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Art & Art History vocabulary · Movements & Periods

Neoclassicism

Meaning in art & art history, with examples

/ˌniːoʊˈklæsɪsɪzəm/nounCommon term

In art & art history, Neoclassicism means: A movement from about 1750 to 1830 that revived the calm order, clear lines and moral themes of ancient Greek and Roman art, partly inspired by the excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

In Turkish: Neoklasisizm, Yeni Klasisizm

How it is used

Key artists include Jacques-Louis David, Antonio Canova and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The adjective is Neoclassical. It is often contrasted with the playful decoration of Rococo before it and the emotion of Romanticism after it.

Example sentences

  1. David's paintings of Roman heroes are key examples of Neoclassicism.

  2. Neoclassicism shaped public buildings across Europe, with their columns and triangular pediments.

Common collocations

  • French Neoclassicism
  • Neoclassical sculpture
  • Neoclassical architecture
  • Neoclassical ideals
  • RomanticismA movement in art, music and literature from the late eighteenth to the mid nineteenth century that valued emotion, imagination, wild nature and the individual over reason and rules.
  • BaroqueThe style of European art and architecture from about 1600 to 1750, known for drama, movement, strong light and emotion, as in the work of Caravaggio, Rubens and Bernini.
  • marbleA hard stone, often white or with coloured veins, that can be carved and polished; it has been used for sculpture and buildings since ancient times.
  • art movementA group of artists who share similar ideas, aims or styles during a particular period, and the art they produce, such as Impressionism or Cubism.

More terms: Movements & Periods

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