By Anjali Kanda
In the 18th century, Britain and America were, simply put, on the outs. America had declared itself an independent nation as led forth by the Founding Fathers, a group of men notably including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. However, despite the animosity between the two countries, they shared one distinct and similar interest: an obsession with the ancient Graeco-Roman world. On both continents, education in the Classics was fundamental for wealthy citizens, and it was typical for Europeans – and some Americans – to embark on a “Grand Tour” of the Mediterranean to engage in antiquarianism (that is, looting) of ancient sites. Since such a voyage was not as accessible for the everyday American, elements of the historic cultures were instead brought to them. In particular, early Americans employed neoclassical architecture to justify their notion of dominance, a line of thinking which continues to modernity.
Freshly liberated in 1776, Americans struggled to find a united identity, but Thomas Jefferson believed the use of Neoclassical architecture could be the answer. In 1785, more than a millennium after the fall of the Roman Empire, Jefferson designed the Virginia State Capitol with the ancients in mind: he even explicitly cited a Roman temple located in southern France as an inspiration (Wilson 2011, 102; figs. 1-2).
Fig. 1. Virginia State Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson c. 1788. Photo by Will Weaver, July 2008.
In a letter to his fellow Father, James Madison, Jefferson stated his belief that such architecture would “increase [the] reputation” and “improve the taste of [his] countrymen” (Jefferson 1785). (Read the original letter here.) In total, Jefferson designed more than a dozen buildings in the
Fig 2. Maison Carrée (tr. “square house”), located in Nîmes, France. Built early 1st century CE. Photo by Richard Pilon, June 2017.
distinct neoclassical style. Some scholars insist Jefferson’s use of classicism was apolitical and purely aesthetic, motivated by the perceived geometric perfection of the monumental structures. However, in the vein of Hannes Obermair’s quote, “no architecture is neutral,” it would be remiss to dismiss the imperial implications associated with the use of Neoclassicism (Sakalis 2022).
The early Americans were not the first, nor would they be the last, to attempt to align themselves with the Classical world. In the 20th century, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini purposefully used Roman symbols, such as the fasces, in propaganda and isolated ancient monuments as a way to link himself to his supposed predecessors. Moreover, his building projects exemplified distinct classical features. Leading examples include the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana – which was designed in the neoclassical style to feature rows of uniform archways with statues of mythological figures, reminiscent of the Colosseum – and the Stadio dei Marmi, a sports stadium located in the Foro Mussolini, later renamed Foro Italico (Baxa 2010, 73; fig. 3). The Stadio dei Marmi, as the name suggests, contains multitudes of marble statues with the specific intent of amplifying an idealised athletic body: an effort to subtly introduce the standard of fitness expected for soldiers in successful colonial campaigns (Mras 1961, 7–10). In this way, Mussolini used Neoclassical architecture to service his imperial objectives.
Fig 3. The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. Photo by Antonio Cinotti, February 2017.
Like many nations across a centuries-long span, vying to become the next great empire, both Italy and America looked back at the Greeks and Romans as the paradigm. Namely, early America strove to reproduce the dominance they perceived of the Classical civilizations. By employing Neoclassical architecture, the United States of America created a foundation for the justification of its believed superiority. Remnants of this precedent can still be seen in monumental architecture and modern propaganda – one needn’t look far beyond the Ionic columns of the White House to find examples for contemporary exploitations of the ancient world.
References
Baxa, Paul. 2010. Roads and Ruins: The Symbolic Landscape of Fascist Rome. University of Toronto Press.
Jefferson, Thomas. 1785. “To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 20 September 1785,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-08-02-0191. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 8, 10 March 1784 – 28 March 1786, ed. Robert A. Rutland and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973, pp. 366–369.]
Mras, George P. “Italian Fascist Architecture: Theory and Image.” Art Journal 21, no. 1 (1961): 7–12. https://doi.org/10.2307/774290.
Sakalis, Alex. 2002. “What happens to Fascist architecture after fascism?“ BBC News, January 17, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220117-what-happens-to-fascist-architecture-after-fascism
Wilson, Richard. 2011. Thomas Jefferson’s Classical Architecture: An American Agenda. In P. S. Onuf & N. P. Cole (Eds.), Thomas Jefferson, the Classical World, and Early America (pp. 99 – 127). Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press.