Neoclassicism was born out of a rejection of the Rocco and late Baroque styles in the middle of the 18th century. These artists wanted a style that could convey serious moral ideas such as justice, honor, and patriotism. The movement was a profoundly educational one, for its devotees believed that the fine arts could and should spread knowledge and enlightenment.

Romanticism began in the same era but its approach had to do with the modern rather than the antique. It was about wildness and expression rather than control. Romantic artists had no fixed laws relating to beauty and properties of subject matter. Instead, Romanticism was a creative outlook, a way of life.