Arts and Sciences of the 1700’s

Scientific Innovation’s

Depiction of an Original Steam Engine

The 1700’s is vastly known for the Industrial revolution and the scientific advancements made during the time. The strives made during this time period not only changed the world, but changed the subject matter in art work, and even methods of its production. The most prominent innovation to come out of the Industrial revolution was the steam engine created by Watt. This forever changed transportation and lead to an increase in factories. 

Beethoven

The innovations were also accompanied with a vast increase of ideas. One idea was the creation of the classical style of music by Beethoven. He was one of the leading composers that lead to this new style of music. The rise in this style lead other composers to create pieces with a similar demeanor and sparked other genres such as Sonata, Opera, and many more. The rise in Opera was of the most significant accomplishments in music during this era.

Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution was significant for the arts because it allowed for production of pieces more efficiently and in larger quantities. I also allowed for art to be transported and traded faster and spread the ideas more quickly. Improvements in production also allowed for specialists to focus on the parts of pieces they were best at which lead to more refined products.

Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Adam Smith is prominent in the Industrial revolution because of his advancements in economics.  He was a Scottish philosopher who created political economics and its foundation. He published many works including “A Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of Wealth of Nations”. He had great influence on the modern work in economics. This efforts helped factories to grow and prosper using his ideas and framework.

Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton was born on December 25^th 1642 and lived until 1727. His strives in science changed many people’s ideas about science and about conceptualizing reality. His greatest publications were his work in classical mechanics and his theory about  the three laws of motion. The theory he put in place on motion is still upheld and taught to this day and has led to far more innovations thereafter. The advancements of people such as this in scientific community helped to advance humanism and change societies interests away from being solely on the church. Because of this shift I suspect it helped cause the shift in music and theatre towards raw entertainment rather than strictly religious stories. The creation of theories such as Newton’s allows people to question the church, and to begin to think more freely.

Josiah Wedgewood

Josiah Wedgewood

Josiah Wedgewood was born in 1730, to a family that had been doing pottery for generations. Because of this, it seems fitting that he would end up going into the same field. At the time the only was that people made pottery was on a wheel which used a pedal. Wedgewood got injured and disabled after falling ill. This illness prevented him from using the pedal for pottery. Because of this setback, he created a factory to mass produce pottery.

Wedgewood Factory

The Wedgewood Factory was opened by Josiah when he was in his 20’s. He had a steam engine installed in the factory which allowed all the equipment to work and allowed for mass production. He pulled from the ideas of Adam Smith and created a division of labor in his factory. This proved to be very effective. Because of this, he had specialists working on the pottery stage by stage. These both improved the quality and the time spent making each product. By 1750 there were 130 factories in the area. Below are two examples of pieces created by Wedgewood. These pieces are a unique type of art. While they are pretty, they also symbolize the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the Arts. 

Wedgewood Vase

Wesdgewood Fine China

Art of 1700’s- Rococo Style

The Rococo style of art was popular in the 1700’s. As the century neared a close a shift occurred that shifted artwork towards a neoclassical style. Rococo style was centered around pastel colors, curving figures, and light subject matter. These pieces were held to a lot of critic but still hold beauty and significance to this day.

The Swing By Jean-Honoré Fragonard

                One of my favorite pieces from this time period is The Swing By Jean-Honoré Fragonard. The piece initially caught my eye because of the contrast in color and the great detail. This piece takes a high skill set. This piece symbolizes advancement as well as it was created by a woman. It is one of the great art pieces of the rococo style. The piece was among those aforementioned that received critique. Many philosophers of the enlightenment thought that the piece was not serious enough and did not showcase the nobility of men well enough. The piece was meant to be a man and his mistress on a swing and the scandalous intent in the photo does show through. The painter changed the product from the man’s intent making a more powerful message, which showcases the woman and leaves the man in the shadows.

                Another piece from the rococo style that was significant to me was Bath of Diana by Francois Boucher. It was created in 1742 perfectly fitting into the height of this

Bath of Diana by Francois Boucher

era. This painting is an oil painting on canvas. It is significant because many other paintings of Diana came later and this seemed to drastically surpass them. The clutter of objects that form the background are intentional and are meant blend in the background. Despite the busy edges, the focus remains on Diana. She is seen bathing with a pearls on and assistance from another. They appear lighter than the rest of the painting. This typical of rococo style as it highlights the subjects and pulls them forward. Diana is the goddess of the hunt and this piece was created as a panel for a hunting lodge. Despite being a women of the hunt, she is seen with perfect hair and beauty which is meant to make her come across as charming.

My perspective

One thing I found interesting about the Rococo art was how is contradicted the era of innovation. During the time of intensity and technological advancements, it seems that art would end up rigid and exact. The Industrial Revolution was going on during this time, and it was focused making things more efficient and faster. This reminds me of straight lines and simple art work that is mathematical. However, Rococo style is much lighter and contracts the time period in my opinion. There are many references to Greek and Roman mythology which also contradict the advancements in humanism and progression of science during the time. 

Works Cited

BBC. BBC Josiah Wedgewood. 2015. 12 October 2015 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/wedgwood_josiah.shtml>.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopædia. Josiah Wedgwood English Craftsman. 2015. 14 October 2015 <http://www.britannica.com/biography/Josiah-Wedgwood>.

François Boucher. 2015. 12 October 2015 <http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/anc_bou_di-ba.html>.

Mozart. Mozart - The Magic Flute - Overture (Levine/Met Orch) . Vienna, 3 June 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h018rMnA0pM

Technical History of the Piano. 2015. 14 October 2015 <http://www.cantos.org/Piano/History/technical.html>.

TheStar.com. Father of English Pottery. 30 September 2007. 14 October 2015 <http://www.clayexpression.com/wedgwood.english.pottery.htm>.