Final answer:
The Neoclassical style was ignited by the 18th-century excavations at Pompeii, fostering a widespread revival of interest in classical Greco-Roman cultures across Europe and America, influencing all arts from painting to architecture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The excavations of the ruins of Pompeii helped spark the Neoclassical style in the 18th century.The advent of Neoclassicism followed a period characterized by the elaborate Rococo and Baroque styles, finding its inspiration in the classical elements of Greek and Roman art and architecture. This movement reached its zenith during the Enlightenment era and continued to flourish into the early 19th century. The discovery and excavation of ancient artifacts at sites like Pompeii and Herculaneum played a pivotal role in stoking interest in classical antiquity. The wealth of newly uncovered Roman artifacts, often emulating Greek originals, fueled a European-wide desire for Greco-Roman culture. Consequently, tourists on the Grand Tour started collecting these antiquities, which helped disseminate the Neoclassical aesthetic widely across Europe and America.
Neoclassicism wasn't limited to just visual arts; it had a significant impact on architecture, sculpture, literature, and theatre as well. Figures like Jacques-Louis David became artists synonymous with the movement, and Neoclassical architecture was heavily influenced by the ideals of Roman antiquity. Overall, the Neoclassical style was marked by a return to order, symmetry, and simplicity, reflecting the rationality and sobriety of the times, and contrasting with the later Romantic movement that sought to express emotion and individualism.