The movement of neoclassicism was elevated by rejecting the popular movements of its day. Throughout the art world (centered primarily in Europe), the popular movement of the early 18th century in artistry was the Rococo style – which itself had been born as an extension to the baroque movement. To subscribers of neoclassical paintings, the rococo style embodied everything that had become degenerate about the function and aesthetics of art itself. Much like the rococo style sought to remove itself from the baroque paintings that dealt with saints, religious iconography, and the divine by focusing on the affirmation and pleasures of this life, the neoclassical painters sought to remove itself from the aloof nature of rococo. In turn, the two main ingredients that created neoclassicism became nostalgia and the romantic sentiment of rejecting contemporary society’s evils.
The Rococo style of painting did not concern itself with the other world – indeed, one of its attractions to European aristocracy was its appropriate representation of the way society and its beliefs were shifting. It borrowed elements from art whose large-scale grandeur was limited to represent the power of the Church at that time, and secularized it. Rococo, as a long-term form of art, was self-defeating because it highlighted class. Hindsight being 20/20, we know that class differences became the engine of political and social change following the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. At this time, however, Rococo celebrated aristocratic art: its themes covered primarily lust, celebration, and wealth. Critics characterized this style as being frivolous for its focus on pleasure and self-indulgence; it was ignorant of surrounding social problems. Stylistically, its paintings focused on color through the style’s idyllic environments. Its forms were full of shapes and it lacked attention to any whole detail. Rococo originated and thrived in France. Coincidentally, France was hit with a social and political tidal wave as the Revolution changed everything. Soon, rococo’s hollow form was challenged, and neoclassicism thrived.
If there was a mission statement for the neoclassical painting movement, it was to paint pieces that were antithetical to the decaying and corrupt society that rococo style flaunted. In looking where they wanted to go to in the future, neoclassical painters turned to the past. In specific, they turned to the classic civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. By patterning their pieces after the architecture, sculptures, and arts of these civilizations, neoclassical painters sought to recapture the purity of the societies. However, the French Revolution was about moving forward. Accordingly, neoclassical painters used imagery and mythology adopted from these ancient civilizations and applied a contemporary sentiment in the air – romanticism. Neoclassicism was similar to rococo in its focus on this worldly, not the divine. However, unlike rococo, thematically, it moved away from excess and superficiality. It paid more attention to the details, primarily in the body language of its subject matters. Romanticism wanted to reflect our inner-most emotions, and neoclassicism followed suit.
However, whereas romanticism often focused on loss of identity and loneliness in a world that did not allow fulfillment, neoclassicism focused more on action, such as the nobility of patriotism or self-sacrifice. This is altogether unsurprising from the context of the French Revolution. Stylistically, like romantic paintings, there were dreamlike elements, sharp colors, and emotionally intense characteristics to neoclassical paintings. The works of Jacques-Louis David, for example, reflect the importance of symmetry and Greek imagery, while insuring a potent emotional message is conveyed.