Renaissance and Neoclassicism are two major periods in the history of art, during which different forms of art including architecture, painting, music and visual arts significantly progressed. During these eras, many artists gained enormous fame as a result of the masterpieces they produced, reflecting how the ideologies and artistic philosophies evolved during that time. This essay compares and contrasts these two art periods with respect to the major works created by prominent artists. In this regard, the masterpiece David, created by Michelangelo has been compared with Antonio Canova’s statue Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss. Both of these works reflect the artistic progression of their ages. David represents Renaissance art by reflecting the political situation of that time, whereas Psyche Revised by Cupid’s Kiss depicts the artist’s focus on classical Greek and Roman styles.

The Renaissance Era refers to a period of rebirth in art. It was a cultural movement that took place between the classical and modern periods of art (Johnson, 2005). During this phase, there were significant developments occurring within different art forms. The artists widely reflected the culture, social conditions and political structure of the society. They went beyond the boundaries of classical art, and created art pieces with unconventional ideas and depicted the political and social conditions of their societies (Earls, 1987).

Neoclassicism, also called the Era of Enlightenment, is the period after the Renaissance during which artists mainly focused on exploring and recreating classical art, especially Greek and Roman styles. During this period, the artists widely emphasized reviving the classic antiquity which highly inspired the art pieces created during this period. It was in reaction to peoples’ opposition to Romanticism (Bietoletti, 2009).

There are some renowned artists