Neoclassicism is a Western cultural movement that emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries as a reaction to the excesses of Baroque and Rococo styles that were dominant in the previous era. It drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity, particularly Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. The movement sought to return to the classical beauty and magnificence of these ancient civilizations, and was initially a reaction against the excesses of the preceding Rococo style. Neoclassical art is based on simplicity and symmetry and takes its inspiration from the German art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann who believed that art should aim at the ideal forms and beauty of Greek art.
Neoclassicism was not limited to the visual arts, but also influenced literature, theatre, music, and architecture. Neoclassical architecture was based on the principles of simplicity, symmetry, and mathematics, which were seen as virtues of the arts. The movement believed that art should express the ideal virtues in life and could improve the viewer by imparting a moralizing message. It had the power to civilize, reform, and transform society, as society itself was being transformed by new approaches to government and the rising forces of the Industrial Revolution, driven by scientific discovery and invention.
Neoclassicism began around the period of the rediscovery of Pompeii and spread all over Europe as a generation of art students returned to their countries from the Grand Tour in Italy with rediscovered Greco-Roman ideals. The Italian Neoclassicism was the earliest manifestation of the general period known as Neoclassicism and lasted more than the other national variants of neoclassicism. It developed in opposition to the Baroque style around c. 1750 and lasted until c. 1850.
In summary, Neoclassicism was a cultural movement that emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries as a reaction to the excesses of Baroque and Rococo styles. It drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity, particularly Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, and was characterized by simplicity, symmetry, and mathematics. The movement influenced not only the visual arts, but also literature, theatre, music, and architecture.
