The Growing Economic Power of the Middle Class in the 1700s
by ancoldeira
When looking at Classical art, there were many paintings and plays that displayed the middle class growing power during the 1700s. The middle class was rising in many aspects. Theaters were arising for middle class enjoyment. Unlicensed theaters were coming about. Although, opposed by government they found ways to stay open. The play was free of charge but refreshments cost money and were required. These unlicensed theaters were a threat to the government, they were a fear of staged political satire.
The Embarkation for Cythera, by French Rococo artist Jean-Antoine Watteau in 1717
The painting is now displayed in the Lourve in Paris.
One of the first ones that stood out to me was The Embarkation for Cythera also known as Voyage to Cythera. It was the celebrating that drew me into this particular painting. I couldn’t help but notice the excitement and enjoyment that the middle class were portraying in this painting. This painting shows “fete galante”. It is a celebration taking place after the death of Louis XIV. This period was usually seen as a time of pleasure and peace after the bad years of the reign of Louis XIV.
Oath of the Horatti, by French artist Jacques-Louis David in 1784
The painting is now displayed in Louvre in Paris
The second painting that I was drawn to is called Oath of the Horatii. When I saw this picture I immediately noticed how these ordinary men was so eagerly reaching for the swords. The determination of these men was very touching to me. You could tell by looking at the painting that they were eager and willing to achieve their mission. I then did research to understand the meaning behind this particular painting. This painting shows a scene of three sons that were willing to risk their life to end a dispute between Rome and Alba Longa. The picture shows them willing reaching for swords from their father. An agreement was made that the war would end if three brothers from Rome battled three brothers from Alba Longa. The three brothers from Rome were known as the Horatii and the three brothers from the Alba Longa were known as the Curiatii. This relates to the rising of middle class because it displays how these middle class men were so eager to risk their own lives for peace. This seems to be a willful rise of middle class for the peace of their nation.
The Beggar’s Opera, by John Gay in 1728 in the Tate Britain
The third piece of art that really stood out to me as a rise of middle class was The Beggar’s Opera. I found this opera to be completely different than most of the opera’s I have seen so far throughout this class. I thought it was kind of a rebellion of middle class and it was very fun to watch. The entire opera is focused around peasants and middle class. This particular opera does not use grand music and themes of opera. It instead uses tunes that were familiar to the average person. It even uses ordinary people as it’s characters. The storyline of this play was to satirize politics, poverty and injustice. The play focused on a theme of corruption at all levels of the society.
Works Cited
The Beggar’s Opera. 27 Feb 2013. Web. 3 March 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beggar%27s_Opera
Classical theatre. April 24th, 2009. Web. 3 March 2013. http://amtf200.community.uaf.edu/2009/04/24/05-theater-3/
The Embarkation for Cythera. 27 Feb 2013. Web. 3 March 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Embarkation_for_Cythera
Oath of the Horatii. 20 Feb 2013. Web. 3 March 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_the_Horatii
ancoldeira 
You had some really good facts of the growing economic power of the middle class, the pieces you chose linked very well with your connection to the rise of the middle class. I appreciate your research to understand the meaning behind the paintings and describe it in your own words. Great job!
This was a great blog that related classical art to the economical power of the middle class very well. The theatre piece you chose was especially interesting to me how theatre in this time period chose to make fun of politics and used everyday people to portray the characters. This sort of theatre is definently still being used today as much of modern theatre and comedy deals with the same thing. Funny how times change but things we find funny don’t.
I too liked The Beggar’s Opera by Jon Gay as feel as your other posts but I have to admit that I kept trying to understand The Embarkation for Cythera left me with more questions than answers. One of the questions is why are these people migrating to different a different land especially after their king which the way it looks was very disliked, dies? Were they not able to marry during the king’s era? Or were they greek captives embarking back home? Or were they simply French who were not allowed to travel or visit the place that they always dreamed about visiting which in this case would be Cythera?
You have done nice work here with some interesting pieces of work. I really like how in your intro you used the the unlicensed theaters as an example of the rise of the middle class. That was a very clear example in my opinion. You also did a good job relating the two paintings and the opera to your topic. I especially like the connection between the first painting and how it uses “fete galante” to display the rise of the middle class. You also did a nice job explaining your opinion of the work and why it stood out to you. Overall, well done.
I really like the connections you found in these paintings. The rise of the middle class really was a powerful thing and you could see it in all forms of art in that era. I really like that you included an opera into your blog, it gives more hook to your post as well as more in depth look in the art at the time. There is only so much you can get from a painting, sometimes you need music or theater to help you get a better grasp on the time period. Overall, great job with your connections and descriptions.