Straight Lines and Cold Marble

Neoclassicism was a deliberate rejection of Rococo curves and aristocratic frivolity. Where Rococo favored pastel asymmetry and playful ornament, Neoclassical artists demanded geometric discipline, classical references, and moral seriousness. The style emerged from actual archaeological discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Excavations at Pompeii beginning in 1748 gave artists direct access to Roman wall paintings, furniture, and decorative objects for the first time. The real thing replaced the imaginary Rome that earlier artists had invented.