Although the two eras overlap, the Baroque era and the Enlightenment differ drastically from one another. Generally pictured and thought of as an artistic movement, the Baroque era eventually led to the Enlightenment, a more philosophical-based movement. In the Baroque era, people gained fame for their artistic talents. During the Enlightenment, people gained fame due to their scientific ideas and work. During the Baroque era, famous artists rose to fame due to the beautiful masterpieces the created. One such artist was Rembrandt. Rembrandt was a Dutch artist who, due to the varying of his education, was able to master almost all of the popular subjects of his time. He surpassed all of his contemporaries due to the visual and psychological complexity his works achieved. His most famous painting, Christ Healing the Sick, depicts the complexity that Rembrandt imbued into his paintings. Another famous artist in the Baroque era was Nicolas Poussin. The picture of baroque neoclassicism, Poussin’s style was remarkably obvious in all of his later works. One of Poussin’s most famous paintings, The Holy Family on the Steps, is unique in its use of light/shadow and geometric shapes. The light and shadow bring out the positioning of the members of the family, that of a pyramid. The repeated use of geometric shapes adds a sound solid …show more content…
One of the most famous Enlightenment thinkers was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, author of The Social Contract. The point of The Social Contract is to establish whether or not a legitimate political authority can exist. Rousseau based his book on the idea that things were worse of now that people were under a governmental authority than before—whenever they were in a state of nature. Rousseau’s work was influential around the world, giving rise to political reforms and