This is the first comprehensive survey of the formation of French art criticism which looks beyond the celebrated leading lights, such as Diderot and Stendhal, to examine the historical circumstances which made art criticism a flourishing journalistic venture. Between the mid-eighteenth centrury and the 1820s, art critical writing became an established feature of the Parisian art world. Dr Wrigley considers the discourse of art criticism in the context of the dynamic political changes witnessed during this period. He locates the history of criticism within patterns of publishing, censorship and authorship,m and pays particular attention to the Salon exhibitions which provdided the central focus for both official and dissenting estimations of the state of French art. The production of critical texts, and the language that they employ draw together various modes of polemical and aesthetic discourse - from high-minded theorising to vitriolic satires on contemporary art, artists, and institutions. This book is intended for scholars and students of art history, modern French history, cultural and social studies, and French literature.