The Gracious Art of Rococo Living.
Study #12
The Pre-Arranged Flight, 1772 by Jean-Honoré Fragonard
The age of Rococo began around 1730 with the death of Louis XIV and the subsequent end to France’s obsession with heavy, regimented and dramatic Baroque style. Growing secularism and the continued growth of the bourgeoisie allowed artists and craftsmen to market to a wider audience and not exclusively for the royalty and nobility.
La Mauvaise Nouvelle (Bad News), 1740 by Jean-Baptiste-Marie Pierre
Rococo design is characterized by cohesive pastel hues, soft edges, a casual yet festive atmosphere, and idyllic surroundings. The rise of intimate salons for entertaining led to a renewed sense of harmonious living and gracious hosting.
Madame de Pompadour’s Salon Chinois, 1740 decorated by Christophe Huet
Madame de Pompadour, the long-time mistress of King Louis XV, is known as the Godmother of Rococo for her zealous patronage of interior decorators, designers and portraitists who were leading the charge in froth and fluff.
Mozart was the premier musician of the Rococo period, which introduced songs of subtle dynamic differentiation, often based on simple folk rhythms and melodies, that were meant for public consumption. He and his peers were eschewing the comparatively austere style of earlier composers, like Bach and Handel, for a new vogue of harmony and simplistic melody.
Mozart by Karl Bauer
During this period the fine and delicate art of porcelain figures was popularized. The colorful miniatures were dainty yet joyous and often embodied carefree group scenes.
Rococo figurine
The end of the Rococo period (and the beginning of the Neo-Classical) occurred in line with the French Revolution and America’s gain of independence at the end of the 18th century. The common classes were tired of their daily struggle contrasting so starkly against the boundless pleasures the nobility had access to. With a return to a more balanced society, the picturesque yet unattainable mode of living was replaced with a simple, ordered ideal that harked back to the age of antiquity.
Marie Antoinette, 2006 by Sofia Coppola
Jeune femme blonde à la guirlande de roses, 1770 by Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Jeune fille lisant avec un chien, Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Tete de Vieillard, 1767 by Jean-Honoré Fragonard