Classicism is the direction of European culture of the late 17th - early 19th century. The name comes from the Latin word classicus, which means “exemplary” in translation. A distinctive feature of classicism is considered to be a strictly developed system of artistic norms that must have been observed, the manifestation of creative imagination was considered unacceptable. The ideas of classicism were present in all areas of cultural life. Classicism in art, literature, painting, architecture, music was to express universal harmony.
The basic principles of classicism were formulated in a treatise by Nicolas Boileau (France 1674). In it, he convincingly substantiated a number of requirements of an artistic nature that were presented to literary creation. Dramatic works were to be sustained in the strict rule of the three unities. The unity of the place means a fixed space where events take place, the unity of time - a certain, limited time period, the unity of action - one central storyline.
Also, according to F. Fenelon and M. V. Lomonosov, representatives of classicism in literature are required to observe a strict hierarchy of genres and styles. "High calm" - sublime vocabulary, genres: odes, heroic poems. "Middle Calm" - elegy, satirical works, dramas. "Low Calm" - private and everyday life, genres: fables, comedies, letters. Mixing styles was forbidden. By the beginning of the 19th century, classicism began to be squeezed out of the pedestal by such styles as sentimentalism and romanticism. The pursuit of rigor and clarity stopped.
Classicism appeared in Russia only at the beginning of the 18th century. The impetus for its development was the transformation of Peter I and the theory of “Three Calmness” by Lomonosov, the reform of Trediakovsky. The most famous representatives of classicism in Russia: Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin (comedy), Antioch Dmitrievich Kantemir (satire), Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin and Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov (ode), Ivan Ivanovich Chemnitzer and Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov (fable). The central problem of society at that time was the problem of power, so Russian classicism has its own peculiar sides, in contrast to Western classicism. Since after Peter the Great no emperor came to power legally, the actual problem was intrigue, palace coups, the monarch’s inconsistency with the expectations of the courtiers and the people. It is these problems that are reflected in Russian classicism.
Representatives of classicism in music, for example, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, forever entered the history of the world. Their works became a guideline for the development of further musical composition. Musical works began to have a clearer structure, all parts of one work were balanced.
Classicism strongly influenced such a cultural sector as architecture. Antique forms were used, Greek, Roman motifs are visible. Pastel shades prevail. In Russia, a mix of Byzantine culture and Russian Baroque is very noticeable. Representatives of classicism in Russian architecture: Kazakov, Eropkin, Zemtsov, Korobov, Rossi, Stasov, Montferrand.
Classicism in painting, as a rule, emphasizes the smoothness of forms, and the main elements of the form are line and chiaroscuro. One of the best painters recognized N. Poussin and K. Lorren. Poussin created masterpieces, which depicted heroic exploits, stories in a historical style. Lorren, in turn, was engaged in landscapes, where the connection between man and nature, the harmony of their interaction is noticeable. Representatives of classicism in Russian painting: an unrivaled master of historical paintings A.P. Losenko, his students (I. A. Akimov, P. I. Sokolov and others).