As a student of the nineteenth century, particularly the Neoclassical era (ca. 1750 – 1815), and as a one-time student of the Classical world, I am intrigued by Aby Warburg’s “afterlife” or “survival” of antiquity unto our own time. The artists I will discuss are drawing upon Classical and Neoclassical art works and motifs, reactivating them to question, critique, and explore the artistic and intellectual ideals within those art works. In these moments of inspiration and reincorporation, artists connect to the past. Artists to be discussed include di Chirico, Picasso, Dali, Lily Cox-Richard, Karen LaMonte, Vik Muniz, Kehinde Wiley, and others.
