Art History (Lesson 19): Rococo Art

Emerging in about 1700, the Rococo style dominated European art for most of the 18th century. Superseding the Baroque movement, it emphasized elegance, frivolity, and decorative charm. The greatest Rococo painters were Giambattista Taipolo, Jean-Antoine Watteau, and François Boucher. The word Rococo is thought to derive from rocaille, a French word describing an ornamental This seems to have been combined with baraco, a source word for Baroque CP. The term Rococo is said to have been coined by one of David's pupils shortly after the French Revolution. It was meant as a humorous insult, mocking the supposed triviality of the florid, It remained a pejorative term throughout the first half of the 19th century, but is now free from any negative connotations. The Rococo style had a major impact on architecture, interior design, and the decorative arts, as well as painting. It developed initially in France, but eventually spread to most other parts of Europe, either by engravings or by expatriate Subject Matter Rococo painters retained many of the themes that had been in vogue during the Baroque era, but treated them in a lighter, more playful manner. Symbolic and mythological subjects were still in demand, but they lost much of their serious content. In many cases, they simply provided a pretext for tastefully erotic depictions of the female nude. Amorous themes were especially popular. Waddeau pioneered the Fete Galante, a new type of subject in which elegant young couples, dressed in rich attire, wandered blissfully. Interior of a Benedictine Abbey Church German school built by Johann Michael Fischer, 1692-1766 The simplicity of the church architecture is transformed by the brilliant frescoes and the 1748-68, Odeberan, Bavaria, Germany Rococo Timeline Waddeau pioneered the Rococo style, completing his masterpiece Embarkation for Cytheraene 1717. Canaletto's career painting scenes of Venice began to prosper a decade later. In Britain, Hogarth produced social satires such as Marriage of Limode and Gainsborough painted Austrian painter Malburch completed his apotheosis three years before. His French contemporary Fragonard produced The Swing. 1717. Waddeau, Plumage to the Island of Cythera, 1730 Canaletto, Return of the Bucentoro on Ascension Day 1730. Hogarth, Marigia a la Mode, The Toilette C. 1748-49, Gainsborough, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews Schools The Rococo movement was nurtured in France, where it was closely associated with the reign of Louis XV, 1715-74. It subsequently gained popularity in other countries, but often in very different forms. French French Rococo painting was dominated by Jean-Antoine Waddeau, Francois Boucher, and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, see page 246. Waddeau developed the style, but his successors did the more typical work. In their hands Rococo became the art of the boudoir, a blend of elegance, wit, and eroticism. The lightness of the themes is evident from the ease with which they could be transferred from one medium to another. For example, Boucher used the same infants and nymphs for his paintings, his porcelain figures, and his tapestry designs. Directness and informality were also the keynotes of Rococo sculpture, typified by the approach of Jean-Antoine Houdon, its leading practitioner, see page 248. The style also made a significant impact on the burgeoning porcelain industry, German and Central European. In the early 18th century, when Germany began to recover from the Thirty Years' War, 1618-48, there was a building boom. Princes erected new palaces while, in the Catholic South, there was a spate of church building, where Rococo decoration achieved its fullest flowering. The interiors were adorned with frescoes, and some of the most elaborate stucco work, architectural decoration, ever produced. Some artists, such as Johann Zimmermann, worked in both these fields. Meanwhile, Franz Anton Malburch painted altarpieces and frescoes with exuberant flair in his native Austria as well as in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. He was a Rococo artist to the last, ignoring the onset of neoclassical austerity, see p. 266. Italian and Venetian In Italy, the emergence of the Rococo style coincided with the heyday of the Grand Tour, and many of its leading exponents geared their work towards this market. Ruined gallery of the Villa Adriana Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the artist used a low viewpont and tiny figures to make his Roman ruins seem large and imposing while the profusion of creepers adds an air of mystery. 1756. Engraving, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France Around a dreamy, parkland setting, pastoral scenes provided a similar form of escapism. The aristocratic figures were replaced by shepherds and shepherdesses, idling away the time with their flirtatious games. Style and Techniques The Rococo style was marked by a light-hearted, decorative approach. In narrative subjects, the story was often amplified by playful putty, cherubs, or by statues that seemed to come alive, eager to participate. Even in more somber themes, painters indulged in ornamental flourishes or effortless, virtuoso effects. In the applied arts, the emphasis on decoration was even more pronounced. Scrollwork and shell motifs were everywhere, and there was a taste for curved lines and asymmetrical designs. Portrait of Madame de Pompadour François Boucher, 1759, Moylan canvas, 91x68cm, Wallace Collection, London, UK Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, detail Boucher's skill lay in his entering of delicate frills and flounces rather than in the portrait itself. Current Events 1702-13 The War of the Spanish Succession divided Europe for more than a decade, but also made military pictures more topical. Waddow tried his hand at this theme in 1709, when he was living in Valasian. 1740s Herculaneum and Pompeii became regular attractions on the Grand Tour, which proved so important for the careers of Canaletto and Piranesi. 1751 Boucher, reclining nude, Mademoiselle O'Murphy 1757 Falcon at the Bather 1758-60 Tiepolo, young woman with a parrot 1764 Malburch apotheosis 0F St. James the Greater 1767 Fragonard the Swing 1774 Bottoni, Thomas William Coke In Rome, Giovanni Paolo Panini, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and French-born Hubert Robert all found distinctive ways to portray the grandeur of the ancient ruins, while Pompeo Bottoni's graceful portraits of visiting nobility were in constant demand. In Venice, Canaletto achieved similar success with his sparkling pictures of the city's best-loved sights and spectacles. Tourists, however, were not the only patrons. Gian Battista Tiepolo, the greatest Venetian painter of the age, worked for a much broader clientele. His dazzling frescoes and canvases were commissioned to adorn some of the finest villas and churches in the region. Tiepolo's fame spread far beyond Italy. Arguably his greatest masterpiece was produced in Würzburg, Germany, for the residence palace of the local prince-bishop. Tiepolo's task was to produce a range of frescoes showing the four continents, Asia, Africa, America, and Europe. Australia was yet to be discovered, and paying tribute to his patron. This could easily have resulted in a sterile allegory of symbolic figures. Tiepolo, however, transformed the setting into a virtuoso display of illusionism with ancient gods in an imaginary sky and human figures on the cornices, gazing down at the bishop's guests. British Rococo had less impact in Britain, but it still affected the major artists of the day. The crucial influence came from Hubert Gravelotte, a French painter and engraver. He settled in London, where he introduced Rococo ideas to his friends Francis Hayman and William Hogarth. He also taught at the St. Martins Lane Academy, where Thomas Gainsborough was a student. The effects of the new style were most apparent in portraiture, where The conversation piece, an elegant and informal variation of the theme, gained great popularity. Ceiling fresco Giambattista Tiepolo this scene greeted visitors as they walked up the palatial staircase of the residence. Court dignitaries, musicians, and artists mingle with allegorical figures. The reclining officer is thought to be Balthasar Newman, the architect of the building. 1750-53, Fresco, Residence, Wyersburg, Germany Music Fienne-Maurice Falconet This sensuous allegorical figure was commissioned by Madame de Pompadour for her home, the Château de Bellevue. 1757 Marble Height 203 cm, Louvre, Paris, France