Final answer:
The "old masters" referred to in 'Musée des Beaux Arts' are Neoclassical and Romantic painters, not Romantic poets.
Step-by-step explanation:
The "old masters" referred to in the poem 'Musée des Beaux Arts' are not the Romantic poets, but rather the Neoclassical and Romantic painters. The Neoclassical period was characterized by a return to classical themes and a focus on rationality and restraint, as seen in the works of Ingres. On the other hand, the Romantic period emphasized individual expression, emotion, and the grandeur of nature, as exemplified by the works of Delacroix.
Whereas Neoclassicism focused on universal truths, historical examples, and logic, Romanticism focused on the personal subconscious, contemporary events, and the sublime. Romanticism also looked for more inspiration outside of Western aesthetics.
Jacques-Louis David (born August 30, 1748, Paris, France—died December 29, 1825, Brussels, Belgium) the most celebrated French artist of his day and a principal exponent of the late 18th-century Neoclassical reaction against the Rococo style.