Counter-Enlightenment

(noun)

A movement that arose primarily in late 18th and early 19th century Germany against the rationalism, universalism, and empiricism commonly associated with the Enlightenment.

Related Terms

  • Sturm und Drang
  • Romanticism

Examples of Counter-Enlightenment in the following topics:

  • Romanticism

    • Romanticism, fueled by the French Revolution, was a reaction to the scientific rationalism and classicism of the Age of Enlightenment.
    • Though influenced by other artistic and intellectual movements, the ideologies and events of the French Revolution created the primary context from which both Romanticism and the Counter-Enlightenment emerged.
    • Upholding the ideals of the Revolution, Romanticism was a revolt against the aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and also a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature.
    • Romanticism was also inspired by the German Sturm und Drang movement (Storm and Stress), which prized intuition and emotion over Enlightenment rationalism.
    • Extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism imposed by the Enlightenment and associated aesthetic movements.
  • Philosophy and Science

    • The Enlightenment movement promoted knowledge through science, reason, and intellectual exchange.
    • The Enlightenment has long been hailed as the foundation of modern Western political and intellectual culture.
    • In 1784, Immanuel Kant wrote a well-known essay entitled "What Is Enlightenment?"
    • France was an important centre of the Enlightenment.
    • Identify the prominant philosophers, salons, and publications that fueled and shaped the Enlightenment.
  • The Enlightenment

    • Neoclassicism was the dominant artistic style of the Enlightenment period and drew inspiration from the classical art and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome.
    • The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a movement that began during the 18th century in Europe and the American colonies.
    • The Enlightenment has long been hailed as the foundation of modern Western political and intellectual culture.
    • Previous to the Enlightenment, the dominant artistic style was Rococo.
    • Describe the shifts in thinking and artwork that characterized the Enlightenment.
  • Zenga Painting in the Edo Period

    • In keeping with individual paths to enlightenment, nearly any subject matter can and has lent itself to Zenga; however, the most common elements depicted were the ensō, sticks, and Mt.
    • The ensō symbolizes absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe, and mu (the void), and it is characterized by a minimalism born of Japanese aesthetics.
    • Though nearly any subject matter can and has lent itself to Zenga paintings, one of the most common elements depicted was the ensō, a symbol of enlightenment.
  • Mannerism and the Counter-Reformation

    • These decrees included short passages concerning religious images that had significant impact on the development of Catholic art during the Counter-Reformation.
    • The reforms that resulted from this council are what set the basis for Counter-Reformation art.
    • The Last Judgment was an object of dispute between critics within the Catholic Counter-Reformation and those who appreciated the genius of the artist and the Mannerist style of the painting.
    • Scipione Pulzone's Lamentation, a pious depiction of the Crucifixion, embodied a typical Counter-Reformation work.
    • Distinguish the artistic ideal of the Counter-Reformation from Mannerism and the art of the Reformation in Northern Europe
  • Neoclassical Sculpture

    • In addition to the ideals of the Enlightenment, the excavations of the ruins at Pompeii began to spark a renewed interest in classical culture.
    • In his tomb sculpture, the Enlightenment philosophe Voltaire is honored in true Neoclassical form.
    • He portrayed most of the great figures of the Enlightenment, and traveled to America to produce a statue of George Washington, as well as busts of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and other luminaries of the new republic.
  • Naturalism

    • During the Enlightenment era philosophers, including Francis Bacon and Voltaire, argued that supernatural forces should be removed from the study of the natural world in favor of non-theistic explanations for biology, geology, physics and the other natural sciences.
    • This secularization of science went hand-in-hand with the general displacement of religious authority prevalent in Enlightenment thinking, which in turn affected the artistic movements of the time.
    • Romanticism, including the Rococo style, was the predominant artistic movement of the 18th century in Europe, and was itself a backlash against the scientific rationalization of nature indicative of the Enlightenment period.
    • Explain why Naturalism emerged as a predominant art form during the Enlightenment.
  • Neoclassical Architecture

    • Neoclassical architecture looks to the classical past of the Graeco-Roman era, the Renaissance, and classicized Baroque to convey a new era based on Enlightenment principles.
    • Neoclassical architecture, which  began in the mid-eighteenth century, looks to the classical past of the Graeco-Roman era, the Renaissance, and classicized Baroque to convey a new era based on Enlightenment principles.
    • However, during the French Revolution, the Panthéon was secularized and became the resting place of Enlightenment icons such as Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
  • Europe and America from 1850–1900

    • The strands of thought that eventually led to modern art can be traced back to the Enlightenment, and even to the 17th century.
    • For instance, the important modern art critic, Clement Greenberg, called Immanuel Kant "the first real Modernist" but also drew a distinction: "The Enlightenment criticized from the outside ... .
  • Museums and Private Collections

    • The majority of significant museums were opened to the public in the 18th century, or the Enlightenment era, a time known for its pursuit and dissemination of knowledge throughout society.
    • The arts were especially important during the Enlightenment and viewed as a deeply noble pursuit.
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