Final answer:
Étienne-Louis Boullée, a French architect known for his Neoclassical designs, proposed the 'Project for a Tomb to Isaac Newton' in 1784, celebrating both Newton's scientific achievements and the Neoclassical ideals of the period.
Step-by-step explanation:
Etienne-Louis Boullée and Neoclassicism
Étienne-Louis Boullée (1728-1799) was a visionary French architect, whose work is a prime example of Neoclassical architecture. His imaginative design for a 'Project for a Tomb to Isaac Newton,' conceived in 1784, epitomizes the Neoclassical style's fusion of artistic principles derived from classical antiquity with Enlightenment ideas. In his design, Boullée proposed a monumental sphere to embody the scientific contributions of Sir Isaac Newton, who laid the foundational work for classical mechanics and optics, among other disciplines in physical science.
The Neoclassical movement, which profoundly influenced the arts during the 18th and 19th centuries, advocated a return to the classical virtues of simplicity and symmetry, mirroring the values of patriotism and civic virtue promoted during the French Revolution. Celebrated artists like Jean-Antoine Houdon, an acclaimed Neoclassical sculptor, portrayed prominent figures including George Washington, without the insistence on Roman attire, capturing their personalities within the dignified aesthetic of the era. The Neoclassical style persisted as a counterpoint to Romantic and Gothic revivals well into the 19th century.