History painting, which is often large in scale and multi-figure, tells the story of a grand or significant event. Their subject matter is historical events, or stories taken from classical mythology and other types of literature – including the Bible. Popular from the mid-fifteenth century until the end of the nineteenth century, history painting was classical and idealised in style.
The highest form of art
In 1648 the French Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture) decided to classify five hierarchies of genre (or type) in painting.
History painting was ranked the highest – ahead of portraiture, still life, scenes from daily life (which is usually called genre painting in art history), and landscape.
The reason history painting ranked so highly was because it included human subjects and was seen as having intellectual and moral weight.
Important proponents of history painting include Peter Paul Rubens, Nicolas Poussin, Paolo Veronese, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Eugène Delacroix.
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Painting in which the subject-matter is taken from classical, mythological, or biblical history. From the Renaissance to Neoclassicism this was regarded in academic circles as the highest form of painting, for the artist had to show all his talents – not only the skill of eye and hand, but also his mastery of the often complex and erudite subject-matter.
Text source: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms (2nd Edition) by Michael Clarke
Joshua Reynolds and the Grand Manner
One of Britain’s leading portrait painters in the eighteenth century, Joshua Reynolds believed artists should depict grand historical moments and ensure their pictures had intellectual heft.
Having travelled extensively in Italy where he studied antique art, Reynold's felt that art should look to the past – something he often did by using classical compositions or referencing historical figures.
As president of the Royal Academy, Reynolds discussed his ideas about art at great length in 15 lectures – or Discourses – in which he established the principles of the Grand Manner, understood as the highest form of painting based on classical ideals.
In his lectures, which he gave between 1769 and 1790, he encouraged students to learn from classical or Renaissance art and to ensure they dealt with morally elevated subjects.
Modern history painting and empire
Towards the end of the eighteenth century, history painting began to engage with modern historical subjects, in particular scenes of conflict. Rather than featuring figures in historical or classical dress, people were portrayed wearing modern clothes.
During this period, Britain was involved in a number of wars and empire expansion. Depicting contemporary events in the manner of history painting allowed artists such as Benjamin West to enhance nationalist ideas, or document colonialism and race.
The nineteenth century also saw Pre-Raphaelite artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais expand on ideas of history painting, drawing especially on literature and myth.
The problem with history painting today
History painting declined into the twentieth century, yet its influence can be seen in works such as The Death of Maximilian (1867–68) by Édouard Manet and Guernica (1937) by Pablo Picasso.
For many contemporary artists, art is a tool with which to revise historical events.
Artists such as Michael Armitage, Kerry James Marshall, Barbara Walker and Kehinde Wiley have especially reinvigorated the genre by rethinking the Black figure in art history.