Definition:
(noun) - "History" painting or sculpture was a category of art in the old academic tradition, based on the values of ancient Greece and Rome. Different categories in art received different consideration and respect.
History painting was at the top of the list by far. It was not only respected, it was revered. Portraiture, genre pieces, landscape and still-life were considered far less important. In their hierarchy of subjects, the Academy thought this way:
- History Painting or Sculpture
- Portraiture
- Genre (Scenes of Daily Life)
- Landscape
- Still Life
Any artist who craved renown worked on his or her "history" masterpieces. Portraiture brought in a steady income, but not fame. Ingres excelled at portraiture and would probably roll over in his grave if he knew we prefer his portraits to his weaker history paintings. We no longer care about this academic category system.
History painting or sculpture offered scenes of moral consequence. They were supposed to be instructive and uplifting. These morality tales came from mythology, the Bible, and great moments in history.
The most important element was the figure, often the nude, which gave the artist an opportunity to show off his or her skill in rendering form. The nude was considered the most important vehicle of visual expression. Studying anatomy through plaster casts, the live model or other works of art fulfilled the Academy's requirements.
Before the Modern Era, women often found themselves unable to study the nude. It was considered inappropriate for a nice young lady. These aspiring artists had to settle for portraiture, landscape, still life and charming scenes of family life (genre painting). This barrier limited their careers and access to achieving great honors, a fact art historian Linda Nochlin addressed in her landmark essay "Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?" (ARTNews, January 1971).
The Italian Baroque artist Artemesia Gentilleschi exemplifies that rare case when a woman artist developed her talent in her father's studio. She become a well-respected history painter whose work was commissioned. This was not the norm for most women artist over the centuries.
Modernism dismantled the Academy hegemony (that's English for authority and leadership). Édouard Manet's great faux pas was to paint a contemporary courtesan, Olympia (1863) - in the nude - instead of a goddess, a nymph or an odalisque (a member of an exotic fantasy harem) - in the nude. Nudity among the imagined or inaccessible in the "history" category had always been acceptable.
The radical troublesome Impressionists turned their backs on this antiquated system of valuation by concentrating on anything but "history" painting. They knew that gardens, railway stations and bridges over the Seine did not rate among the Academy's judges for the annual Salon. They didn't care. Goddesses and ancient history did not relate to their generation - the togas and Roman orgies just had to go.
Pronunciation:
his·story payn·ting or skullp·chore