Benjamin West
Pylades and Orestes Brought as Victims before Iphigenia
(1766)
Tate
Gavin Hamilton
Agrippina Landing at Brindisium with the Ashes of Germanicus
(1765–72)
Tate
The terms classic or classical came into use in the seventeenth century to describe the arts and culture of the ancient civilisations of Greece and Rome. The following of the principles of these ancient civilisations in art, architecture and literature is referred to as classicism.
Classicism is generally associated with harmony and restraint, and obedience to recognized standards of form and craftsmanship.
From the Renaissance on, classicism dominated Western art, with classical mythology – consisting of the various myths and legends of the ancient Greek and Roman gods and heroes – becoming a major source of subject matter for history painting.