Neoclassicism is a French art style and movement that originated as a reaction to the Baroque in the mid-eighteenth century, and continued into the middle of the nineteenth century. It sought to revive the ideals of ancient Greek and Roman art. Neoclassic artists used classical forms to express their ideas about courage, sacrifice, and love of country. It was an aesthetic attitude based on the art of Greece and Rome in antiquity, a revival of the many styles and spirit of classic antiquity from the classical period which invoked clarity, idealism, restraint, harmony and universality.

Initially a reaction against the excesses of the preceding Rococo style, Neoclassicism reflected the developments in the Age of Enlightenment and philosophy which coincided with it. Neoclassicism art is characterized by  sober colors, definitive horizontal and verticals that ensures that the subject matter is timeless instead of being ephemeral as in the dynamic Baroque works. The works are also distinguished by clarity of form, shallow space and contemporary subject matter that is classically executed, with its emphasis on proportion and harmony.