The second half of the 18th century was characterized not only by drastic political changes in Western Europe and America but also in many artistic fields. The lack of symmetry and the ‘frivolous’ ornament of the past were to be replaced by a more severe outlook, columns and pediments galore and ornaments drawn from the classical antiquity. Dubbed as the “goût à la grecque” or “in the Greek taste”, this new “neoclassical” style would be heralded by iconic buildings such as the Petit Trianon at Versailles (built from 1762 to 1767) and become the norm by the 1770s. In this lecture, Dr. Emmanuel Ducamp, art historian and lawyer will show how the Enlightenment and its desire of political change which materialized in America in 1776 – a new era indeed for that part of the world – went hand in hand with changes in taste and the arts.
