The Position

Denis Diderot was one of the greatest philosophers and writers in the Age of Enlightenment in France. He commissioned to comment on the biennial salons organized by the Academie Royale de Peinture et de sculpture in Paris for the Correspondance litteraire from 1759 to 1781. This was a period of transition for French painting in both styles and subject matter, from the 'frivolity' of Rococo to the seriousness of Neo-classicism. Diderot was determined to express his personal view on art and, in the meantime, try to justify his judgments. In his attempt to establish a system of his own, he was forced to confront with great problems about the value of judgment in the critical history of art, then discussed in focus. His writings in this study can be regarded as an origin of modern art criticism.