The Rococo style of art emerged in France in the early 18th century. It is

characterized by opulence, grace, playfulness, and lightness in contrast to

the heavier themes and darker colors of the earlier Baroque period.

Rococo

1675-1764

From a Shell to Rococo

•Rococo seems to be derived from the word

rocaille, the name of a type of shell used to

decorate gardens and country homes.

•In the wake of the 16th Century’s passion to

rediscover the past through archaeology, the use

of shells as decorative motifs was reintroduced to

Rome and Florence at the time of the grand

dukes(1563-1608)

•The style was later introduced to courts around

Europe.

•Rococo- reflected the contemporary change in

mind-set and sensitivities.

Historical Background

•Insulated by a seemingly unending flow of wealth that sheltered the nobles from any

real worry or preoccupation, the aristocrats busied themselves with the king’s clothes

and costumes, hairstyles, banquets and fine wines, and the pomp and ceremony of the

balls.

•Meanwhile, the middleclass took care of the economy, trade and destiny of the nation,

which was still headed by the king.

The rise of the new middle class in the 18th Century had its roots in the

magnificence of Baroque aristocracy. The new style played a fundamental role in the

slow demolition of the basic concepts that were so characteristic of the Baroque age;

the period’s sense of monumentality and stolid classical apparatus was crumbling

away.

Defining Rococo• The characteristics of French Rococo

were defined in the final years of the reign

of Louis XIV.

• There were four distinct stages in the

development of French Rococo:

1. 1675-1715 Co-incided with the

reorganization of the Academie de

France, when Pierre Lepautre

“invented” the style nouveau.

2. 1715-30 Took place during the Regency

when Jean- Antoine Watteau was at

the height of his power and the style

nouveau absorbed decorative elements

from Borromini and his followers.

Jean Antoine Watteau

3. 1730-45 Saw the rise of the rocaille style and the consolidated prominence of

Francois Boucher, who returned from Italy in 1731 and was accepted into the

Academie three years later as a prince.

4. 1745-64 So-called Pompadour style (named after the king’s favorite).It was

the time when the public taste seemed to shift toward the kind of simplicity

that heralded Neoclassicism.

Lady Pompadour

Architecture•Structural features (real or decorative), including orders, columns, and pillars, are brought closer to the surface of the walls themselves, which became the canvas, for an explosion of florid decoration.

•The Rococo style is most evident in interiors, where the decorative elements seem to spread over the walls like a form of dazzling incrustation.

•It was also marked by an enduring taste for complex layouts, undulating walls and bulky shapes.

Sculpture and Painting•Rococo sculpture became subordinate to

painting and architecture, deprived of the

monumental autonomy the disciple enjoyed

during the Baroque period.

•Wood and Stucco were the materials most

used by sculptors than marble.

•Rococo painting concentrated on

female beauty as an end in itself.

•Palette became lighter, and there

was a return to mellow pastel shades

that lent gentle tones to the pleasant,

easy brushwork.

Sanctuaries and Faith

•The 18th Century was not only the age of the Enlightenment, it is also the period

when Pope Benedict XIV called for the renewal of the Holy Year and brought

thousands of pilgrims to Rome by mid-century.

The Capriccio

•The term Capriccio, in music and painting refers to a powerfully evocative composition where “the force of the imagination prevails over the observation of the conventions of art”.

•Optical Illusions continued to be popular.

The Veduta

In the course of the 18th Century, the passion for travelling gave shape to the so-called Grand Tour. It became a custom- indeed a requirement- for northern Europe’s educated classes, especially in Britain to tour other countries in Europe, particularly Italy, in search of beauty and thus complete their education.

Porcelain and ChinoiseriePorcelain is a kind of pottery made from a smooth paste of translucent whiteness, which is composed mainly of kaolin clay, baked clay, and quartz silica, fired at temperatures from 2,112 to 2,723 degrees Fahrenheit.

Furniture

•Thomas Chippendale ,the acclaimed furniture maker invented new forms that have since then become classics, such as cabriole, legs for his chairs in the shape of a goat’s leg or of an S.

•The new ornamental motifs that were used showed a pronounced taste for the exotic, especially for all things Chinese, brought together in an eclectic style that used Louis XIV designs alongside Gothic elements.

Clothing•As for fabrics, lightweight silks such as taffeta, satin and damask were chosen in light, pastel colours. Colours must not be too brilliant. Tastes were for large floral motifs at first, then favoured smaller motifs and finally, stripes sprinkled with sprigs. Solid colours were also popular throughout.

•A lady's clothing of the Rococo era was

marked by the hoop skirt which came

into use around 1720, shaped like the

baskets in which chickens were carried

to marked and therefore called pannier.

•In the course of the following decades,

it changed from funnel- via dome- and

trapezium-shaped to square and finally

to an oval dome shape. Over the

pannier went a skirt named jupe and

over that the coat-like robe, similar to

the baroque mantua.

Women’s Fashion

•The gap in front was covered filled with a richly decorated stomacher. The

sleeves were elbow length and bore wing-like cuffs, later (from c. 1750) they

ended in flounces. At neckline and elbow, the lace trim of the shirt became visible.

• The French robe a.k.a. contouche had large so-called Watteau pleats which

flowed elegantly down the back, which the English robe was a direct descendant

of the mantua with sewn-down back pleats.

•At first, ladies apparently wore wigs only on rare occasions and preferred to

have their own hair powdered and coiffed, decorated with a small bonnet or

flowers, jewellery and bows. The use make-up, perfume, beauty spots and rich

trimmings on dresses also started out relatively tame but picked up further

into the century.

•The justacorps, waistcoats

and breeches that had been

introduced during the late

baroque era were worn

throughout, changing only

slightly in shape.

•The coat skirts, for example,

grew fuller until around 1740,

then diminished and were cut

away in front from around

1760.

Men’s Fashion

•The waistcoat below became ever shorter

until it only reached the hips. It was

buttoned only in the stomach region (the

coat left completely open) so that the shirt

ruffles could be seen above.

•The cravat covered the neck.

BibliographyBaroque and Rococo

by Marco Bussagli, Mattia Reiche

Publisher: Sterling Pub Co, Inc.