Rococo
(18th Century)
Danielle Laraque
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Background
18th century [Late-Baroque]
Emerged in France
In 1699 King Louis XIV ordered the artists
commissioned for works in Versailles to exemplify a
more playful look.
Rejected baroque's seriousness
Aimed to look graceful and gentle
Affected several different pieces of art
Became less popular when Neoclassicism emerged in
France in the late 18th century
Characteristics
Graceful, gentle, fragile
Curves followed the lines of natural objects
Baroque depicted bravery and courage but Rococo showed
aristocracy at play.
Unlike past art pieces which had religious aspects, Rococo
was secular but spiritual at times
Rococo paintings were smaller compared to past ones
Bright colors, ornate details, interlaced designs
Characterisitics portrayed how Rococo art appealed to the
wealthy of France.
Its lightness and allure illustrated Rococo as a dream of
happiness.
Jean-Honoré
Fragonard
“Young Girl
Reading”
1776
Antoine Watteau
“Return from Cythera”
1717-1719
Characteristics of Rococo
Architecture
Walls, ceilings, and moldings had fragile
interlacing of curves based on the letters “C”
and “S”
Other natural shapes were also included in its
form
Asymmetrical design was key
Light pastels, ivory white, and gold were the
predominant colors
Mirrors were used to enhance architecture
Versailles
building and The
Hall of Mirrors at
Versailles, France
Louis Le Vau,
Jules Hardouin
Mansart,
Philibert Le Roy
1664-1710
The Bishops Palace, the Residenz
The residential palace of the Schönborn
princebishop of Würzburg at Würzburg,
Germany
Balthasar Neumann
1720-1740
“Psyche Revived by
Cupids Kiss”
Antonio Canova
1787-1793
Thank You