Although both styles tend to have similar aspects, the rococo was characterized by:
- To develop first in the decorative arts and interior design, then to exert his influence in architecture and painting.
- Represent the aristocratic opulence , something similar to the Baroque style, with the difference of the use of more vivid and intense colors.
- Connote the refined , the pleasant and the elegance.
Full Answer
What were the characteristic features of Rococo art?
Rococo: Concepts, Styles, and Trends
- French Rococo. France was the center of the development of Rococo. ...
- Italian Rococo. Painting took the lead in Italian Rococo, exemplified by the works of the Venetian artist Giambattista Tiepolo.
- German Rococo. ...
- English Rococo. ...
What are the main characteristics of Rococo art?
Rococo Architecture: Main Characteristics
- Four Characteristics Of Rococo Architecture. The first feature was a new preference for pastel colors. ...
- Baroque Movement. Finally, the most radical change was the use of asymmetry. ...
- Famous Examples Of Buildings In Rococo Architecture. ...
What are the elements of roccoco art?
Key Takeaways
- Rococo Painting. Painting during the Rococo period has many of the same qualities as other Rococo art forms such as heavy use of ornament, curved lines and the use of ...
- Antoine Watteau. Antoine Watteau is considered to be the first great Rococo painter. ...
- Francois Boucher. ...
- Rococo Sculpture. ...
What influenced the Rococo art movement?
The movement, which developed in France in the early 1700s, evolved into a new, over-the-top marriage of the decorative and fine arts, which became a visual lexicon that infiltrated 18th century continental Europe. In painting Rococo was primarily influenced by the Venetian School 's use of color, erotic subjects.
What defines Rococo art?
It is characterized by lightness, elegance, and an exuberant use of curving natural forms in ornamentation. The word Rococo is derived from the French word rocaille, which denoted the shell-covered rock work that was used to decorate artificial grottoes.
What are the characteristics of the rococo style of art?
Rococo art is often viewed as the art of the aristocracy, hence the over-the-top nature of its characteristics. One would recognize a Rococo sculpture, furniture piece, or room ornamentation by its distinctive use of curvature, scrolls, swirls, asymmetry, and/or vine-like lines.
What was the Rococo style known for?
Rococo painting, which originated in early 18th century Paris, is characterized by soft colors and curvy lines, and depicts scenes of love, nature, amorous encounters, light-hearted entertainment, and youth. The word “rococo” derives from rocaille, which is French for rubble or rock.
What is the main theme of Rococo art?
Rococo style is characterized by elaborate ornamentation, asymmetrical values, pastel color palette, and curved or serpentine lines. Rococo art works often depict themes of love, classical myths, youth, and playfulness.
How is Rococo art different from Baroque art?
The primary difference between Baroque and Rococo art is that Baroque describes the grand, overstated, dynamic late-European art between 1650 and 1700, while Rococo is a late-Baroque response that embodied light playfulness and more intimacy.
Why was Rococo so appealing?
The Rococo art movement addressed the most important controversy of the time – color versus drawing – and combined the two to create beautiful pieces. Artists of this period focused more on attention to detail, ornamentation and use of bright colors.
How did Rococo art reflect its time?
As women began to influence other aspects of society, the paintings became more feminine and lighthearted. In subject and in style, Rococo art reflected these changes in society. Frivolous subjects reigned supreme and featuring aristocrats and mythical subjects became the focus of French painters.
What is Rococo art and architecture?
What Is Rococo Architecture? Rococo, also referred to as Late Baroque, is an exuberant and theatrical design style. Rococo architectural design often refers to buildings constructed in eighteenth-century France, but the aesthetic also influenced music, art, furniture, and even cutlery.
What is a rococo?
The Rococo definition was first used humorously as a variation of the French word rocaille, a method of decorating grottos and fountains with seashells, pebbles, and cement. Towards the end of the 17th century, people began to use this term to describe a decorative motif that emerged in the late Louis XIV style.
Who is the artist who painted the Rococo style?
Inspired by artists from the Renaissance, Rococo paintings have incredible attention to detail. The French artist Francois Boucher is particularly famous for his detail-oriented approach to painting. Boucher manages to capture the minute intricacies of ornate costumes and create beautifully detailed scenes.
Why was the Rococo period considered a Baroque period?
As a reaction to the strict rigidity of the Baroque era, Rococo design was excessively ornamental. Sometimes art historians refer to the Rococo period as Late Baroque, which began in France as a reaction to the formal style of Louis XIV. When the reign of Louis XIV ended, the aristocratic and wealthy returned to Paris.
What is Crosato best known for?
Crosato is best known for the quadrature style painting of the Ca Rezzonico ballroom ceiling. Myriam Thyes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Venetian glassware was a significant part of the Italian Rococo period. It was during this time that colored and often engraved Murano glass flourished.
What is the Italian style of rococo?
The Rococo style was particularly exuberant in Italy. Venice was the epicenter of Italian Rococo. Italian Rococo designs like the Venetian commodes used the same ornamental decoration and curving lines as the French rocaille, but with a little extra. Many Venetian pieces were painted with flowers, landscapes, or scenes from famous painters. Chinoiserie, or the European imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions, was also popular in Italian Rococo.
What is the style of the Rococo period?
The style of the Rococo period has a strong sense of whimsy. Compared to the Baroque style that preceded it, the Rococo style had a much lighter color palette. Lightness and elegance permeate Rococo design with pastel colors, a lot of gold, and ivory white.
When did the Rococo style start?
Rococo flourished in France between 1723 and 1759 . French Rococo design was most prominent in salons. The salon was a new style of room that was designed to entertain and impress guests. At the Parisian Hotel de Soubise, the Princess salon is a perfect example of Rococo salons.
What is the style of rococo?
Rococo ( / rəˈkoʊkoʊ /, also US: / ˌroʊkəˈkoʊ / ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colors, sculpted molding, ...
Where did the Rococo style originate?
The Rococo style began in France in the 1730s as a reaction against the more formal and geometric Style Louis XIV. It was known as the style rocaille, or rocaille style. It soon spread to other parts of Europe, particularly northern Italy, Austria, southern Germany, Central Europe and Russia.
What is the origin of the word "rococo"?
The word rococo was first used as a humorous variation of the word rocaille. Rocaille was originally a method of decoration, using pebbles, seashells and cement, which was often used to decorate grottoes and fountains since the Renaissance. In the late 17th and early 18th century rocaille became the term for a kind of decorative motif or ornament that appeared in the late Style Louis XIV, in the form of a seashell interlaced with acanthus leaves. In 1736 the designer and jeweler Jean Mondon published the Premier Livre de forme rocquaille et cartel, a collection of designs for ornaments of furniture and interior decoration. It was the first appearance in print of the term "rocaille" to designate the style. The carved or molded seashell motif was combined with palm leaves or twisting vines to decorate doorways, furniture, wall panels and other architectural elements.
What was the Venetian Rococo?
The Venetian Rococo also featured exceptional glassware, particularly Murano glass, often engraved and coloured, which was exported across Europe. Works included multicolour chandeliers and mirrors with extremely ornate frames.
What are the characteristics of French Rococo?
The characteristics of French Rococo included exceptional artistry, especially in the complex frames made for mirrors and paintings, which were sculpted in plaster and often gilded; and the use of vegetal forms (vines, leaves, flowers) intertwined in complex designs.
When did the Rococo style start?
The Rocaille style, or French Rococo, appeared in Paris during the reign of Louis XV, and flourished between about 1723 and 1759. The style was used particularly in salons, a new style of room designed to impress and entertain guests.
When was the term "rococo" first used?
The term rococo was first used in print in 1825 to describe decoration which was "out of style and old-fashioned.". It was used in 1828 for decoration "which belonged to the style of the 18th century, overloaded with twisting ornaments.".
What is rococo art?
Rococo describes a type of art and architecture that began in France in the mid-1700s. It is characterized by delicate but substantial ornamentation. Often classified simply as "Late Baroque ," Rococo decorative arts flourished for a short period before Neoclassicism swept the Western world. Rococo is a period rather than a specific style.
Where is the Rococo style?
The Rococo in Spain. Rococo Style Architecture on the National Ceramics Museum in Valencia, Spain. Julian Elliott/robertharding/Getty Images. In Spain and her colonies the elaborate stucco work became known as churrigueresque after the Spanish architect José Benito de Churriguera (1665-1725).
What is the name of the decorative arts that Disney created?
Walt Disney and Rococo Decorative Arts. Silver Candlesticks from Italy, 1761. During the 1700s, a highly ornamental style of art, furniture, and interior design became popular in France. Called Rococo, the lavish style combined the delicacy of French rocaille with Italian barocco, or Baroque, details.
What are the characteristics of a rococo?
Characteristics of Rococo include the use of elaborate curves and scrolls, ornaments shaped like shells and plants, and entire rooms being oval in shape. Patterns were intricate and details delicate. Compare the intricacies of the c. 1740 oval chamber shown above at France's Hôtel de Soubise in Paris with the autocratic gold in the chamber of France's King Louis XIV at the Palace of Versailles, c. 1701. In Rococo, shapes were complex and not symmetrical. Colors were often light and pastel, but not without a bold splash of brightness and light. The application of gold was purposeful.
What color was used in the Baroque?
Colors were often light and pastel, but not without a bold splash of brightness and light. The application of gold was purposeful. "Where the baroque was ponderous, massive, and overwhelming," writes fine arts professor William Fleming, "the Rococo is delicate, light, and charming.".
What is the style of architecture and decoration?
A style of architecture and decoration, primarily French in origin, which represents the final phase of the Baroque around the middle of the 18th cent. characterized by profuse, often semiabstract ornamentation and lightness of color and weight.—Dictionary of Architecture and Construction
Where was the first Rococo church in the world?
Zimmerman's first success, and perhaps the first Rococo church in the region, was the village church in Steinhausen, completed in 1733. The architect enlisted his older brother, the fresco master Johann Baptist, to meticulously paint the interior of this pilgrimage church.
What is rococo art?
Rococo art is a popular movement in art history that focuses on love and leisure activities. Discover this peace-evoking art movement by definition, style characteristics, examples of prominent artists, and paintings from the era. Updated: 10/15/2021
What is the purpose of rococo paintings?
In a similar way, those who commissioned Rococo paintings wanted their artworks to be visual escapes that would help viewers forget about the mundane in life and celebrate leisure and pleasure.
What is the Rococo movement?
When your friends ask you what Rococo art is, now you should be able to tell them that it was a movement in the history of art that began at the beginning of the eighteenth century (not lyrics from a Lady Gaga song). By looking at two famous paintings, The Pilgrimage to Cythera by Jean-Antoine Watteau and The Swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard, you have learned that Rococo paintings often emphasized love and leisure activities, a category known as fete galante. Rococo artists used soft pastel colors to evoke a feeling of peace, and lose brushstrokes to add to a painting's drama or playfulness. These elements were not confined to secular scenes. They also appear in religious art such as Saint Peter Attempting to Walk on Water by Francois Boucher.
How to tell if a painting is a Rococo?
How can you tell whether or not a painting is part of the Rococo movement? Rococo artists used loose brush strokes, pastel colors, and flowing lines and forms in their compositions, regardless of a painting's subject matter. Many Rococo paintings are asymmetrical, meaning the design or overall composition is off-center. Each of these elements helps to create a sense of motion and playfulness within a painting.
What did the French elite do with art?
French royalty and the elite embraced artwork that celebrated love, leisure, and fashion in a way that was light, sumptuous, and even erotic. Rococo paintings decorated rooms in ornate homes of the aristocracy where members of high society would gather for intellectual discussions and entertainment.
Who was the first Rococo painter?
The first Rococo painter, Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), was responsible for the creation of a new type of artistic category called amorous festival paintings, or fête galante. Fête galante paintings are depictions of aristocrats enjoying various forms of outdoor recreation in the countryside.
When did the Rococo style begin?
Rococo art emerged in France as a decorative art used in interior design and gardens, but painters began to adopt the style in the early eighteenth century.
Who created the Rococo style?
The term "rococo" was first used by Jean Mondon in his Premier Livre de forme rocquaille et cartel (First book of Rococo Form and Setting) (1736), with illustrations that depicted the style used in architecture and interior design.
What was the Rococo movement?
The paintings that became signature to the era were created in celebration of Rococo's grandiose ideals and lust for the aristocratic lifestyle and pastimes. The movement, which developed in France in the early 1700s, evolved into a new, over-the-top marriage of the decorative and fine arts, which became a visual lexicon ...
What is the painting of Pierrot?
This painting (formerly known as Gilles) depicts Pierrot, a traditional character in Italian commedia dell'arte. He is elevated on center stage in what appears to be a garden and he faces the viewer with a downcast expression as his white satin costume dominates, its ballooning midsection lit up. He seems almost like a two-dimensional cut-out figure. Other stock characters surround him but Pierrot remains separate as if he has stepped out of their scene. The negative space in the upper left further emphasizes Pierrot's isolation. As Jonathan Jones wrote, "Watteau makes the fiction of the picture manifest," as the character, "in his discomfort and alienation, rebels not only against his stock character role in the comedy, but his role in this painting. His stepping out of the play is also a stepping out of the fiction painted by Watteau."#N#Watteau pioneered the artistic representation of theatrical worlds, a distinctive Rococo genre, and he also recast the character of Pierrot from a kind of bumbling, lovelorn fool into a figure of alienated longing. As Jones wrote, "representation of theatrical, socially marginal worlds, following Watteau, is central to French modern art, from the impressionists' cafe singers to Toulouse-Lautrec's dancers and prostitutes and Picasso's Harlequins." As the figure of Pierrot became a figure of the artist's alter ego, this painting influenced a number of later art movements and artists, including the Decadents, the Symbolists, and artists like André Derain, as seen in his Harlequin and Pierrot (c. 1924). The influence also extended to pop culture as shown in David Bowie's early performance in Lindsay Kemp's Pierrot in Turquoise (1967) where Bowie said, "I'm Pierrot. I'm Everyman. What I'm doing is theatre, and only theatre. What you see on stage isn't sinister. It's pure clown. I'm using myself as a canvas and trying to paint the truth of our time."
What was the Rococo style influenced by?
In painting Rococo was primarily influenced by the Venetian School's use of color, erotic subjects, and Arcadian landscapes, while the School of Fontainebleau was foundational to Rococo interior design. Beginnings and Development. Concepts, Trends, & Related Topics. Later Developments and Legacy.
What was the most important technique used in the Rococo period?
Stucco reliefs as frames, asymmetrical patterns involving motifs and scrollwork, sculptural arabesque details, gilding, pastels, and tromp l'oeil are the most noted methods that were used to achieve a seamless integration of art and architecture.
Where did Canaletto paint?
Venice was a noted stop for British aristocrats on the Grand Tour, and most of Canaletto's work was sold to this audience. The British art dealer Owen Swiny encouraged him to paint small, even postcard-sized, topographical views to sell to tourists, and the banker and art collector, Joseph Smith, became a noted patron, selling a large number of his works to King George III. In 1746 Canaletto moved to London where he painted scenes of London, such as his Westminster Bridge (1746). Ever since his work has retained its popularity and influence: it was featured in the David Bickerstaff film Canaletto and the Art of Venice (2017), and this painting was used in the video game Merchant Prince II (2001).
What was the art period of Neoclassicism?
Looking back to the arts of Greece and Rome for ideal models and forms, Neoclassicism was a major art period that set standard and redefined painting, sculpture, and architecture.
What was the Rococo style?
Early eighteenth-century France saw the emergence of Rococo style—an offshoot of the Baroque movement. Also called late baroque, Rococo artwork, architecture, and decor maintained the exuberance and theatricality of the Baroque but diverged with its use of asymmetry, warm-toned pastels, chinoiserie, and excessive florals.
Why did the Rococo art decline?
The decline of Rococo occurred around 1770, spurred by distaste for sexual subjects and the general sense of excess. Some critics deemed the work immoral and emerging artists turned to more noble subjects and styles rooted in antiquity.
Where did the word "rococo" come from?
The word Rococo comes from a play on the term rocaille, an Italian Renaissance method of decoration. This style involved the application of pebbles, shells, and other natural objects via cement to outdoor leisure spaces such as grottos and fountains.
What is the swing in Fragonard's paintings?
The Swing, for example, appears to be a depiction of daily, bourgeoisie life until one notices the gentleman reclining in the lower-left corner, looking straight up the swinging lady’s skirts.
When did the Rococo period begin?
The Rococo period began in the early 1700s in Paris as a reaction to/against the formalism of the baroque. By the end of the century it had been largely replaced by neoclassicism. It's pretty much limited to the reign of Louis the 15th.
What is the difference between Baroque and Rococo?
Rococo was applied to art and to interior decoration and structure whereas Baroque was applied to art, interiors and exteriors, where it was ornate and extravagant, especially when applied to palace or church architecture .
What was the art style of the 1700s?
In the early years of the 1700s, at the end of the reign of Louis XIV (who dies in 1715), there was a shift away from the classicism and "Grand Manner" (based on the art of Poussin) that had governed the art of the preceding 50 years in France, toward a new style that we call Rococo. The Palace of Versailles (a royal chateau that was the center of politcal power) was abandoned by the aristocracy, who once again took up residence in Paris. A shift away from the monarchy, toward the aristocracy characterizes the art of this period.
A Brief Introduction to The Rococo Style
The History of The Rococo Style
- The Rococo style began with interior design and furniture. As a reaction to the strict rigidity of the Baroque era, Rococo design was excessively ornamental. Sometimes art historians refer to the Rococo period as Late Baroque, which began in France as a reaction to the formal style of Louis XIV. When the reign of Louis XIV ended, the aristocratic and wealthy returned to Paris. There, the…
The Art and Design of The Rococo Period
- As you have seen, there was a lot of variation in design within Europe. While South Germany fell for Rococo architecture, the English preferred Rococo furniture. Whether it is painting, sculpture, furniture, or architectural design, we can see the distinct Rococo style.
The Gradual Decline of The Rococo Style
- It was not long until the Rococo emphasis on gallantry and decorative mythology inspired a reaction. The French Academy started teaching a more Classical style of art and De Troy, a prominent Classical artist, became the Academy’s director in 1738. Although the Rococo period was in decline in France, it continued to flourish in Austria and Germany. Madame de Pompadou…
Famous Rococo Artists
- There were so many painters, architects, and sculptors to emerge during the Rococo period. Of the many, there are a few that have made lasting impressions on the world of decorative art, including Francois Boucher, Elisabeth Louise Vigee le Brun, and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
Overview
Rococo , less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colors, sculpted molding, and trompe-l'œil frescoes to create surprise and the illusion of motion and drama. It is often described as the final expression of the Baroque movem…
Etymology
The word rococo was first used as a humorous variation of the word rocaille. Rocaille was originally a method of decoration, using pebbles, seashells and cement, which was often used to decorate grottoes and fountains since the Renaissance. In the late 17th and early 18th century rocaille became the term for a kind of decorative motif or ornament that appeared in the late Style Louis …
Characteristics
Rococo features exuberant decoration, with an abundance of curves, counter-curves, undulations and elements modeled on nature. The exteriors of Rococo buildings are often simple, while the interiors are entirely dominated by their ornament. The style was highly theatrical, designed to impress and awe at first sight. Floor plans of churches were often complex, featuring interlocking ovals; In palaces, grand stairways became centrepieces, and offered different points of view of t…
Differences between Baroque and Rococo
The following are characteristics that Rococo has, and Baroque does not:
• The partial abandonment of symmetry, everything being composed of graceful lines and curves, similar to Art Nouveau
• The huge quantity of asymmetrical curves and C-shaped volutes
Italy
Artists in Italy, particularly Venice, also produced an exuberant rococo style. Venetian commodes imitated the curving lines and carved ornament of the French rocaille, but with a particular Venetian variation; the pieces were painted, often with landscapes or flowers or scenes from Guardi or other painters, or Chinoiserie, against a blue or green background, matching the colours of the V…
Southern Germany
In church construction, especially in the southern German-Austrian region, gigantic spatial creations are sometimes created for practical reasons alone, which, however, do not appear monumental, but are characterized by a unique fusion of architecture, painting, stucco, etc., often completely eliminating the boundaries between the art genres, and are characterized by a light-filled weig…
Britain
In Great Britain, rococo was called the "French taste" and had less influence on design and the decorative arts than in continental Europe, although its influence was felt in such areas as silverwork, porcelain, and silks. William Hogarth helped develop a theoretical foundation for Rococo beauty. Though not mentioning rococo by name, he argued in his Analysis of Beauty (1753) that the undulatin…
Russia
The Russian Empress Catherine the Great was another admirer of the Rococo; The Golden Cabinet of the Chinese Palace in the palace complex of Oranienbaum near Saint Petersburg, designed by the Italian Antonio Rinaldi, is an example of the Russian Rococo.