The 18th century is known for its complex artistic movements such as Romanticism and Neoclassicism. The main Rococo style thrived from 1700 to 1775 and originates from the French words rocaille and coquille meaning "rock" and "shell"; used to decorate baroque gardens1. Identified as the Age of Enlightenment, philosophers would ignite their ideas in political movements1. Associated with this movement is the Englishman John Locke who advanced the concept of “empiricism”. This denotes that the acceptance of factual knowledge comes from experience and personal involvement1. Locke's concept contributed to the improvement of microscopes and telescopes allowing art students of the French Academy to observe real life1. Science and experience influenced painting most in neoclassicism. Locke fought for the rights of the people and for the power or “contract” between the ruler and the ruled. Reasoning that “Light in the Enlightenment referred to the primacy of reason and intellect…and to the belief in progress and in the human ability to control nature”1. Hence the beginning of experimental paintings such as the oil on canvas painting by Joseph Wright (1734-1797): Fig.1 An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump. This image was developed through science by placing a bird in a glass container and pumping air in to see the effects it would have on the bird (White Cockatoo)1. Throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Western Europe, Neoclassical art became the “true style” and was accepted by the French Revolution under Louis XIV. Neoclassical art was a reaction to the lighthearted, humorous and emotional pieces of Rococo. Angelica Kauffman was one of the most important artists of the 18th century together with Rosalba Carriera and Elisab...... middle of paper .... ..): 1, http://www.jstor.org/pss/13580313. “Against All Odds: Angelica Kauffmann's Artistic Triumph,” 2011. http://www.neoclassic.com/angelica-kauffmanns-artistic-triumph.html4. Regina Haggo, “Let joy be bounded,” Hamilton Spectator, September 29, 20115. “Odyssey by Ancient Greek Poet Homer.” University Press Inc. 2008. http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Odyssey/6. Whitney Chadwick, Women, Art and Society 3rd ed. (NY: Thames & Hudson world of art, 2002), 153-160.Illustrations/figuresAngelica Kauffman, Telemachus Returning to His Mother, 1770-1780, oil on canvas McMaster Museum of Art, Ontario.1. Antoine Watteau, Gilles, undated. Louvre, Paris. Oil on canvas2. Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784-1785. Lourve, Paris. Oil on canvas3. Joseph Wright, Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, 1768. Oil on canvas.