Erica Young
Western Governors University
March 2, 2016
Exploration of Humanities
Task 2
Cornelia Presenting Her Children My initial reaction to Angelica Kauffmann paint of Cornelia Presenting her Children is that is set in the Roman times. You see a woman in an ancient Roman dress and sandals. The children, Tiberius and Gaius look as they are sneaking up on the women. The younger child looks as she is bored by the conversation happening. The visitor seems to be showing of her jewels that she has and by the title of the painting I am guessing that Cornelia is showing of her sons as her gift or treasures. One of the details in the painting that interesting is the clothing of the individuals Kauffmann used a lot of detailing in the beautifully draped togas and sandals. The facial expression on the individuals is also very interesting and expressive.…show more content… Neoclassicism happened during eighteenth century and was a result of the enlightenment. Area of Rome and Greece helped serve as models of enlightened societies during this time period. Kauffmann was born in 1740 in Switzerland, Austria. She received a lot of her teaching from her father who was a Swiss muralist. She traveled around Europe studying art, architecture and the history of ancient Rome. Her interest in cultures of Europe was not just fueled by Rome but also the discovery of the ancient roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii which they began to excavate during 1738-1748. The cities were initially covered due to the volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius in August 79
