Hamilton was born in Lanarkshire and educated at Glasgow University. He travelled to Rome in 1748 to study painting under Agostino Masucci. He returned to London in 1751 but decided to settle permanently in Italy in 1756 and was to remain there for the rest of his life. Hamilton's huge neoclassical paintings, with their subject matter taken from Homer and their style influenced by both Poussin and the Antique, were of fundamental importance to the development of European art. He was also active as an archaeologist and dealer, and was a friend and guide to many visiting artists and patrons.
A term used to refer to images of important or memorable episodes from literary, historical or religious sources. These works are often large-scale and include complex arrangements of figures and objects in a landscape or architectural setting. Historically, it was revered as the highest form of painting.
A European style of art and architecture based on Ancient Greek and Roman models, with particular importance put on simplicity and discipline. It first appeared in the 1750s after the discovery of ancient archaeological sites in Greece and Rome. Such ideals have been revived at various points in history since, and contrast with more decadent and dynamic styles such as the Baroque.