Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Relating to or characteristic of neoclassicism: Describing something that follows the principles of neoclassicism, an artistic and cultural movement that draws inspiration from the classical art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, emphasizing order, symmetry, and restraint.

2. Noun:

   • An advocate or follower of neoclassicism: A person, such as an artist, architect, writer, or scholar, who supports, creates, or studies works in the neoclassical style.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The building's design is neoclassicist, featuring columns and a triangular pediment.
  • She wrote a neoclassicist analysis of 18th-century poetry.
• Noun:
  • The architect was a strict neoclassicist who rejected ornate Baroque designs.
  • As a neoclassicist, he believed art should emulate the ideals of antiquity.

Advanced Usage

• The term can describe a specific, often strict, adherence to neoclassical principles, sometimes in contrast to more romantic or expressive interpretations of classical forms.
  • His neoclassicist approach to the sculpture focused on idealized form and cool detachment rather than emotional expression.

Variants and Related Words

• Neoclassical (adj): This is the more common adjective. While often used interchangeably with "neoclassicist," "neoclassical" typically describes the style itself, whereas "neoclassicist" can more strongly imply advocacy or a doctrinal approach.
  • Neoclassical architecture; a neoclassical painter.
• Neoclassicism (n): The movement or style itself.
  • The museum has a wing dedicated to Neoclassicism.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Classical-revival, formalist (in a specific artistic context).
• Noun: Classicist, traditionalist (in the context of art and architecture).

Related Idioms or Phrases

• While there are no direct idioms, a neoclassicist might be described as someone who looks to the ancients or follows classical precedent.

Adjective

1. relating to or advocating neoclassicism

Noun

1. an advocate of neoclassicism