Rococo Art - France Takes the Lead

Some notes taken from Dr. Jean S. M. Willette, Dr. April Renée Lynch, The Met’s exhibition of Chardin, and from Khan Academy.

What was Rococo about? What were the goals?

Rococo art was a fashionable art trend that catered to the rich, elite aristocracy. These people dedicated their lives to leisure, throwing parties, having affairs, gossiping, and spending absurd amounts of money on luxuries like clothing, mansions, music, and art. So, Rococo art reflected their lifestyle. Unlike Baroque art of the past, this art was silly and humorous, rather than serious or religious. It was also highly flattering, so portraits were in high demand. While Rococo artists continued to use Greek myths for subject matter, it was seen more as an excuse to show erotic nude women, rather than teach ethical lessons. You could argue that all mythical paintings are voyeuristic, but the Rococo was more open about it.

Rococo still faces a lot of criticism today. Some feel it’s tasteless, others that it’s not historically significant. And, of course, it was built on the backs of the poor who suffered under aristocracy. Nevertheless, Rococo art, while old-fashioned, shows incredible craftsmanship, draughtsmanship, and beauty.

Where did Rococo get the name?

While no one knows for sure, it’s assumed to be a play on words, combining the French words rocaille, meaning rock and coquilles, meaning shell. Rocks and shells play a prominent role in Rococo decoration.

A bit of historical context:

Rococo began as a protest against Baroque architecture. Rococo artists and designers felt it was too grand, rigid, and symmetrical. They wanted their works to be more graceful, delicate, ornate, floral, and flowing. They also felt that interior design should be carefully planned so that every part of a room from floor to ceiling matched, as one big work of art. Rococo was also strongly influenced by Chinese art and design.

While the most famous Rococo works and artists are French, it traces its roots back to Italian architects of the late Baroque, for example Borromini. Many such architects were hired by French and German princes to build new structures, where this new Rococo style developed. While the English rejected Rococo in architecture, they used it in decorative arts such as silverware, ceramics, and furniture. Rococo art died along with aristocracy during the French Revolution. New political forces needed a new type of art – the Neo-Classical. All the greatest writers of the Age of Enlightenment – Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot, all lambasted the Rococo.

The underlying philosophy of the period:

The Rococo is best seen as a protest against the Baroque aesthetic, in an attempt to develop a new, better form of beauty that would define an age of pleasure. Philosopher, Madame du Châtelet said, “We must begin by saying to ourselves that we have nothing else to do in the world but to seek pleasant sensations and feelings.” Rococo art explored themes about love, and romance, often excusing infidelity.

Rococo aesthetics were best explained by the English artist, William Hogarth, in his controversial book, The Analysis of Beauty, in 1753. Hogarth argued that beautiful art consisted of six qualities: fitness, variety, regularity, intricacy, simplicity, and quantity. You might notice that these characteristics are at odds with each other. How can an artwork be both intricate and simple? Hogarth was arguing for a careful balance between these opposing qualities. He also advocated the gestural curving ‘S’ line, common to the Rococo, over the rigid straight lines of older styles.

The Anti-Rococo

Two important painters focused on scenes of the simple day-to-day life of commoners. Jean-Baptiste Greuze and Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin. Their work reflected the philosophy of Rousseau and Diderot, who considered them the only great artists of the age. They felt that people are inherently good, but that society corrupts us. Rousseau said, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” Grueze and Chardin felt that simple farmers were more in touch with nature and therefore better. Although they’re referred to as “genre painters” for their scenes of domestic life, you can think of them as early Romantics, and they were both highly influential to later generations.

How was it represented in the other arts – music, architecture, and literature?

Rococo started in architecture, and moved into painting and sculpture as decorative touches to add to ornamented interiors and exterior gardens. Most of the great literature of the time ran counter to Rococo – the philosophers Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, etc. Music of the time falls into two categories, Galant music of the early Rococo, featuring Boccherini and various sons of J.S. Bach, and the Classical period with  Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven – one of the greatest moments in music history.

Was it great? Was it flawed?

In terms of craft, skill, composition, story-telling, and mood, it’s hard to criticize the leading artists of this period (although some of Watteau’s paintings are a bit clumsy. He was much better at drawing than painting). Its single greatest flaw was the philosophy behind it, the cruel ignorance and indifference of those rich enough to enjoy life, without a care or consideration for the poor and sick who couldn’t. Rococo art is a reflection of the very problems that led to the downfall of the social order. Although Marie Antoinette never actually said, “Let them eat cake”, when hearing of the starving masses with no bread––it was widely circulated that she did, and that was enough to anger people into cutting off her head.

Some leading figures, in chronological order:

Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) – considered the first great Rococo painter.

François Boucher (1703-1770)

Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806)

Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Le Brun (1755-1842) – French portrait painter, famous for painting Marie-Antoinette

English Rococo Painters:

William Hogarth (1697-1764) – English portrait painter & humourist

Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) – English portrait painter

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) – English portrait painter

Anti-Rococo

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin (1699-1779)

Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805)

Venetian Rococo

The Tiepolo Family – Giambattista, Domenico & Lorenzo, a father & sons team that painted large scale frescoes of religious and mythical scenes. Apart from their pastel colours, they share little in common with Rococo artists. I feel they’re mislabelled and should be seen as late Baroque masters.

Some of the most famous artworks of the time:

The Palace of Versailles

This was a summer palace for the kings of France. It’s hard to say when it was finished, since kings and queens kept adding onto it, up to 1789 when Louis XVI and his queen Marie-Antoinette were dragged out and executed. Construction began in 1624, the Baroque period, by Louis XIII. Kings Louis XV and XVI added onto the structure, demolishing some parts they considered old-fashioned, rebuilding it in the Rococo style. Today, it’s one of France’s greatest museums, drawing around 10 million tourists a year.

The Pleasures of Love, by Jean-Antoine Watteau, 1717

This is a simple, idyllic scene of people enjoying a picnic and each other’s company.

The Rape of Europa, by François Boucher, 1747

Alternately called the Abduction or Kidnapping of Europa, this Greek myth is popular in art history, having been painted countless times. In this story, the beautiful young Europa is seduced by Zeus, who takes the form of a bull. She climbs on his back, and he swims to Crete where he shows his true form, and the couple have three children together. Europa becomes the queen of Crete. It’s unclear whether Europa was really raped, or merely seduced, but her blasé expression seems to indicate she’s okay with the situation. Needless to say, this painting is controversial.

The Swing, by Jean-Honore Fragonard in 1767

In this painting, there’s a man and woman who are having an affair. The woman gets some unsuspecting gentleman to give her a push on a swing. What he doesn’t know is her lover is hiding in the bushes below. As she spreads her legs for him, he gets a view up her dress. The garden surrounding them is filled with light and delicate details, and pastel colours. It suggests an immoral and carefree lifestyle.

The Diligent Mother, by Jean-Baptiste Chardin, 1740

This painting was a gift presented to King Louis XV, who eventually gave the artist a pension of 500 Livres a year. It shows a dutiful mother caring for her children while she sews, an example of moral virtue – the kind of work championed by Diderot, and a sharp contrast to Fragonard’s Swing.

 

The Father’s Curse: The Ungrateful Son & The Son Punished, by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1777

This painting shows a father cursing his son, as he goes off to join the army. In the second painting, the son returns home to find his father has died. The son is at fault here for deserting his family, who also need him to work and provide for them. When he returns his punishment is the shame and guilt of seeing his father dead, that he might have been saved if he had only been able to afford a doctor.