Edited by Philip Conisbee, 2007

15 international scholars present their latest research into the contexts and meanings of French genre painting of the 18th century, from Jean-Antoine Watteau to Louis-Leopold Boilly. The essays represent a wide range of critical and historical perspectives, from traditional archival research to post-structuralist criticism. The works themselves, in their “modern” choice of everyday subject matter, provide a viewpoint on the ideas, artistic culture, and social norms of France in the Age of Enlightenment.