Module 8 showcases the art of 18th century Rococo and Neoclassical styles. During the reign of the powerful Louis XIV, Paris replaced Rome as the epicenter of European art and culture. After Louis XIV's death in 1715, Louis XV was too young to rule until 1722. During this crucial period the French aristocracy began to gain influence and patronized art for their townhouses in Paris thus launching the Rococo style. It flourished under the rule of Louis XV, and also saw the emergence of the Enlightenment period, which emphasized the mind’s ability to reason in contrast to the mind’s yearning for religious faith. This new philosophical ideal caused many people to question the importance of the monarchy thus leading to the French Revolution. The Rococo style faded and Neoclassicism emerged- more natural and classical style harkening back to the Renaissance and Greco Roman antiquity.

The Salon de la Princesse is exemplary of the shift from the traditional court setting at Versailles and returning to the city center of Paris and entertaining in personal homes.

The Louvre Museum is the largest museum in the world. Its permanent collection holds works beginning with the Ancient pre-historic world to the old masters to the twenty first century.

Explore the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA. to see its collection of American and European Neoclassical artworks like the one seen in the image below.

Explore the Wallace Collection located in an historic town home in London. Home to Francois Boucher's Cupid a Captive, visit the link to explore the museum and its additional artworks on display.

Take a virtual tour of the artifacts from Herculaneum and Pompeii, the discovery of which largely inspired the Neoclassical style.

Interested in the Enlightenment and its origins? Read more about it on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Project page.