The term classicism refers to a style of art that draws on ancient Greco-Roman culture. Since the Renaissance until the mid-eighteenth century, classical forms and subjects dominated Western art. Classicism is associated with harmony, proportion, restraint and craftsmanship.
Art associated with classicism often draws on classical mythology – formed of the myths of the Greek and Roman gods – and features heroic or idealised subject matter.
Prominent representatives of European classicism include Raphael, Botticelli, Nicolas Poussin, Charles Le Brun and Claude Lorrain.
At the end of the eighteenth century, there was a renewed interest in classical antiquity. This later classicism is termed Neoclassicism.
