Classicism: A lens to the Age of Antiquity (8th Century - 5th Century BC)

 

The Creation of Adam (Italian: Creazione di Adamo), also known as The Creation of Man, is a fresco painting by Italian artist Michelangelo, which forms part of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, painted c. 1508–1512.

What is Classicism?

Classicism is a specific genre of philosophy that expresses itself in literature, architecture, art, and music, which has Ancient Greek and Roman sources and emphasizes society. It was particularly expressed in the Neoclassicism of the Age of Enlightenment.

Classicism is a term used to describe literature that reflected the thoughts and ideas from Ancient Greece and Rome.

What is the main idea of Classicism?

The primary idea behind Classicism is adherence to ancient principles of art, chiefly restraint, simplicity, elegance, and harmony. These applied to all facets of art, including painting, sculpture, architecture, and literature.

When was the Classicism period?

The Classicism period lasted primarily through the Renaissance, the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. The Neoclassical movement involved the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Classicism laid a foundation for Western Literature in the coming times, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Image: The School of Athen by Raphael, 1509-1511 AD

Greek Classicism:

Greek Classicism laid the foundation for European Literature that began with the Renaissance and the majority of their works on Greek and Roman classical works. 

Major Writers of the Greek Classicism:

Homer: The earliest known Greek classical writer is Homer who described the famous Trojan War in his poem The Iliad. He also wrote its sequel The Odyssey, talking about King Odysseus' journey back home after fighting in the Trojan War. He lived in the times called the Archaic period also known as the Dark Ages. The times when there was injustice, slavery and people lived like animals. By the end of the 6th century BC, civilization began to flourish and there was a wave of poetry, philosophy, art, etc.

Famous Tragedians:

1. Aeschylus.

2. Sophocles.

3. Euripides.

Philosopher:

1. Aristotle.

2. Socrates.

3. Plato.

After a while, Greece politically declined and Rome flourished. Legends of Homer such as the Iliad and Odyssey were passed down orally. It was a phase of warrior princes, wandering sea-farers, and fierce pirates.

Major writers of the Roman Classicism:

1. Virgil: Known as the 'Father of Pastoral poetry portrayed a lot of value from Greek philosophies, such as Stoicism (importance given to duty and discipline), Epicureanism (importance given to pleasure, you live only once so - Eat, drink, and be merry, because present is fleeting), Skepticism and Cynicism (doubting everything, not believing in major values).

2. Horace: He mainly wrote Odes, Satires, and Critical Essays. Horatian odes were simple and talked about everyday life and situations. They were written in a conversational style. Whereas Horatian essays were written as a laugh and mockery of human follies and shortcomings.

3. Ovid: Ovid's most famous work is Metamorphoses, which is filled with love stories and adventures of warriors and heroes.

4. Seneca: Seneca was one of the famous tragedians of Roman classical antiquity. His works were mainly based on blood tragedies and revenge stories.