If we don’t find anything pleasant, at least we shall find something new” (Voltaire, Candide, 1759, ch. 17):

The Eighteenth Century:The Age of Reason

Fra Andrea Pozzo, Europa, early 18th century

Jean-Honore Fragonard, The Swing, 1766

The Rococo time period was characterized by lavish and highly courtly displays of wealth. Rococo art focused on scenes of aristocratic life. The upper class were depicted enjoying themselves.

Antoine Watteau, Embarkation to Cythera, 1717-1719

The Palace at Versailles

The Queen’s Bedroom

Joseph Wright, Experiment with the Air Pump, 1768

Jacques-Louis DavidPortrait of Monsieur Lavoisier and His Wife, 1788

Voltaire and Voltaire translating Newton’s work