Jean-Baptiste Du Bos
modernFrench Enlightenment Aesthetics1670 – 1742
Jean-Baptiste Du Bos (1670–1742) was a French author, diplomat, and aesthetician whose Réflexions critiques sur la poésie et la peinture (1719) pioneered an empirical, sentiment-based approach to art criticism. He argued that aesthetic judgment rests on feeling rather than rational rules, and emphasized the role of climate and historical context in shaping artistic genius.
Notable Achievements
1
Authored Réflexions critiques sur la poésie et la peinture (1719), a foundational work of modern aesthetics
2
Pioneered the sentimentalist approach to aesthetic judgment, influencing Hume and Kant
3
Developed an early climate theory of artistic genius later taken up by Montesquieu
4
Served as perpetual secretary of the Académie française from 1722
5
Advanced comparative criticism across eras, treating ancient and modern art by shared principles