Chapter+16+-+The+18th+Century+(Rococo)

=**Pronunciation Guide**= Boucher: Boo-SHAY Candide: Can-DEED

Diderot: Di-der-OWE Fragonard: Fra-Gone-ARE Haydn: Hi-dn Mozart: MOTE-sart Rousseau: Rue-SEW Voltaire: Vol-TARE Watteau: Wat-OWE



=Chapter Summary=

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Louis XIV had firm control of France. By the end of the century, the French monarchy had fallen from its lofty place. The eighteenth century has been called the "Age of Reason" because of the dominance of the intellectual revolution called the Enlightenment, which emphasized the power of reason instead of religious faith. Enlightenment thinkers believed that through reason, humankind could achieve a perfect society. Rational humanists believed that progress is possible only through individual freedom to learn. In 1759, Josiah Wedgewood opened his own pottery manufacturing plant, mass manufacturing started, and the "Industrial Revolution" began. In 1776, Adam Smith's writings provided validation for the free market system. Isaac Newton's discovery of gravity prompted a scientific revolution, with scientists exploring the natural world as never before.

Uncaring self-aggrandizement marked the Rococo period in eighteenth century France. Associated with the reign of Louis XV, Rococo artists favored abundant extravagance. Rococo was seen as the embodiment of the decadence of the aristocracy. IN Paris townhouses, hostesses oversaw weekly salons, social gatherings of notable people. The great painters of the Parisian Rococo were Wateau, Boucher, and Frogonard. The French Rocco influenced English painters such as William Hogarth. Thomas Gainsborough became the most fashionable portraitist in Britain, displaying a technical virtuosity typical of the Rococo style. During the eighteenth century, European authors reflected the rationalism of the Enlightenment, and the emphasis on reason recurred across the genres. Famous authors including Jonathan Swift, who wrote the satirical prose work //Gulliver's Travels//, and Voltaire, whose best-known work, //Candide,// is a scathing indictment of the notion f benevolent God.

The executions of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette represented the death of the monarchy and the century's growing belief in the equality of all. The American Declaration of Independence, authored by Thomas Jefferson, was watched closely by the French. On July 14, 1789, a volunteer militia went to the Bastille prison in Paris in search of arms. Guards fired on the militia, killing almost one hundred men. An angry mob formed and stormed the Bastille. One month later, the National Assembly ratified its Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, and a constitutional monarchy was established. But there was no peace. IN 1792, the monarchy was abolished and Louis XVI was executed shortly thereafter, only to be replaced by Maximilian De Robespierre, who lead the Reign of Terror. In 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte came to power and effectively restored the monarchy. His system of laws, the Napoleonic Code, is one of the great monuments to Enlightenment thought.

In the 1740s, Neoclassicism, which marked a return to ancient classical ideals, replaced the Rococo style almost overnight. One Neoclassical painter who gained fame many years later was Jacques-Louis David, whose art quickly became associated with the Revolution. In contrast to Rococo frivolity, Neoclassical art was intended to serve a public role in encouraging virtue. One of France's greatest sculptors of the period was Jean-Antoine Houdon, who spent four years on a statue of George Washington. Neoclassical architecture emphasizes strength and symmetry, while Baroque architecture stresses emotion and drama. One of the most famous American Neoclassical homes is Thomas Jefferson's MOnt5icello. The contemporary novel was born in the eighteenth century, brought to life by people such as Jan Austen and Daniel Defor. The Classical style of music was exemplified by Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Beethoven and his music represent a tension between the Classical style and the Romantic tendencies. Beethoven's music can be divided into three periods, each representing differences in stylistic development. By the late eighteenth century, many people, including Thomas Jefferson, had come to believe that landscape gardening was one of the highest arts.

=**Study Guide**=

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