Bust of a Bearded Man Looking Up 

John Flaxman created this drawing of a bearded man, rendered in delicate pencil lines, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. It gives the impression of a classical sculpture. But this aesthetic emerged during a period of great social change in Europe, particularly in Britain and France. Flaxman, working in England, was part of a generation of artists grappling with the legacy of the Enlightenment. He used classical forms to explore new ideas about human potential and civic virtue. Flaxman was deeply influenced by the writings of thinkers such as Rousseau, and this drawing reflects a fascination with the inner lives of individuals and the potential for human improvement. To fully understand Flaxman's work, we need to consider the social and intellectual context in which it was made. Accessing historical archives, letters, and essays from the period, enables us to see how artists like Flaxman were shaping and responding to the social changes of their time.