Neoclassicism and Romanticism
Rome became a school for all of Europe as antiquity was excavated, Canova carved in marble and Italy fought to become a nation.
By the middle of the 18th century, taste had turned away from the excesses of the Baroque and Rococo. The excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii, Winckelmann's writings and the collections of antiquities in Rome awakened a new longing for the simplicity and gravity of the ancient world. Rome became a meeting place for artists from all over Europe, Sweden included. There they studied ancient statues, drew ruins and sold portraits and views to wealthy travellers on the Grand Tour.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi made etchings of Rome's ruins that circulated throughout the continent and shaped the image of the city. Pompeo Batoni painted portraits of young Englishmen among ancient columns. Antonio Canova became the most famous sculptor in Europe, with works such as the lovers Cupid and Psyche and the portrait of Paolina Borghese. His white marble became the very symbol of Neoclassicism and its dream of timeless beauty. Rome was full of studios where copies and original works were sold to collectors. Artists worked side by side with restorers and dealers.
Napoleon's campaign of 1796 transformed Italy. Works of art were carried off to Paris, old states disappeared and new ideas of liberty and nationhood spread. After 1815 the old rulers were restored, but the longing for a united Italy lived on. Romanticism gave it expression. Francesco Hayez painted historical scenes with hidden political messages, and art became part of the Risorgimento, the national uprising that led to the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Art took on a new role as the bearer of the nation's history.