The idea of composition in Diderot’s salons

Abstract

The article examines the notion of “uniformity in variety” in Diderot’s philosophy and art criticism. In dialog with the essays published in the compilation entitled Aesthetics of Diderot, of 2015, in which various experts examine the relevance of the materialist aesthetics of the philosopher, this article approaches the notions of unity presented in the Encyclopedia with the uses and meanings of the term in the Salons. It is intended to show how Diderot breaks gradually with the classical epistemology to think the work with an unstable unit, connected to time and that it is only in doing the work; specifically, highlighting the treatment given to the variety in the works of Greuze and Vernet, a procedure that brings the art criticism of Diderot of modern elements, such as the concepts of sublime and autonomy of art, which indicate the relevance of his philosophy of art.