History's path
A Foucault pendulum, acting and reacting.
Do you think this is an apt metaphor for the development of artistic and intellectual movements over time? Why or why not?
In hindsight
...we see patterns. During the 19th century, Romanticism's prevailing philosophies, values, and aesthetics appear to have been moving away from what came before...
Philosophy / Reason & Emotion
"Diderot, Rousseau, and the Mechanical Arts: Disciplines, Systems, and Social Context"
Article contrasts Diderot's and Rousseau's philosophies in the context of their approaches to the budding Industrial Revolution.
"Rousseau and the Revolt against Reason"
In particular, see this article's opening and conclusion.
"Ruskin and Beaudelaire on Art and Artist"
See section, "Ruskin & Beaudelaire on the Ideal Artist-Poet" for Diderot's take on emotion & reason.
What's playing?
La Traviata, Brindisi, by Giuseppi Verde, first performed 1853