Final answer:
Jean-Antoine Houdon was a significant Neoclassical sculptor known for portrait busts capturing an individual's essence while maintaining Neoclassical ideals. He and Jacques-Louis David made major contributions to the style which emphasized reason and patriotism during the Enlightenment and the French Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828) was prominent in the Neoclassical era. His mastery in creating portrait busts, like that of Voltaire seated in 1781, captured the personality of his sitters without sacrificing Neoclassical ideals. Houdon's work is distinguished by the delicate transition from Rococo to classical dignity and by not insisting on Roman attire for his sitters. He is also known for his works of American luminaries such as George Washington, contributing to the iconography of the new republic. Alongside Jacques-Louis David, Houdon was a major figure in the Neoclassical movement, which stood for moderation, rational thinking, and had political undertones during the Enlightenment and French Revolution periods.
Neoclassicism continued to influence French art through the 19th century, standing opposite Romanticism and Gothic revivals. Houdon's works, including his famous Washington bust, encapsulate the era's philosophical fervor, harmonizing aesthetic rigor with the ideals of rationality and civic virtue.