A Brief Overview of the Ideas of the Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment is a period in history during the 18^th century reflecting the progression of social agendas through reasoning and logic throughout Europe and the Americas. The great thinkers of this era sought to find answers to philosophical questions through empirical reasoning and science, instead of blind obedience and tradition. Logical reasoning was the foundation of this movement. Leaders in the movement in France included Voltaire (1694-1778), Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755), and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). These philosophes, as they were called, primarily critiqued the Roman Catholic Church and its power, the political system in place, and social inequalities. Old established ideologies lost credence and were replaced with new ideas that were embraced across the world. Progress in all phases of the human experience was imperative to survival. The Age of Enlightenment is reflected not only in the philosophy of the era but also in the arts, music, architecture, and literature.

The Philosophes – Information on the major scholars and influences.

A Brief History of Enlightenment-Inspired French Art

As new ideologies were taking hold, art style deviated from the beginning of the century where baroque and rococo were the preferred forms of artistic expression. Neoclassicism, a return to the Greco-Roman traditions, exhibited order, balance, harmony, and realism. The art world, particularly in Paris welcomed this change. Portraiture maintained popularity. Gone were the overly flattering flowery portraits of the aristocracy. Portraits were given to more faithful and honest interpretations. Also, a number of women painters emerged at this time. Since they were generally not allowed entrance into the art academies or permitted to paint nudes, rendering portraits was virtually their only option. The linear simplicity of the Neoclassic movement lasted well into the 19^th century.

Art During the Enlightenment – 100+ facts about the periods before and during The Age of Enlightenment.

Important Paintings

Assembly of the Gods, Antoine Coypel, mythological painting, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Angers

Clair de Lune, Philippe De Loutherbourg, landscape, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg

Death of Socrates, Jacques-Louis David, historical portrait, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Delightful Surprise, Adelaide Labille-Guiard, pastel, also known as Head of a Young Woman, J. Paul Getty Museum

Louis XIV, Hyacinthe Rigaud, portrait of the Sun King towards the end of his reign, Musee du Louvre, Paris

Marie Leczinska, Jean-Marc Nattier, portrait, Musee National du Chateau, Versailles

Party in the Open Air, Antoine Watteau, landscape painting, Staatliche Museen, Berlin

Perseus and Andromeda, Francois Lemoyne, mythological painting, Wallace Collection, London

Portrait of a Man, Nicolas de Largilliere, portrait, National Gallery, London

Portrait of a Young Woman, Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, portrait, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The House of Cards, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, still-life, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

The Shirt Withdrawn, Jean-Honore Fragonard, nude, Musee du Louvre, Paris

Time Unveiling Truth, Jean-Francois de Troy, allegory, National Gallery, London

Important Artists

Boucher, Francois (1703-1770), French artist who was the first official painter to Louis XV.

Chardin, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon (1699-1779), arguably the best still-life painter in the 18^th century.

Coypel, Antoine (1661-1722), French painter who followed in the footsteps of his father.

David, Jacques-Louis (1748-1825), Neoclassicist who used masculine themes in his work.

De La Tour, Maurice (1704-1788), Rococo artist who primarily painted portraits. Subjects included Voltaire, Madame de Pompadour, and Louis XV.

De Largilliere, Nicolas (1656-1746), French painter of historical portraits.

De Loutherbourg, Philippe (1740-1812), painted landscapes and battle scenes.

De Troy, Jean-Francois (1679-1752), son of portraitist Francois de Troy, rococo painter.

Fragonard, Jean-Honore (1732-1806), prolific artist, creating over 550 paintings in his lifetime.

Greuze, Jean-Baptiste (1725-1805), French portraitist.

Labille-Guiard, Adelaide (1749-1803), portraitist who is one of the few women of the era to be admitted to the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.

Lemoyne, Francois (1688-1737), French rococo painter.

Nattier, Jean-Marc (1685-1766), French allegorical portraitist, whereby the subject is rendered as a mythological creature.

Rigaud, Hyacinthe (1659-1743), French baroque painter.

Vigee-Lebrun,Elisabeth (1755-1842), French Neoclassical painter considered to be the most famous female painter during that time.

Watteau, Antoine (1684-1721), French painter who invented fete galante, paintings reflecting the aristocracy in imaginary landscapes. He is credited with bringing about the major changes to the artistic community during the Age of Enlightenment.

Further Resources

The Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe – Background on The Age of Enlightenment with reference to philosophy, the arts, and literature.

The Getty Museum – Information regarding the different styles of art during that time.

The British Museum – Civilization at the time of Enlightenment with accompanying slides.

18^th Century Art - Listing of all of the European artists of the era.