Neoclassicism (from Greek νέος
nèos and κλασσικός
klassikòs classicus) is the name given to Western
movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of
Ancient Greece or
Ancient Rome. Neoclassicism was born in Rome in the mid-18th century, but its popularity spread all over Europe, as a generation of European art students finished their
Grand Tour and returned from Italy to their home countries with newly rediscovered Greco-Roman ideals. The main Neoclassical movement coincided with the 18th-century
Age of Enlightenment, and continued into the early 19th century, latterly competing with
Romanticism. In architecture, the style continued throughout the 19th, 20th and up to the 21st century.