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Rococo painting

The Century of Louis XV

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The Marquise de Pompadour became the mistress of Louis XV, king of France, in 1745. François Boucher painted this portrait, which hangs in the Louvre museum in Paris, France

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Outline Introduction Part I. The 18th century in France Part II. Definition of Rococo Part III. Rococo painters Conclusion References

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Introduction Rococo art, which flourished in France and Germany in the

early 18th century, was in many respects a continuation of the baroque, particularly in the use of light and shadow and compositional movement

Rejected the traditional themes of heroes and mythology and instead focused on representing the carefree life characteristic of the aristocratic patrons of the arts

This style received its name in the nineteenth century from French émigrés, who used the word to designate in whimsical fashion the old shellwork style (style rocaille), then regarded as Old Frankish

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Part I. The 18th century in France The Rococo style succeeded Baroque Art in Europe. It was

centered in France, associated with the reign of Louis XV Louis XV (1710-74), king of France (1715-74), whose failure

to provide strong leadership and badly needed reforms contributed to the crisis that brought on the French Revolution

Pompadour, Marquise de, née Jeanne Antoinette Poisson (1721-64), influential mistress of Louis XV, king of France, known for her patronage of art and literature

In 1745 French population 25 million; 28 million in 1789 Emergence of the intellectual movement called the

Enlightenment

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Part II. Definition of Rococo An eighteenth century art style which placed emphasis on port

raying the carefree life of the aristocracy rather than on grand heroes or pious martyrs

Love and romance were considered to be better subjects for art than historical or religious subjects

The style was characterized by a free, graceful movement; a playful use of line; and delicate colors

Genre painting came back into favor when the Academy admitted Watteau to its ranks in 1717 on the presentation of this work, the subject of which was so novel that the term "fête galante" was coined to describe it

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Part III. Rococo painters

Among rococo painters, Jean-Antoine Watteau is known for his ethereal pictures of elegantly dressed lovers disporting themselves at fêtes galantes (fashionable outdoor gatherings)

Highly popular also were mythological and pastoral scenes, including lighthearted and graceful depictions of women, by Fragonard and Chardin

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a. Watteau Watteau, Jean-Antoine (1684-1721), French painter, who is

regarded as one of the outstanding artists of the rococo period Born at Valenciennes, which had passed to France from the Sp

anish Netherlands only six years before his birth Moved to Paris in 1702, worked with Gillot, who stimulated hi

s interest in theatrical costume and scenes from daily life In 1717 he submitted The Pilgrimage to the Island of Cythera

(Louvre, Paris), as his reception piece to the Academy Watteau had many loyal friends and supporters who recognize

d his genius, and although his reputation suffered with the Revolution and the growth of Neoclassicism

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This picture was Watteau's diploma piece for the Académie royal de Peinture et de Sculpture. Watteau's nomination was accepted by the Académie in 1712. the general atmosphere of the painting is Venetian, and the distant mountains in their blue haze recall Leonardo

The Pilgrimage to the Island of Cythera

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b. Fragonard Fragonard, Jean-Honoré (1732-1806), French painter of the rococo

age, became a favorite in the courts of Louis XV and Louis XVI His most familiar works, such as The Swing (c. 1766), are characteri

zed by delicate hedonism François Boucher was prevailed upon to accept him as a pupil In 1752, Fragonard's elementary training completed, Boucher

recommended that he compete for a Prix de Rome scholarship, which meant study under Carle Van Loo, in Paris

In 1756, Fragonard set off with other scholarship winners for the French Academy at Rome

A prodigiously active artist, he produced more than 550 paintings, several thousand drawings (although many hundreds are known to be lost), and 35 etchings. His style, based primarily on that of Rubens, was rapid, vigorous, and fluent, never tight or fussy

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The Swing

1767Oil on canvas, 81 x 64 cmWallace Collection, London

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c. Chardin Chardin, Jean Baptiste Siméon (1699-1779), French painter,

one of the greatest of the 18th century Embodies the frivolity and elegant superficiality of French cou

rt life at the middle of the 18th century In 1727-31 he was in Italy, and on his return was soon busy as

a versatile fashionable artist Director of the Gobelins factory in 1755 and Director of the A

cademy and King's Painter in 1765 Favourite artist of Louis XV's most famous mistress, Mme de

Pompadour, to whom he gave lessons and whose portrait he painted several times

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Winter (1735; Frick Collection, New York )

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Conclusion It was a reaction of nobility against classical baroque which

had been imposed at Versailles by Louis XIV Style of the aristocracy: it revealed a taste for what is clear and

elegant, refined and gallant Life without worry, closely related to nature Its influence on French architecture is limited, yet it reaches

Germany where it finds favorable ground The 1789 French Revolution interrupted the development of

Rococo Rococo was eventually replaced by Neoclassicism, which was

the popular style of the American and French revolutions

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References

http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/w/watteau/antoine/1/index.html

http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/r/rococo.html http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTH18thcentury.html http://www.abcgallery.com/movemind.html#Rococo http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/fragonard/ http://www.zeroland.co.nz/art_periods.html http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/rococo.html