Neoclassical Art was an outgrowth of the Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason. Led by thinkers like Voltaire, the spirit of the era was a supreme confidence in the ability of the intellect to solve all the problems of the human condition. They sought further to free mankind from the traditional restrictions of religions and other forms of authority. This tradition furthered the development of modern male nude art.

Neoclassical art called the viewer to virtue and to relinquish the quest for joy. They drew examples from the classical pantheon of unselfish heroes. Jacques Louis David was leader of the movement and established a school to spread his ideas of Neoclassicism to younger artists. Among those younger French artists were Joseph Desire Court, Francois-Xavier Fabre, Hipplyte Flandrin, Girodet de Roucy-Trioson, Jean-Baptiste Regnault , and Henri Serrur.

In England similar thoughts led to a native version of Neoclassicism in the works of William Blake and William Etty. To some extent, they had been anticipated by the American artist Benjamin West. German Neoclassicism also existed and is represented by Johan Nepomulk Schaller and Henry Fuseli. The Dane Berthel Thorvaldsen exemplified Neoclassicism in his stunning sculptures as did Antonio Canova in Italy. Pelagio Palagi was an oil and canvas artist of Neoclassicism in Italy while Nikolai Ghe continued the tradition in Russia.