The Functions Of Antiques And Patrons In The Formation Of Antonio Canova' Art Style Of Sculptures

Antonio Canova (1757—1822) was an well-known artist who had international fame at the end of 18th century and the beginning of 19th century. He was also a brilliant sculptor in neoclassic period. Canova was crazy about the antiques produced in ancient Greek and Roman in all his life. His artistic creation was affected deeply by the antiques. He studied antiques in search of formal language of artistic creation. According to Greco-Roman antiques he produced his sculptures. In the times of Great Revolution and Napoleon when Canova lived, the relationship between artists and patrons had historical characteristics of that time: most of patrons forced their political purposes upon cultural productions which included artistic production. Canova took advantage of the recognition of international popularity and reputation to defend artists' independent freedom. He gave free play to his freedom in artistic production and thus he became the principal interpreter of the meaning of his works. When we study an artist, we should analyze and interpret the object of study in his living times. We should know the context of the artist's living. The artist's works is external form of his notion. An artist's growing course to a great extent influences on the formation of the conception of the art. We can analyze an artist's growing course from different sides and angles. An artist' growing course has its obvious particularity. As a master of neoclassic sculpture, Canova took a place in the history of art, and his marble sculptures were first-class and splendid. When I studied the sculptor's growing course in art, I fond it had the features of its own. This was profoundly manifested in the two ways: the influence of antiquities played a decisive role in the formation of the sculptor's style and governed the sculptor's creation of art in his life; secondly the sculptor's patrons influenced the sculptor's creation of art. This paper deals with the change from the late baroque style to the neoclassic style. We can understand the artist's works better by analyzing the reasons of the change of artistic styles. According to the central line which is the relationship of antiques, patrons and sculptor's art, the paper interprets the change and formation of Canova's artistic styles. According to the foregoing understanding, the paper consists mainly of two parts. According to the influence of antiquities on Canova, the first section interprets the formation of the sculptor's neoclassic style. According to the changes of relationship between artists and patrons from the baroque period to neoclassic period, and these influences on the sculptor's creation in art, the second section analyzes the changes of artistic styles of the sculptor.