18th Century Art and Architecture

The Enlightenment

- By the end of the 18th century, revolutions had overthrown the monarchy in France and achieved independence for the British colonies in America. A major factor was the Enlightenment, a new way of thinking critically about the world independently of religion and tradition - The Enlightenment promoted scientific questioning of all assertions and embraced the doctrine of progress. The first modern encyclopedias appeared during the 18th century. The Industrial Revolution began in England in 1740s. Engineers and architects developed new building materials. Iron was first used in bridge construction at Coalbrookdale, England in 1778 - The Enlightenment also made knowledge of ancient Rome imperative fore the cultured elite, and Europeans and Americans in large numbers undertook a Grand Tour of Italy. Among the most popular souvenirs of the Grand Tour were Antonio Canaletto's vedute of Venice rendered in precise Renaissance perspective with the aid of Camera obscura - Rejecting the idea of progress, Rousseau, one of the leading French philosphes, argued for a return to natural values and exalted the simple, honest life of peasants. His ideas had a profound impact on artists such as Chardin and Greuze, who painted sentimental narratives about rural families - The taste for naturalism also led to the popularity of portrait painting set against landscape backgrounds and a reawakening of an interest in realism

Rococo, 1700-1800

- In the early 18th century, the centralized and grandiose palace-based culture of Baroque France gave way to the much more intimate Rococo culture based in the town houses of Paris. There, aristocrats and intellectuals gathered for witty conversation in salons featuring delicate colors, sinuous lines, gilded mirrors, elegant furniture, and small paintings and sculptures - The leading Rococo painter was Antoine Watteau, whose usually small canvases feature light colors and elegant figures in ornate costumes moving gracefully through lush landscape. His fete galante paintings depict the outdoor amusements of French high society - Watteau's successors included Francois Boucher and Jean-Honore Fragonard, who carried on the Rococo style late into the 18th century. In Italy, Giambattista Tiepolo adopted the Rococo manner to huge ceiling frescoes in the Baroque tradition