The Aesthetics of the Enlightenment

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer examines the aesthetics of the Enlightenment in terms of architecture, painting and sculpture. The contention is that the Enlightenment is not only characterized by rationalism and humanism but also as a reaction against the austerity of Christian art. The writer discusses that the new aesthetic found expression in architecture through an incorporation of geometrical forms, as found in the design of the Palace of Versailles. The writer maintains that in painting and sculpture the focus shifts towards physical beauty, at the expense of the sublime. The writer concludes that much of this can be seen as a relapse into pagan values that flourished in the Classical Age, and indeed classical accomplishments were held up as ideals for artists and thinkers.

From the Paper:

"Known as the Sun King, and an ardent champion of the enlightenment, he made sure that the designs reflected the emerging ethos of the age. The most noticeable feature is the absence of gaudy ostentation, characteristic of Baroque and Gothic architecture which had flourished in the previous ages. Instead, the palace exudes simplicity and mathematical harmony. The outlines are by and large flat and rectangular, which is in marked opposition to the Gothic style. The latter style, originating in Germany, incorporated upward curving lines, and spires that point sharply towards the sky. It is a style that emphasizes the other world, where the upward arching outlines were meant to suggest heaven. In contrast to this the Palace of Versailles very much directs us back to earth, telling us that the focus has shifted back to this world. Other mathematical motifs are triangles and circles, found incorporated in the extensive lawns and gardens that surround the Palace, all suggestive of humanism, as opposed to religion."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adorno, Theodor and Max Horkheimer. Dialectic of Enlightenment. Translated by Gunzelin Schmid Noerr and Edmund Jephcott. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 2002.
• Evelyn, John. The Diary of John Evelyn. Translated by Austin Dobson. London: Routledge, 1996.
• Munhall, Edgar. Greuze the Draftsman. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002.
• Neret, Gilles. Rubens. Cologne: Taschen, 2004.

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