The Age of Enlightenment is a time when people began to see the world differently. They began to think differently; they started thinking as individuals. This caused them to create a totally new society in which religion and the monarchy played vastly different, generally weakened roles. New philosophers like Kant, Rousseau, Diderot, Hume and Swift used reason and logic, combined with skepticism and the scientific method, to express this change. Like the philosopher Rousseau, much of society believed that humanity, in a natural state, without the interference of society or government, was basically good. This sentimental idealism caused improvements in education, medicine, governing, religious tolerance, and movements to abolish slavery.

The art of the time reflected these new paradigms in both subject matter and style. Also, some of the reasons people made art were altered. For example, before the Enlightenment Era, art was restrained, orderly, and generaly balanced. During the Enlightenment, artists achived this same balance using more dramatic and exciting methods. The subject matter was changed as well. Before, most art was of royalty, or scence from the Bible, or classical mythology. During the Enlightenment artist were able to sell and/or comission their works from someone other than their patron. This caused them to occasionaly choose subjects other than traditional ones, or choose to present them differently. Also, most nobles and/or royalty wanted an art style that would glorify their reins. The church also wanted artists to glorify their god. Thus the glory and beauty of the Baroque period was born.