18th Century Art

Chapter 26

18th Century Art Periods

1. Rococo – characterized by pastel colors, delicately curving forms, dainty figures, and a light-hearted mood.

2. Neoclassicism – arose in reaction to Rococo, with a resurgence of classical influence, served as important way to convey Enlightenment ideas.

3. Romanticism – reaction against Enlightenment. Applauds imagination, emotions, individuality, and subjectivity.

Enlightenment

• “was a cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th-century Europe, that sought to mobilize the power of reason, in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted science and intellectual interchange and opposed superstition, intolerance and abuses in church and state.”

Rococo

• Pastel colors• Curving forms• Dainty figures• Lighthearted moods• Began in French architectural decoration

around 1715.

Rococo Painters

1. Jean-Antoine Watteau2. François Boucher3. Jean-Siméon Chardin4. Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Jean-Antoine Watteau

He was a part of the French Rococo age. He was born in October 10th, 1684 and died July 17th, 1721. He was a Flemish man plagued by frequent diseases and was the son of a roofer. He invented a new style of painting called fete galante that depicted the outdoor amusements of the upper class society. He was a Rubenistes, or someone who thought Paul Rubens had the best style, believing he had the supremacy of natural color. He applied to the Prix de Rome in 1709 only to be rejected by the Academy. He applied again in 1712 and he was considered so good that he was fully accepted into the Academy. He died at 37 due to tuberculosis.

Jean-Antoine Watteau• Epitomizes French Rococo style

• Pilgrimage to the Island of Cythera, 1717• Oil on canvas• Verdant landscape• Lavishly dressed couples with putti.• Mythical island ofLove.• Fete Galante – (new form of

painting) Outdoor entertainment for aristocracy

• Fete Galante category was created to be accepted to the Royal Academy of Art

https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A2KIo9QMNxJVs1AAwVYsnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByZWc0dGJtBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDdmlkBHZ0aWQDBGdwb3MDMQ--?p=Pilgrimage+to+the+island+of+Cythera&vid=dd0abb44bad7adc1b6f03b690e2093ed&l=5%3A19&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DVN.608030278565563047%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D8ZlH2JswO3Q&tit=Antoine+Watteau%2C+Pilgrimage+to+Cythera%2C+1717&c=0&sigr=11bs6jv02&sigt=11c7c3m8o&sigi=11r4ul609&age=1389561326&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mozilla&tt=b (begin at 3:00)

• The Signboard of Gersaint, 1721. A sign for an art dealer’s shop. Sold 15 days after installation, later cut in two. Re-united in 20th century.

• Depicts salon-style gallery, which were lavish settings for intimate and intellectual gatherings hosted by educated women of the upper class.

• Portrait of King Louis XIV is put in a case, possibly for passage of time. (died 1715)

François Boucher

François Boucher was born in Paris, France on September 29th in 1703. He died on May 30th 1770 at the age of 66. He was a professor at the Academie de Peinture at de sculpture. He studied art in Italy.

François Boucher

• Diana Resting after Her Bath, 1742, Oil on canvas• Boucher most known for painting mythological

scenes.• Soft greens, blues, whites, and pinks of forestry

and tapestry contrast against the golden aura of the nude figures.

• Milky complexion, small face, curvaceous figure• Diana – Goddess of Wild Animals and the Hunt• Boucher is interested in the relationship btwn the

body and nature • Lit from the left of the painting• Diagonal composition – similar to Baroque

Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin

• Chardin is known as the master of still life.

• King Louis XV granted him a studio in Louvre, France.

• He was engaged in 1723 and was married in 1731.

• He was an artistic master for the Academie de Saint Luc

• His son committed suicide in 1772 by drowning himself.

The Governess, 1739, oil on canvas.

• Moral uplifting genre scenes

• Limited to still life and quiet domestic scenes

• Small scale (46.7 x 37.5

cm), meticulous• Subtle difference in

texture and shape

Jean-Siméon Chardin

• “the graciousness, sweetness, and restraint that the governess maintains in her discipline of the young man about his dirtiness, disorder, and neglect; his attention, shame, and remorse; all are expressed with great simplicity.” -contemporary critic

Jean-Honoré Fragonard• He was a student of Boucher. Fragonard

was known as a first-rate colorist whose decorative skill almost surpassed his masters. He later travelled to Italy in 1773-74 as an artistic companion to Dierre-Jacque. Between 1765 and 1770 Fragonard created several portraits in which the characters within the scene wear fanciful costumes. Many of his paintings showed an erotic or suggestive nature. These works are characterized by his technique, rapid and delicate brushwork, glowing colors, and silvery or golden tone of atmosphere. His work during the Rococo era is clearly defined with glowing pastels and soft light to convey a theme of sensuality.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

• Studied in the studio first with Chardin, then with Boucher.

• Won the Prix de Rome (1752)- a scholarship awarded to top students from French Academy of Art.

• The Meeting, 1771-73• Oil on canvas• One of 14 commissioned

paintings by Madame de Barry, one of Louis XV mistresses.

• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/rococo/v/jean-honor-fragonard-the-progress-of-love-the-meeting-1771-1773

• Series depicts the vision of lovers, spontaneous and free

• Rapid brushwork, imaginative landscape, and elegant/aristocratic garb

• Madame du Barry rejected the paintings emerging neoclassical style.

• The Swing• 1767

Fragonard created The Swing with oil on canvas that is a part of the Wallace Collection in London. This piece depicts the bishop in the lower right corner pushing the girl known as “the sweetheart” and he kicking her shoe to the man in the lower left corner who is to be her “lover.” The Swing resembles a staged scene from the comic opera by using glowing pastel colors and soft light to convey sensuality .

CREATE YOUR OWN “NEW AGE” ROCOCO COLLAGE PAINTING

• IN SMALL GROUPS, CREATE YOUR OWN COLLAGE DEPICTING YOUR OWN PERSONAL RENDITION OF THE ROCOCO STYLE OF ART IN TODAY’S TIME.

• YOU ARE PERMITTED TO USE ANY CLASS MAGAZINE TO CREATE YOUR COLLAGE.

• ATTACH YOUR COLLAGE TO A PIECE OF DRAWING PAPER.

• WE WILL PRESENT AT THE END OF CLASS.