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18th Century Society: The Arts
by Rick Brainard The arts in the 18th century varied in movements, and style. I feel that the best way to show you the art of the 18th century, is to give definitions of these movements. First, I should mention a good starting point for an overall view of 18th century art. Jack Lynch's Web site. This site contains links to other resources on art, architecture, landscaping and costumes.
The artists of this period used their mediums to comment on society and the issues of the day. As such, they would express their views and ideas. These ideas would become movements or schools of thought. Definitions
Baroque
"Baroque period, era in the history of the Western arts roughly coinciding with the 17th century. Its earliest manifestations, which occurred in Italy, date from the latter decades of the 16th century, while in some regions, notably Germany and colonial South America, certain of its culminating achievements did not occur until the 18th century. The work that distinguishes the Baroque period is stylistically complex, even contradictory. In general, however, the desire to evoke emotional states by appealing to the senses, often in dramatic ways, underlies its manifestations. Some of the qualities most frequently associated with the Baroque are grandeur, sensuous richness, drama, vitality, movement, tension, emotional exuberance, and a tendency to blur distinctions between the various arts."(Web Museum ) Romanticism
"Artistic and intellectual movement that originated in the late 18th century and stressed strong emotion, imagination, freedom from classical correctness in art forms, and rebellion against social conventions." (Web Museum ) Classicism
Aesthetic attitudes and principles based on the culture, art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, characterized by emphasis on form, simplicity, proportion, and restrained emotion." (Web Museum ) Music in the Eighteenth century was another medium of the arts. Here are the definitions of the periods. Baroque
"Music of the Baroque Era (1600-1750) was characterized by vastness of proportion, rich counterpoint, great splendor and a highly ornamented melodic line. There is a breaking away from the severity of Medieval and early Renaissance music with emphasis on the use of great vocal and instrumental color. Secular music is now as much in evidence as liturgical music." (Classical Net ) Classicism
"Briefly, the characteristics of classicism are a concern for musical form with a greater emphasis on clarity with more concise melodic expression and clarity of instrumental color. The compositions of Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in particular, exemplify the concepts of Classicism. This era culminated in the early music of Ludwig van Beethoven." ( Classical Net ) These are the definitions of the arts in the 18th century. This ends our four part series on 18th century society. As you can see, the 18th century is a fascinating subject. Continue this series by following the links below.
Part I Part II Part III
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