Join National Museum of the United States Navy Collections Manager Suzanne Jones as she cites examples of maritime artworks on view in the collection, which show the influence of “Neoclassicism”. Neoclassicism was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Characteristics included clarity of form, emphasis on shallow space, and the use of strong horizontal and vertical lines, all meant to render the subject matter timeless. Paintings, in particular, contained historical subject matter meant to extol the virtues of honor and sacrifice. While many artists were active in this movement during the 18th century, several French painters were particularly prominent, including: Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Constance Marie Charpentier, Antoine Jean-Gros, and Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. Neoclassicism remained a force long after the early 19th century, with periodic waves of revival into the 20th and even the 21st centuries, especially in the United States and Russia.
This program is a collaboration with DC Public Library and continues NMUSN’s commitment to offsite programming within the communities it serves.
About the Speaker: Suzanne Jones is Collections Manager at the National Museum of the United States Navy. She attended Pratt Institute (both the Utica and Brooklyn campuses), as well as graduate school at the Corcoran College at George Washington University. Taking advantage of Washington D.C.’s many cultural offerings, she participated in internships in museum programming as well as collection management at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of American History. She has also worked for the National Woman’s Party at the National Park Service Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument processing their collection for relocation. In addition to fostering her own lifelong love of history and the arts, Ms. Jones volunteers with the National History Day competition to bolster the research, thinking, and communication skills of tomorrow’s historians.
Note: This program takes place at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, located at 901 G. Street NW, Washington, DC.
Register for this program on Eventbrite. For more information, email the National Museum of the U.S. Navy at paul.h.perry4.civ@us.navy.mil
Decatur Boarding the Tripolitan Gunboat, August 3, 1804. Oil on canvas by Dennis Malone Carter (Naval History and Heritage Command image)
