Essay: The Enlightenment

In Module 02, we learned about the enlightenment and how it encouraged a new way of thinking critically about the world, independently of religion and tradition.  During this time, we see a shift in emphasis from religion and myth to science and knowledge. One artist whose work depicted this change was Joseph Wright of Derby.  In his work, Wright celebrated the enlightenment as shown in the subject matter of his compositions.  

Thinking about Joseph Wright of Derby and other artists:

• How did scientific discoveries impact artwork being produced during that time? 
• What role did Classical Antiquity play during the enlightenment in both art and society?
• Cite at least three examples that explore different themes and describe them in detail to help support your statements. Choose works by different artists but be sure to include at least one work by Joseph Wright of Derby to explore within your essay.

Writing Requirements:

• Your essay must be at least 3 pages long.
• You must use a word processing program (such as MS Word) to write your essay.
• Provide three (3) sources.
  • Wikipedia and other non-academic websites will not be accepted for this criteria.
  • Acceptable sources may be located from the following:
  • the textbook
  • Academic and scholarly journals
  • smarthistory.org
  • Museum websites – such as those linked on this page: Artcyclopedia: US Museum List (Links to an external site.)

The sources above are merely suggestions of where credible sources could be found, and should not be mistaken as always acceptable. Please use proper academic discretion to determine if your source is appropriate. If you have any questions regarding this, please review this website: Purdue Writing Lab (Links to an external site.) or speak with your local librarian.

• Cite academic articles, books, or other research at sources of your conclusions.
• Should be written in MLA format.
• In-text citations and a full resource(s) citation must be included.
• See the citation resources in “Resources” area for information specific to art citations.
• Thoroughly address all aspects of the prompt.
• Use proper terminology as presented in the textbook.
• Plagiarism: Please review the syllabus statement regarding academic honesty and plagiarism.
• You must then submit/attach your essay to the assignment page as a DOC, DOCX, or PDF file.
• To submit/attach your essay to the assignment page, you must click “Attach File” under the “Assignment Submission” section.
• The grading rubric for this essay can be found in the “Rubrics” folder under the “Resources” button.