This collection includes the most striking aesthetic works of Voltaire (Francois-Marie Arouet, 1694–1778), which made an era in European thought and European art. The radicalism of Voltaire's criticism, wit and sophistication of argumentation, generalization of concepts about taste and individual talent make these works understandable to the modern reader trying to understand current artistic processes. Thanks to his sociability, Voltaire became the first art critic of the modern type, revealing the internal shortcomings of individual works and their actual impact on the public, and not simply assessing abstract merits or demerits. Reading Voltaire's speeches will help you achieve thoroughness in criticism, and sociable lightness in the perception of art.