Painting and sculpture also underwent a great change in the age of Reason or Enlightenment. In the development of these arts the aristocracy played a leading role and their tastes greatly influenced the outcome, portrait painting became very popular. In England most of the beauties and prominent men got their portraits painted in a grand manner through Sir Joshua Reynold or Thomas Gainsborough.
William Hogarth in England and Francisco de Goya in Spain tried to project the things around them in a very realistic manner and even drew attention to the prevailing evils. Hogarth in his painting-Harlot’s Progress, The Rake’s Progress, and Marriage a la Mode, shrewdly exposed the various vices of London life. Likewise Goya in a series of etchings of the Napoleonic invasion and occupation of Spain called The Disasters of war, portrayed in powerful and shocking fashion the bestiality and misery wrought by the War.
As regards the sculpture produced during this period they were mostly imitations of the classical forms. However, the French produced some original pieces of sculpture as well. For example Houdon’s Portrait of Voltaire is one of the best specimen of the neoclassical sculpture.