Golden wood Frame Dim canvas : 73 X 92 cm Dim Frame : 92 X 112 cm MOSNY Henry (...

Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze

Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze

By Massimo Listri

Located in New York, NY

Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze, 2009 C-print Signed, titled, dated and numbered edition of 5 on artist's label on verso. The photographer is based in Florence, and is f...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

C Print

Women with Resting Minotaur

Women with Resting Minotaur

By Jesus Nodarse

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Oil Painting of a women with a sleeping Minotaur. Light neutral white painting by Cuban Artist Jesus Nordarse. 18 x 18 inches.

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pair Italian Limestone Garden Sculptures with Cornucopia
Pair Italian Limestone Garden Sculptures with Cornucopia

Pair Italian Limestone Garden Sculptures with Cornucopia

Located in Rome, IT

Finely carved mythological subject in limestone with Cornucopia associated with the harvest, prosperity, or spiritual abundance. Excellent condition from an estate of Veneto. Measur...

Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

The Buttonhole By Charles Spencelayh
The Buttonhole By Charles Spencelayh

The Buttonhole By Charles Spencelayh

By Charles Spencelayh

Located in New Orleans, LA

Charles Spencelayh 1865-1958 British The Buttonhole Signed “C.SPENCELAYH” (lower left) and inscribed “This Drawing was accepted into the Royal Academy but crowded out for want of ...

Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

Calligraphy 1

Calligraphy 1

Located in Atlanta, GA

Born in 1969 1991, Graduated top of his class at Iranian Society of Calligraphy, Tehran 1993, Graduated from the Wood Industry & Paper-making, Tehran Sol...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Landscape With Washerwoman
Landscape With Washerwoman

Landscape With Washerwoman

By Theodore Levigne

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

LEVIGNE Théodore (1848-1912) Landscape With Washerwoman Oil on canvas signed low right Old Frame regilded with leaves Dimensions canvas : 55 X 73 cm Dimensions frame : 70 X 85 cm LE...

Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Marble Sculpture of Roman Mythological subject Apollo
Marble Sculpture of Roman Mythological subject Apollo

Marble Sculpture of Roman Mythological subject Apollo

Located in Rome, IT

Finely carved mythological subject in white Carrara marble of Apollo head .

Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze

Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze

By Massimo Listri

Located in New York, NY

Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze, 2009 C-print Signed, titled, dated and numbered edition of 5 on artist's label on verso. The photographer is based in Florence, and ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

C Print

Studious Girl Reading a Book  - Women's Education  - Female Illustrator
Studious Girl Reading a Book  - Women's Education  - Female Illustrator

Studious Girl Reading a Book - Women's Education - Female Illustrator

By Elizabeth Shippen Green

Located in Miami, FL

The work represents a carefully rendered and meticulously observed environmental portrait of a young girl absorbed in study in front of a book case. It celebrates the intelligence of womanhood from a woman's perspective. Initialed in cartouche lower right literature: "The Silver Pencil", Hardy, Harper's Monthly, June 1912, pg. 22 Elizabeth Shippen Green (September 1, 1871 – May 29, 1954) was an American illustrator. She illustrated children's books and worked for publications such as The Ladies' Home Journal, The Saturday Evening Post and Harper's Magazine. Education Green enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1887 and studied with the painters Thomas Pollock Anshutz, Thomas Eakins, and Robert Vonnoh.[2] She then began study with Howard Pyle at Drexel Institute where she met Violet Oakley and Jessie Willcox Smith. New Woman As educational opportunities were made more available in the 19th century, women artists became part of professional enterprises, including founding their own art associations. Artwork made by women was considered to be inferior, and to help overcome that stereotype women became “increasingly vocal and confident” in promoting women's work, and thus became part of the emerging image of the educated, modern and freer “New Woman”.[4] Artists "played crucial roles in representing the New Woman...

Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Chalk, Charcoal

Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze

Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze

By Massimo Listri

Located in New York, NY

Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze, 2009 C-print Signed, titled, dated and numbered edition of 5 on artist's label on verso. The photographer is based in Florence, and ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

C Print

Painting 19th Century - Portrait of Young Lady
Painting 19th Century - Portrait of Young Lady

Painting 19th Century - Portrait of Young Lady

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

ERNEST BLANC-GARIN (1843-1916) Portrait of a Young Lady around 1880 Oil on wood panel signed low Old Original frame gilded with leaves Dimensions wood : 40 X 30 cm Dimensions frame : 62 X 53 cm ERNEST BLANC-GARIN (1843-1916) Belgian Painter 19th Century Born 8 October 1843 in Givet (France) Died 1916 in Brussels (Belgium) Painter of Portraits and Urbanscapes. In Brusssels he was taught by Jan Portaëls (1818-1895); then in Paris by Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889) He took part in the Salon de Paris from 1868. After a trip to Italy in 1870, he came back to Brussels for creating a private Art Academy providing a very liberal teaching. His portraits are made with a lot of freedom and gracefulness. Bibliography : Dictionary of Artists E. Benezit Book II / 373 Gérald SHURR : Les petits Maîtres de la Peinture 1820- 1920 Book V

Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

18th century etching figurative royalty wedding scene print black and white
18th century etching figurative royalty wedding scene print black and white

18th century etching figurative royalty wedding scene print black and white

By Alexander Runciman

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"The Marriage of Saint Margaret and King Malcolm" is an etching by Scottish artist Alexander Runciman. There is an engraved signature with the artist's monogram followed by "pinxit et fecit," indicating that Runciman both designed the original drawing and likely executed the etching on the metal plate. On the left, a young woman with a halo in fine dress stoops slightly and gathers her skirts as she leans over to accept the ring that the man on the right is reaching to place upon her finger. He is also young, dressed finely, and wearing a crown. Between them, a church official with a pointed hat and a long flowing beard recites the appropriate prayers for the occasion, while onlookers crowd in the background. The tiled floor demonstrates the use of one-point perspective, and the church appears to be in the Gothic style. Art size: 8 3/4" x 7 1/4" Frame size: 26 1/2" x 22 3/8" Alexander Runciman (Edinburgh 15 August 1736 – 4 October 1785 Edinburgh) was a Scottish painter of historical and mythological subjects. He was the elder brother of John Runciman, also a painter. He was born in Edinburgh, and studied at the Foulis Academy, Glasgow, and from 1750 to 1762 he was apprenticed to the landscape painter Robert Norie, later becoming a partner in the Norie family firm. He also worked as a stage painter for the Theatre Royal in Edinburgh. In 1767, he went to Rome, where he spent five years. His brother John accompanied him, but died in Naples in the winter of 1768–69. During Runciman's stay in Italy he became acquainted with other artists such as Henry Fuseli and the sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel...

Category

1770s Academic Art

Materials

Etching

"VALMY! (L'Estampe Moderne), " Lithograph after Drawing by Adolphe Willette
"VALMY! (L'Estampe Moderne), " Lithograph after Drawing by Adolphe Willette

"VALMY! (L'Estampe Moderne), " Lithograph after Drawing by Adolphe Willette

By Adolphe Willette

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"VALMY! (L'Estampe Moderne)" is a print watermarked PL BAS after a drawing by Adolphe Willette. It depicts a general with his army and a young girl. 15 3/4" x 12" art 23" x 19 1/4" frame Adolphe Léon Willette (30 July 1857 – 4 February 1926) was a French painter, illustrator, caricaturist, and lithographer, as well as an architect of the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret. Willette ran as an "anti-semitic" candidate in the 9th arrondisement of Paris for the September 1889 legislative elections. Biography Willette was born in Châlons-sur-Marne. He studied for four years at the École des Beaux-Arts under Cabanel, training which gave him a unique position among the graphic humorists of France. Whether comedy or tragedy, dainty triviality or political satire, his work is instinct with the profound sincerity of the artist. He set Pierrot upon a lofty pedestal among the imaginary heroes of France, and established Mimi Pinson, frail, lovable, and essentially good-hearted, in the affections of the nation. Willette is at once the modern Watteau of the pencil, and the exponent of sentiments that move the more emotional section of the public. Always a poet, and usually gay, fresh, and delicate, in his presentation of idylls exquisitely dainty and characteristically Gallic, illustrating the more "charming" side of love, often pure and sometimes extremely materialistic. Willette frequently reveals himself bitter and fierce, even ferocious, in his hatreds, being a violent though at the same time a generous partisan of political ideas, furiously compassionate with love and pity for the people whether they be ground down under the heel of political oppression, or are merely the victims ot unrequited love, suffering all the pangs of graceful anguish that are born of scornful treatment. There is charm even in his thrilling apotheosis of the guillotine, and in the introduction into his caricatures of the figure of Death itself. The artist was a prolific contributor to the French illustrated press under the pseudonyms "Cemoi", "Pierrot", "Louison", "Bebe", and "Nox", but more often under his own name. He illustrated Melandri's Les Pierrots and Les Giboulles d'avril, Le Courrier français, and published his own Pauvre Pierrot and other works, in which he tells his stories in scenes in the manner of Busch. He decorated several "brasseries artistiques" with wall-paintings, stained glass, &c., notably Le Chat noir and La Palette d'or, and he painted the highly imaginative ceiling for La Cigale...

Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Black and White

Riva d'Arno in Florence

Riva d'Arno in Florence

Located in Roma, RM

Domenico Bresolin (Padua 1813 - Venice 1890), Riva d'Arno in Florence Oil on canvas applied to cardboard 26 x 40 cm. Not signed. INFO: to get more information Publications: D. Ri...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Georgian Contemporary Art by Ramaz Chantladze - Untitled 12
Georgian Contemporary Art by Ramaz Chantladze - Untitled 12

Georgian Contemporary Art by Ramaz Chantladze - Untitled 12

Located in Paris, IDF

Oil on canvas Ramaz Chantladze is a Georgian artist was born in 1960 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. He studied at Jacob Nikoladze School of Art. In 1979-1985 he studied at...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mounted Jockeys Taking a Jump
Mounted Jockeys Taking a Jump

Mounted Jockeys Taking a Jump

Located in Saratoga Springs, NY

Bronze (After) Henri (Comte) Geoffroy De Ruille, Mounted Jockeys (French 1842-1922) "Mounted Jockeys Taking a Jump" 40"long x 26" high x 20 ½" wide 20th Century Medium: Patinaed B...

Category

Mid-20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Bronze

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Chateau de Foix
French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Chateau de Foix

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Chateau de Foix

Located in Paris, IDF

Rapidography & ink on paper + white frame Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in his artworks on paper or onto canvas. The rapidograph is a special pen with a capillary tubular tip in which flows a black pigment, an ancient drawing tool...

Category

1990s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provençale No. 20
French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provençale No. 20

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provençale No. 20

Located in Paris, IDF

Rapidography & watercolor on canvas Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in his artworks on paper or onto canvas. The rapidograph is a special pen with a capillary tubular tip in which flows a black pigment, an ancient drawing...

Category

1990s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Watercolor

Boy in a squero in Venice

Boy in a squero in Venice

Located in Roma, RM

Domenico Bresolin (Padua 1813 - Venice 1890), Boy in a squero in Venice Oil on canvas applied to cardboard 27 x 16 cm initialed (DB) lower left. Publications D. Ritter, Venedig in...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Swing des Orangés

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Swing des Orangés

Located in Paris, IDF

Artwork located in Los Angeles, USA. Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in th...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Reve d'Aivasovsky

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Reve d'Aivasovsky

Located in Paris, IDF

Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His works e...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Versailles

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Versailles

Located in Paris, IDF

Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His works e...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Sky is the Limit

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Sky is the Limit

Located in Paris, IDF

Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His works e...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Avant l'Orage

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Avant l'Orage

Located in Paris, IDF

Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His works e...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Procession Four girls with flowers - English Female Illustrator
Procession Four girls with flowers - English Female Illustrator

Procession Four girls with flowers - English Female Illustrator

Located in Miami, FL

Four young English girls with flowers are shown in a line and moving from left to right. They are pushed forward on the picture plane as if they were on a stage with a simple indica...

Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Street Costumes, Gay Nineties Fashion - Female Illustrator
Street Costumes, Gay Nineties Fashion - Female Illustrator

Street Costumes, Gay Nineties Fashion - Female Illustrator

Located in Miami, FL

Street Costumes by Ruth Kreps. Signed lower right. Most likely for a book published in the 1930's about turn of the century women's fashion. "Costume Design of the Gay Nineties" T...

Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Board

Portrait of Theresa Rogers
Portrait of Theresa Rogers

Portrait of Theresa Rogers

By Leon Kroll

Located in Miami, FL

Portrait of Theresa Rogers Housed in a period hand carved wood frame. Some scatter minor paint loss and stretcher marks otherwise presents very well Signature: Signed lower right T...

Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Rochefort Harbour in early 19th Century
Rochefort Harbour in early 19th Century

Rochefort Harbour in early 19th Century

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

Richard FAXON (1816 - 1875) Rochefort Harbour with Galleons Oil on canvas signed low right New golden frame Size canvas 73 X 50 cm Size frame 69 X 95 cm FAXON Richard (1816-1875) ...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Prospector firing Rifle  ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art
Prospector firing Rifle  ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art

Prospector firing Rifle ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art

By Robert Riggs

Located in Miami, FL

Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel ( composite wood panel ) Robert Riggs was a gay man. Being gay in American during the 1940's time was something not to flaunt in public. Rigg's had to communicate his underlying feelings in more symbolic ways. Throughout Riggs' oeuvre, one sees continuous references to strong hunked out manly men and vulnerable boys. It is a core element of is iconography and is described in a powerful graphic style. In “Prospector firing Rifle,” there is a Dick Pic. Riggs is clearly making a sexual statement about the moment of climax. The long, straight rifle explodes and is captured at the moment of its peak climax. Meanwhile, the two bags of gold clearly resemble the other part of the male anatomy. Riggs was a thoughtful and meticulous visual thinker, and nothing in any of Riggs’s compositions was haphazardly placed. In tribute to the artist’s suppressed feelings, I have given this work a second title “Happiness is a Warm Gun...

Category

1940s Academic Art

Materials

Tempera

Academic art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Academic art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of purple, blue, orange, pink and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Karen Darbinyan, Owen Jones, Paul Jones b.1921, and Mark Beard. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Academic art, so small editions measuring 1.5 inches across are also available. Prices for art made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $11 and tops out at $700,000, while the average work sells for $1,444.