Rococo Art

Chapter 20

Art in France

• Rococo art placed emphasis on the carefree life of the aristocracy rather than on grand heroes or pious martyrs.

• Love and Romance.

• Lighthearted world, pleasure and happiness.

The Palace at Versailles

• King Louis XIV home and the capital of France.

French Painting

• Antoine Watteau

• 1684-1721

• Court Painter

• Embarkation from Cythera, 1717-1719.

• Soft, dreamlike atmosphere, luxurious costumes, dainty figures, silvery colors.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

• 1732-1806

• Court Painter

• Aristocracy liked to frolic, pamper their pets, play on elegant swings, and engage in idle gossip.

• The Swing, 1765.

Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin

• 1699-1779

• Preferred Little Dutch Masters.

• Peasants and middle class.

• Still Life with a Rib of Beef.

• Genre paintings.

• The Attentive Nurse.

Art in England and Spain

• Portrait painting grew in popularity.

• Preferred daily life and still life subjects.

Sir Joshua Reynolds

• 1723-1792

• Painted fashionable portraits.

• Capturing the sensitive and fleeting expressions of children.

Thomas Gainsborough

• 1727-1788

• Began his career by painting landscapes.

• Became the favorite portrait painter of English high society.

• The Blue Boy, 1770.

William Hogarth

• 1697-1764

• Painted the common people of London.

• Marriage à la Mode.

• The Marriage Contract, 1742-1744.

Sir Christopher Wren

• 1632-1723

• Architect.

• St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Francisco Goya

• 1746-1828

• The Duchess of Alba, 1797.

• The Third of May, 1808.

• Dreams and visions.

• The Giant, 1818.