The term Neoclassicism refers to the classical revival in European art, architecture, and interior design that lasted from the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth century. This period gave rebirth to the art of ancient Rome and Greece and the Renaissance as an opposition to the ostentatious Baroque and Rococo art that preceded the movement. Although the movement spread throughout Western Europe, France and England were the countries that used the style most frequently in their arts and architecture, using the classical elements to express ideas of nationalism, courage, and sacrifice. The movement was inspired by the discovery of ancient Italian artifacts at the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Also influential in the development was the cultural studies of German art historian Johann J. Winckelmann who claimed that the most important elements of classical art were "noble simplicity and calm grandeur."

Neoclassicism emphasized rationality and the resurgence of tradition. Neoclassical artists incorporated classical styles and subjects, including columns, pediments, friezes, and other ornamental schemes in their work. They were inspired by the work of Homer and Plutarch and John Flaxmann’s illustrations for the Illiad and Odyssey. Other classic models included Virgil, Raphael, and Poussin among others. Neoclassical painters took extra care to depict the costumes, settings, and details of classical subject matter with as much accuracy as possible. Much of the subject matter was derived from classical history and mythology. The movement emphasized line quality over color, light, and atmosphere. The height of Neoclassicism was displayed in the paintings of Jacques-Louis David and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.

Artists: (biography & artworks) Related Paintings Reproductions

Abildgaard, Nicolai Abraham - 1743 - 1809
Alma-Tadema, Sir Lawrence - 1836 - 1912
Appiani, Andrea - 1754 - 1817
Auguste, Robert-Joseph - 1723 - 1805
Banks, Thomas - 1735 - 1805
Bidauld, Jean-Joseph-Xavier - 1758 - 1846
Canova, Antonio - 1757 - 1822
Carlin, Martin - 1730 - 1785
Carracci, Annibale - 1560 - 1609
Carstens, Asmus Jakob - 1754 - 1798
Chinard, Joseph - 1756 - 1813
Crawford, Thomas - 1813 - 1857
Dadd, Richard - 1817 - 1886
David, Jacques-Louis - 1748 - 1825
Deare, John - 1759 - 1798
Drouais, Francois-Hubert - 1727 - 1775
Drouais, Jean-Germain - 1763 - 1788
Eckersberg, Christoffer Wilhelm - 1783 - 1853
Fabre, Francois-Xavier - 1766 - 1837
Feuerbach, Anselm - 1829 - 1880
Flandrin, Hippolyte - 1809 - 1864
Flaxman, John - 1755 - 1826
Garnier, Pierre - 1725 - 1800
Gerard, Francois - 1770 - 1837
Giani, Felice - 1758 - 1823
Girodet de Roussy-Trioson, Anne-Louis - 1767 - 1824
Godward, John William - 1861 - 1922
Greenough, Horatio - 1805 - 1852
Guerin, Pierre-Narcisse - 1774 - 1833
Houdon, Jean-Antoine - 1741 - 1828
Ingres, Jean-Auguste-Dominique - 1780 - 1867
Kauffmann, Angelica - 1741 - 1807
Labille-Guiard, Adelaide - 1749 - 1803
Lagrenee, Louis Jean Francois - 1725 - 1805
Ledoux, Claude-Nicolas - 1736 - 1806
Lehmann, Henri - 1814 - 1882
Mengs, Anton Raphael - 1728 - 1779
Nollekens, Joseph - 1737 - 1823
Pajou, Augustin - 1730 - 1809
Panini, Giovanni Paolo - 1692 - 1765
Paris, Pierre-Adrien - 1745 - 1819
Peale, Rembrandt - 1778 - 1860
Piranesi, Giovanni Battista - 1720 - 1778
Powers, Hiram - 1805 - 1873
Prud'hon, Pierre-Paul - 1758 - 1823
Romney, George - 1734 - 1802
Saly, Jacques-Francois-Joseph - 1717 - 1776
Sergel, Johan Tobias - 1740 - 1814
Troy, Jean-Francois de - 1679 - 1752
Vanderlyn, John - 1775 - 1852