The period known as the Enlightenment was marked by a steady decline of the power and influence of the Catholic Church, as well as an increase in scientific interest and desire for representative government. This increase in scientific interest can be seen in pieces like Joseph Wright’s A Philosopher Giving a Lecture at the Orrery. This painting shows a professor explaining the structure of the solar system to his intent students by using a mechanical model. This was a very gradual shift in European and colonial American society, and as such, it is difficult to pin down the exact beginning and ending of this period. The Enlightenment hit its peak around the late 1700s, around the same time as the French and American revolutions. In addition to its impact on society, the Enlightenment also had an impact on European and American art. One Enlightenment figure in particular, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, inspired an entire artistic movement. Rousseau felt that mankind had been corrupted by scientific and social advances, and that mankind could only become good again by upholding emotion and nature over logic and reason. As a result, Rousseau considered the peasants’ lifestyle to be ideal over the aristocratic lifestyle (737, Kleiner). This inspired the natural art movement. Due to Rousseau’s emphasis on …show more content…
Both styles were very different in what exactly they sought to depict, but one thing they had in common was a shared distinction from Baroque art. Where Baroque artists sought to recreate dramatic and rich scenes that were largely religious, Enlightenment artists sought to convey the intrinsic reward of scientific learning or the virtues of a simple and natural lifestyle. This secularization of artwork and society in general was one of the most important results of the