The European direction of classicism was based on the ideas of rationalism and the canons of ancient art. It presupposes strict rules for creating a work of art, which give it conciseness and logic. Attention is paid only to a clear elaboration of the main part, without being scattered on the details. The priority goal of this direction is to fulfill the social and educational function of art.

The formation of classicism occurs in each united territory, but in different time periods. The need for this direction is felt in historical period transition from feudal fragmentation to territorial statehood under an absolute monarchy. In Europe, the emergence of classicism occurred primarily in Italy, but one cannot fail to note the significant influence of the emerging French and English bourgeoisie.

Classicism in painting

(Giovanni Battista Tiepolo "Cleopatra's Feast")

In their creative searches, sculptors and artists turned to ancient art and transferred its features into their works. This generated a wave of public interest in art. Despite the fact that the views of classicism imply a natural depiction of everything that is presented in the picture, the masters of the Renaissance, like ancient creators, idealized human figures. The people depicted in the paintings are more like sculptures: they “freeze” in eloquent poses, male bodies are athletic, and female figures they are hyperbolically feminine, even the heroes of old age have taut and elastic skin. This trend, borrowed from ancient Greek sculptors, is explained by the fact that in ancient times man was presented as an ideal creation of God without flaws and shortcomings.

(Claude Lorrain "Afternoon. Rest on the Flight to Egypt")

Ancient mythology also had a significant impact on the development of style. On initial stages it was expressed literally, in the form of mythical plots. Over time, the manifestations became more veiled: mythology was represented by ancient buildings, creatures or objects. The late period was marked by a symbolistic interpretation of myths: through individual elements, artists conveyed their own thoughts, emotions and moods.

(Fyodor Mikhailovich Matveev "View of Rome. Colosseum")

The function of classicism in the bosom of world artistic culture is moral public education, formation of ethical norms and rules. The regulation of creative laws established a strict hierarchy of genres, each of which contained formal boundaries:

• Low(still life, landscape, portrait);
• High(historical, mythological, religious).

(Nicolas Poussin "The Arcadian Shepherds")

The founder of the style is considered to be the painter Nicolas Poussin. His works are built on sublime philosophical subjects. From a technical point of view, the structure of the paintings is harmonious and complemented by rhythmic coloring. Vivid examples works by the master: “The Finding of Moses”, “Rinaldo and Armida”, “The Death of Germanicus” and “The Arcadian Shepherds”.

(Ivan Petrovich Argunov "Portrait of an unknown woman in a dark blue dress")

In Russian art of classicism, portrait images predominate. Admirers of this style are A. Agrunov, A. Antropov, D. Levitsky, O. Kiprensky, F. Rokotov.

Classicism in architecture

The fundamental features of the style are clarity of lines, clear, uncomplicated forms, and lack of abundance of details. Classicism sought to rationally use every square meter of space. Over time, style has been influenced different cultures and the worldview of masters from all over Europe. In the architecture of classicism, the following directions are distinguished:

• Palladianism

The initial form of manifestation of classicism, the founder of which is considered to be the architect Andrea Palladio. The absolute symmetry of the buildings reveals the spirit of the architecture of Ancient Greece and Rome;

• empire style

The direction of high (late) classicism, the birthplace of which is considered to be France during the reign of Napoleon I. The royal style combines theatricality and classic elements(columns, stucco moldings, pilasters), located in accordance with clear rules and perspective;

• neo-Greek

"Return" of ancient Greek images with features Italian Renaissance in the 1820s. The founders of the direction are Henri Labrouste and Leo von Klenze. The uniqueness lies in the detailed reproduction of classics on parliament buildings, museums, and churches;

• regency style

In 1810-1830 A style developed that combined classical trends with French design. Particular attention is paid to the decoration of the facades: geometrically correct patterns and ornaments of the walls are complemented by decorated window openings. The emphasis is on decorative elements framing the front door.

(Stupinigi - country residence of the monarchs of the House of Savoy, province of Turin, Italy)

The main features of classicism in architecture:

• Majestic simplicity;
• Minimum number of parts;
• Laconicism and rigor of both external and internal decoration of buildings;
• A dim color palette dominated by milky, beige, and light gray shades;
• High ceilings decorated with stucco;
• The interior included items exclusively with a functional purpose;
• The decorative elements used were regal columns, arches, exquisite stained glass windows, openwork railings, lamps, carved fireplace grates, and light curtains made of simple materials.

(Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow)

Classicism is recognized as one of the most widespread styles throughout the world. In Europe, the vector of development of this trend was influenced by the works of the masters Palladio and Scamozzi. And in France, the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot was the author of structural solutions basic to the style. Germany acquired several administrative buildings in the classical style thanks to the masters Leo von Klenze and Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Andreyan Zakharov, Andrey Voronikhin and Karl Rossi made an invaluable contribution to the development of this direction in Russia.

Conclusion

The era of classicism left behind many magnificent creations of artists and architects, which can be seen throughout Europe to this day. The most large-scale projects of the late 17th and early 19th centuries took place under the auspices of classicism: city parks, resorts, and even new cities were rebuilt. By the 20s of the 19th century, the strict style was diluted with elements of luxurious Baroque and Renaissance.

Classicism as an artistic style

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1. Characteristics of classicism as a movement in art

Classicism is an artistic movement in art and literature XVII 1st early 19th century In many ways he opposed the Baroque with its passion, variability, and inconsistency, asserting his principles.

Classicism is based on the ideas of rationalism, which were formed simultaneously with those in the philosophy of Descartes. A work of art, from the point of view of classicism, “must be built on the basis of strict canons, thereby revealing the harmony and logic of the universe itself.” Of interest to classicism is only the eternal, the unchangeable - in every phenomenon it strives to recognize only the essential, typological features, discarding random individual characteristics. The aesthetics of classicism attaches great importance to the social and educational function of art. Classicism takes many rules and canons from ancient art (Aristotle, Horace).

Classicism establishes a strict hierarchy of genres, which are divided into high (ode, tragedy, epic) and low (comedy, satire, fable). Each genre has strictly defined characteristics, the mixing of which is not allowed.

Classicism appeared in France. In the formation and development of this style, two stages can be distinguished. The first stage refers to XVII century. For the classics of this period, unsurpassed examples artistic creativity There were works of ancient art, where the ideal was order, rationality, and harmony. In their works they sought beauty and truth, clarity, harmony, completeness of construction. Second stage 1st XVIII century. It entered the history of European culture as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. Man attached great importance to knowledge and believed in the ability to explain the world. The main character is a person who is ready for heroic deeds, subordinating his interests to the general ones, his spiritual impulses to the voice of reason. He is distinguished by moral steadfastness, courage, truthfulness, and devotion to duty. The rational aesthetics of classicism was reflected in all types of art.

The architecture of this period is characterized by orderliness, functionality, proportionality of parts, a tendency towards balance and symmetry, clarity of plans and constructions, and strict organization. From this point of view, the symbol of classicism is the geometric layout of the royal park at Versailles, where trees, shrubs, sculptures and fountains were located according to the laws of symmetry. The Tauride Palace, erected by I. Starov, became the standard of Russian strict classics.

In painting, the logical development of the plot, a clear balanced composition, a clear transfer of volume, the subordinate role of color with the help of chiaroscuro, and the use of local colors acquired the main importance (N. Poussin, C. Lorrain, J. David).

In the art of poetry, there was a division into “high” (tragedy, ode, epic) and “low” (comedy, fable, satire) genres. Prominent Representatives French literature P. Corneille, F. Racine, J.B. Moliere had a great influence on the formation of classicism in other countries.

An important point of this period was the creation of various academies: sciences, painting, sculpture, architecture, inscriptions, music and dance.

The artistic style of classicism (from the Latin classicus Ї “exemplary”) arose in the 17th century in France. Based on ideas about regularity and rationality of the world order, the masters of this style “strove for clear and strict forms, harmonious patterns, the embodiment of high moral ideals". They considered works of ancient art to be the highest, unsurpassed examples of artistic creativity, so they developed antique stories and images. Classicism largely opposed the Baroque with its passion, variability, and inconsistency, asserting its principles in different types art, including music. In the opera of the 18th century. classicism is represented by the works of Christoph Willibald Gluck, who created a new interpretation of this type of musical and dramatic art. The pinnacle in the development of musical classicism was the work of Joseph Haydn,

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, who worked mainly in Vienna and formed a direction in the musical culture of the second half of the XVIII I started XIX centuryЇ Viennese classical scale. Classicism in music is in many ways different from classicism in literature, theater or painting. In music it is impossible to rely on ancient traditions; they are almost unknown. In addition, the content of musical compositions is often associated with the world of human feelings, which are not subject to the strict control of the mind. However, the composers of the Viennese school created a very harmonious and logical system of rules for constructing a work. Thanks to such a system, the most complex feelings were clothed in a clear and perfect form. Suffering and joy became for the composer a subject of reflection, rather than experience. And if in other types of art the laws of classicism are already in early XIX V. seemed outdated to many, then in music the system of genres, forms and rules of harmony developed Viennese school, still retains its significance.

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Among artistic styles Classicism, which became widespread in the advanced countries of the world in the period from the 17th to the beginning of the 19th century, is of no small importance. He became the heir to the ideas of the Enlightenment and manifested himself in almost all types of European and Russian art. He often came into conflict with the Baroque, especially at the stage of its formation in France.

Each country has its own age of classicism. It first developed in France - back in the 17th century, and a little later - in England and Holland. In Germany and Russia, the direction was established closer to the middle of the 18th century, when the time of neoclassicism had already begun in other countries. But this is not so significant. Another thing is more important: this direction became the first serious system in the field of culture, which laid the foundation for its further development.

What is classicism as a movement?

The name comes from the Latin word classicus, which means “exemplary”. Main principle manifested itself in an appeal to the traditions of antiquity. They were perceived as the norm to which one should strive. The authors of the works were attracted by such qualities as simplicity and clarity of form, conciseness, rigor and harmony in everything. This applied to any works created during the period of classicism: literary, musical, pictorial, architectural. Each creator sought to find his place for everything, clear and strictly defined.

Main features of classicism

All types of art were characterized by the following features that help to understand what classicism is:

• a rational approach to the image and the exclusion of everything related to sensuality;
• the main purpose of a person is to serve the state;
• strict canons in everything;
• an established hierarchy of genres, the mixing of which is unacceptable.

Concretization of artistic features

Analysis individual species art helps to understand how the style of “classicism” was embodied in each of them.

How classicism was realized in literature

In this type of art, classicism was defined as a special direction in which the desire to re-educate with words was clearly expressed. Authors works of art believed in a happy future where justice, freedom of all citizens, and equality would prevail. It meant, first of all, liberation from all types of oppression, including religious and monarchical. Classicism in literature necessarily required compliance with three unities: action (no more than one storyline), time (all events fit within a day), place (there was no movement in space). More recognition in this style was given to J. Molière, Voltaire (France), L. Gibbon (England), M. Twain, D. Fonvizin, M. Lomonosov (Russia).

Development of classicism in Russia

The new artistic direction established itself in Russian art later than in other countries - closer to the middle of the 18th century - and occupied a leading position until the first third of the 19th century. Russian classicism, in contrast to Western European, relied more on national traditions. This is where his originality manifested itself.

Initially it came to architecture, where it reached its greatest heights. This was due to the construction of a new capital and the growth of Russian cities. The achievement of the architects was the creation of majestic palaces, comfortable residential buildings, country houses noble estates. The creation of architectural ensembles in the city center, which fully make it clear what classicism is, deserves special attention. These are, for example, the buildings of Tsarskoe Selo (A. Rinaldi), the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (I. Starov), the Spit of Vasilievsky Island (J. de Thomon) in St. Petersburg and many others.

The pinnacle of the architects’ work can be called the construction of the Marble Palace according to the design of A. Rinaldi, in the decoration of which natural stone was used for the first time.

No less famous is Petrodvorets (A. Schlüter, V. Rastrelli), which is an example of landscape art. Numerous buildings, fountains, sculptures, the layout itself - everything amazes with its proportionality and cleanliness of execution.

Literary direction in Russia

The development of classicism in Russian literature deserves special attention. Its founders were V. Trediakovsky, A. Kantemir, A. Sumarokov.

However, the greatest contribution to the development of the concept of what classicism is was made by the poet and scientist M. Lomonosov. He developed a system of three styles, which determined the requirements for writing works of art, and created a model of a solemn message - an ode, which was most popular in the literature of the second half of the 18th century.

The traditions of classicism were fully manifested in the plays of D. Fonvizin, especially in the comedy “The Minor.” In addition to the mandatory observance of the three unities and the cult of reason, the features of Russian comedy include the following points:

• a clear division of heroes into negative and positive and the presence of a reasoner expressing the position of the author;
• the presence of a love triangle;
• the punishment of vice and the triumph of good in the finale.

Works of the classicism era as a whole became the most important component in the development of world art.

In music, like in no other art form, the concept of “classic” has an ambiguous content. Everything is relative, and any yesterday’s hits that have stood the test of time - be it the masterpieces of Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Prokofiev or, say, The Beatles- can be classified as a classic work.

May lovers forgive me early music for the frivolous word “hit”, but great composers once wrote for their contemporaries popular music, without aiming at eternity at all.

What is all this for? To the fact that It is important to separate the broad concept of classical music and classicism as a direction in musical art.

The era of classicism

Classicism, which replaced the Renaissance through several stages, took shape in France in late XVII century, reflecting in his art partly the serious rise of the absolute monarchy, partly the change in worldview from religious to secular.

IN XVIII century started new round development public consciousness- The Age of Enlightenment has arrived. The pomp and pomp of Baroque, the immediate predecessor of classicism, was replaced by a style based on simplicity and naturalness.

Aesthetic principles of classicism

The art of classicism is based on cult of reason – rationalism, harmony and logic . The name "classicism" in origin is associated with the word from Latin language– classicus, which means “exemplary”. The ideal model for artists of this trend was ancient aesthetics with its harmonious logic and harmony. In classicism, reason prevails over feelings, individualism is not welcomed, and in any phenomenon general, typological features acquire paramount importance. Each work of art must be built according to strict canons. The requirement of the era of classicism is the balance of proportions, excluding everything superfluous and secondary.

Classicism is characterized by a strict division into "high" and "low" genres . “High” works are works that refer to ancient and religious subjects, written in solemn language (tragedy, hymn, ode). And “low” genres are those works that are presented in vernacular language and reflect folk life(fable, comedy). Mixing genres was unacceptable.

Classicism in music - Viennese classics

The development of a new musical culture in the middle of the 18th century gave rise to the emergence of many private salons, musical societies and orchestras, holding open concerts and opera performances.

Capital musical world in those days there was Vienna. Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven are three great names that went down in history as.

The composers of the Viennese school were masters of the most different genres music - from everyday songs to symphonies. High style music, in which there is a rich figurative content embodied in a simple but perfect artistic form, - this is the main feature of the work of the Viennese classics.

Musical culture classicism, like literature, as well as fine arts, glorifies the actions of a person, his emotions and feelings, over which reason reigns. Creative artists in their works are characterized by logical thinking, harmony and clarity. The simplicity and ease of the statements of classical composers might seem banal to the modern ear (in some cases, of course), if their music were not so brilliant.

Each of the Viennese classics had a bright, unique personality. Haydn and Beethoven gravitated more towards instrumental music - sonatas, concertos and symphonies. Mozart was universal in everything - he created everything with ease. He had a huge influence on the development of opera, creating and improving its various types - from opera buffe to musical drama.

In terms of composers’ preferences for certain figurative spheres, Haydn is more typical of objective folk-genre sketches, pastoralism, gallantry; Beethoven is close to heroism and drama, as well as philosophy, and, of course, nature, and to a small extent, refined lyricism. Mozart covered, perhaps, all existing figurative spheres.

Genres of musical classicism

The musical culture of classicism is associated with the creation of many genres instrumental music- such as a sonata, symphony, concerto. A multi-part sonata-symphonic form (a 4-part cycle) was formed, which is still the basis of many instrumental works.

In the era of classicism, the main types of chamber ensembles emerged - trios and string quartets. The system of forms developed by the Viennese school is still relevant today - modern “bells and whistles” are layered on it as a basis.

Let us briefly dwell on the innovations characteristic of classicism.

Sonata form

The sonata genre existed back in early XVII century, but the sonata form was finally formed in the works of Haydn and Mozart, and Beethoven brought it to perfection and even began to break the strict canons of the genre.

The classical sonata form is based on the opposition of two themes (often contrasting, sometimes conflicting) - the main and secondary - and their development.

The sonata form includes 3 main sections:

1. first section – exposition(carrying out the main topics),
2. second - development(development and comparison of topics)
3. and the third - reprise(a modified repetition of an exposition, in which there is usually a tonal convergence of previously opposed themes).

As a rule, the first, fast parts of a sonata or symphonic cycle were written in sonata form, which is why the name sonata allegro was assigned to them.

Sonata-symphonic cycle

In terms of structure and the logic of the sequence of parts, symphonies and sonatas are very similar, hence the common name for their integral musical form– sonata-symphonic cycle.

Classical symphony almost always consists of 4 parts:

• I – fast active part in its traditional sonata allegro form;
• II – slow movement (its form, as a rule, is not strictly regulated - variations are possible here, and three-part complex or simple forms, and rondo sonatas, and slow sonata form);
• III - minuet (sometimes scherzo), the so-called genre movement - almost always complex three-part in form;
• IV is the final and final fast movement, for which the sonata form was also often chosen, sometimes the rondo or rondo sonata form.

Concert

The name of the concert as a genre comes from the Latin word concertare - “competition”. This is a piece for orchestra and solo instrument. Instrumental concert, created during the Renaissance and which received a simply grandiose development in the work of the Viennese classics, acquired a sonata-symphonic form.

String Quartet

Compound string quartet usually includes two violins, viola and cello. The form of the quartet, similar to the sonata-symphonic cycle, was already determined by Haydn. Mozart and Beethoven also made great contributions and paved the way for further development this genre.

The musical culture of classicism became a kind of “cradle” for the string quartet; in subsequent times and to this day, composers do not stop writing more and more new works in the concert genre - this type of work turned out to be so in demand.

Music of classicism amazingly combines external simplicity and clarity with deep internal content, which is not alien to strong feelings and drama. Classicism, in addition, is the style of a certain historical era, and this style is not forgotten, but has serious connections with the music of our time (neoclassicism, polystylistics).

A work of art, from the point of view of classicism, should be built on the basis of strict canons, thereby revealing the harmony and logic of the universe itself.

Of interest to classicism is only the eternal, the unchangeable - in each phenomenon it strives to recognize only essential, typological features, discarding random individual characteristics. The aesthetics of classicism attaches great importance to the social and educational function of art. Classicism takes many rules and canons from ancient art (Aristotle, Horace).

Predominant and fashionable colors	Rich colors; green, pink, purple with gold accent, sky blue
Classicism style lines	Strict repeating vertical and horizontal lines; bas-relief in a round medallion; smooth generalized drawing; symmetry
Form	Clarity and geometric shapes; statues on the roof, rotunda; for the Empire style - expressive pompous monumental forms
Characteristic interior elements	Discreet decor; round and ribbed columns, pilasters, statues, antique ornaments, coffered vault; for the Empire style, military decor (emblems); symbols of power
Constructions	Massive, stable, monumental, rectangular, arched
Windows	Rectangular, elongated upward, with a modest design
Classic style doors	Rectangular, paneled; with a massive gable portal on round and ribbed columns; with lions, sphinxes and statues

Directions of classicism in architecture: Palladianism, Empire style, Neo-Greek, “Regency style”.

The main feature The architecture of classicism was an appeal to the forms of ancient architecture as a standard of harmony, simplicity, rigor, logical clarity and monumentality. The architecture of classicism as a whole is characterized by regularity of layout and clarity of volumetric form. The basis of the architectural language of classicism was the order, in proportions and forms close to antiquity. Classicism is characterized by symmetrical axial compositions, restraint of decorative decoration, and a regular city planning system.

The emergence of the classicism style

In 1755, Johann Joachim Winckelmann wrote in Dresden: “The only way for us to become great, and if possible inimitable, is to imitate the ancients.” This call to renew modern art, taking advantage of the beauty of antiquity, perceived as an ideal, found active support in European society. The progressive public saw in classicism a necessary contrast to court baroque. But the enlightened feudal lords did not reject imitation of ancient forms. The era of classicism coincided in time with the era of bourgeois revolutions - the English one in 1688, the French one 101 years later.

The architectural language of classicism was formulated at the end of the Renaissance by the great Venetian master Palladio and his follower Scamozzi.

The Venetians absolutized the principles of ancient temple architecture to such an extent that they even applied them in the construction of such private mansions as Villa Capra. Inigo Jones brought Palladianism north to England, where local Palladian architects followed Palladian principles with varying degrees of fidelity until mid-18th century century.

Historical characteristics of the classicism style

By that time, satiety with the “whipped cream” of the late Baroque and Rococo began to accumulate among the intellectuals of continental Europe.

Born of the Roman architects Bernini and Borromini, Baroque thinned out into Rococo, a predominantly chamber style with an emphasis on interior decoration and decorative arts. This aesthetics was of little use for solving large urban planning problems. Already under Louis XV (1715-74), urban planning ensembles were built in Paris in the “ancient Roman” style, such as the Place de la Concorde (architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel) and the Church of Saint-Sulpice, and under Louis XVI (1774-92) a similar “noble Laconism" is already becoming the main architectural direction.

From the Rococo forms, initially marked by Roman influence, after the completion of the construction of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in 1791, sharp turn towards Greek forms. After the liberation wars against Napoleon, this “Hellenism” found its masters in K.F. Schinkel and L. von Klenze. Facades, columns and triangular pediments became the architectural alphabet.

The desire to translate the noble simplicity and calm grandeur of ancient art into modern construction led to the desire to completely copy an ancient building. What F. Gilly left as a project for a monument to Frederick II, by order of Ludwig I of Bavaria, was carried out on the slopes of the Danube in Regensburg and received the name Walhalla (Walhalla “Chamber of the Dead”).

The most significant interiors in the classicist style were designed by the Scot Robert Adam, who returned to his homeland from Rome in 1758. He was greatly impressed by both the archaeological research of Italian scientists and the architectural fantasies of Piranesi. In Adam’s interpretation, classicism was a style hardly inferior to rococo in the sophistication of its interiors, which gained it popularity not only among democratically minded circles of society, but also among the aristocracy. Like his French colleagues, Adam preached a complete rejection of details devoid of constructive function.

The Frenchman Jacques-Germain Soufflot, during the construction of the Church of Sainte-Geneviève in Paris, demonstrated the ability of classicism to organize vast urban spaces. The massive grandeur of his designs foreshadowed the megalomania of the Napoleonic Empire style and late classicism. In Russia, Bazhenov moved in the same direction as Soufflot. The French Claude-Nicolas Ledoux and Etienne-Louis Boullé went even further towards developing a radical visionary style with an emphasis on abstract geometrization of forms. In revolutionary France, the ascetic civic pathos of their projects was of little demand; Ledoux's innovation was fully appreciated only by the modernists of the 20th century.

The architects of Napoleonic France drew inspiration from majestic images military glory left behind by imperial Rome, such as the triumphal arch of Septimius Severus and Trajan's Column. By order of Napoleon, these images were transferred to Paris in the form triumphal arch Carrousel and Vendôme Column. In relation to monuments of military greatness from the era of the Napoleonic wars, the term “imperial style” is used - Empire. In Russia, Carl Rossi, Andrei Voronikhin and Andreyan Zakharov proved themselves to be outstanding masters of the Empire style.

In Britain, the empire style corresponds to the so-called. “Regency style” (the largest representative is John Nash).

The aesthetics of classicism favored large-scale urban planning projects and led to the streamlining of urban development on the scale of entire cities.

In Russia, almost all provincial and many district cities were replanned in accordance with the principles of classicist rationalism. Cities such as St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Warsaw, Dublin, Edinburgh and a number of others have turned into genuine open-air museums of classicism. A single architectural language, dating back to Palladio, dominated throughout the entire space from Minusinsk to Philadelphia. Ordinary development was carried out in accordance with albums of standard projects.

In the period following Napoleonic wars, classicism had to get along with romantically colored eclecticism, in particular with the return of interest in the Middle Ages and the fashion for architectural neo-Gothic. In connection with Champollion's discoveries, Egyptian motifs are gaining popularity. Interest in ancient Roman architecture is replaced by reverence for everything ancient Greek (“neo-Greek”), which was especially pronounced in Germany and the USA. German architects Leo von Klenze and Karl Friedrich Schinkel built up, respectively, Munich and Berlin with grandiose museum and other public buildings in the spirit of the Parthenon.

In France, the purity of classicism is diluted with free borrowings from the architectural repertoire of the Renaissance and Baroque (see Beaux Arts).

Princely palaces and residences became the centers of construction in the classicist style; Marktplatz (marketplace) in Karlsruhe, Maximilianstadt and Ludwigstrasse in Munich, as well as construction in Darmstadt, became especially famous. Prussian kings in Berlin and Potsdam they built mainly in the classical style.

But palaces were no longer the main object of construction. Villas and country houses could no longer be distinguished from them. The scope of state construction included public buildings - theaters, museums, universities and libraries. To these were added buildings for social purposes - hospitals, homes for the blind and deaf-mute, as well as prisons and barracks. The picture was complemented by country estates of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie, town halls and residential buildings in cities and villages.

The construction of churches no longer played a primary role, but remarkable buildings were created in Karlsruhe, Darmstadt and Potsdam, although there was a debate as to whether pagan ones were suitable architectural forms for a Christian monastery.

Construction features of the classicism style

After the collapse of the great historical styles that had survived centuries, in the 19th century. There is a clear acceleration in the process of architecture development. This becomes especially obvious if we compare the last century with the entire previous thousand-year development. If early medieval architecture and Gothic spanned about five centuries, the Renaissance and Baroque together covered only half of this period, then classicism took less than a century to take over Europe and penetrate overseas.

Characteristic features of the classicism style

With a change in the point of view on architecture, with the development of construction technology, and the emergence of new types of structures in the 19th century. There was also a significant shift in the center of world development of architecture. In the foreground are countries that did not experience the highest stage of Baroque development. Classicism reaches its peak in France, Germany, England and Russia.

Classicism was an expression of philosophical rationalism. The concept of classicism was the use of ancient form-formation systems in architecture, which, however, were filled with new content. The aesthetics of simple ancient forms and a strict order were put in contrast to the randomness and laxity of architectural and artistic manifestations of the worldview.

Classicism stimulated archaeological research, which led to discoveries about advanced ancient civilizations. The results of archaeological expeditions, summarized in extensive scientific research, laid theoretical foundations a movement whose participants considered ancient culture to be the pinnacle of perfection in the art of construction, an example of absolute and eternal beauty. The popularization of ancient forms was facilitated by numerous albums containing images of architectural monuments.

Types of classicism style buildings

The character of architecture in most cases remained dependent on the tectonics of the load-bearing wall and the vault, which became flatter. The portico becomes an important plastic element, while the walls outside and inside are divided by small pilasters and cornices. In the composition of the whole and details, volumes and plans, symmetry prevails.

The color scheme is characterized by light pastel tones. White, as a rule, serves to identify architectural elements that are a symbol of active tectonics. The interior becomes lighter, more restrained, the furniture is simple and light, while the designers used Egyptian, Greek or Roman motifs.

The most significant urban planning concepts and their implementation in kind are associated with classicism late XVIII and first half of the 19th century V. During this period, new cities, parks, and resorts were founded.