Ch. 28 - The Rococo
French rocaille – pebble or shellBarocco – baroque
• Aristocrats parallel in the shift the Baroque to the Rococo
• Fete galante – which portrays the aristocracy in their leisurely pursuits. Paintings can be seductive
• Lavish, no straight lines in the Rococo – sophisticated and elegantly refined.
• Curves are a prominent feature in the Rococo architecture
Fragonard – The Swing -1766
Flowers and figures dominate the setting
Colors are not thick or richly painted
Made for private display
Cuvillies – Hall of Mirrors
Neumann – Church of the 14 Saints -1743
Watteau – The Return from Cythera -1717
The Enlightment
• 18th Century – revolutions erupted in France and America – ( French, American and Industrial Revolution in England all happened at the same time)
• Social and economic life dissolved. • The Enlightment was a new way to think critically about
the world. To think independent of religion, myth and tradition.
• Questioning theories, god, and now experimenting with science. Voltaire and his writings were very important
Hunter – Child in Womb - 1774
Joesph Wright of Derby – A Philosopher Giving a Lecture at a Orrery - 1763
Darby III & Pritchard – Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale, England -1776
-Bridge made out of iron-Previous bridges made out of wood
Voltaire and Rousseau
• Voltaire believed that the salvation of humanity was in advancement of science and the improvement of society
• Rousseau said that the “arts” had corrupted humanity from its original condition. “ Nature alone must be our guide”
Greuze – The Village Bride - 1761
Vigee – Lebrun – Self Portrait 1790
Inspired by Rubens
Light Rococo touch to the coloring
Peter Paul Rubens
Hogarth – Breakfast Scene - 1745
Reaction against Rococo themes: simple, honest, unaffected, people in natural settings/jobs elimination of ornament direct plain moral genre painting lower classes, non-aristocrats portrayed
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