Rococo

What is the background context of rococo?

reflected the tastes of the French upper classes, especially during the reign of King Louis XV, when elite society shifted away from the rigid ceremony of Versailles toward smaller salons and private social life.

Rococo art is known for:

• pastel colors

• curving lines

• asymmetrical decoration

• delicate ornament

• playful themes

• romantic and flirtatious subjects

contrasts Rococo with Baroque:

• Baroque art was dramatic, monumental, and religious or political.

• Rococo art …

became lighter, more intimate, and focused on pleasure and leisure.

Rococo artists frequently painted:

• aristocratic leisure

• courtship

• gardens and parks

• mythology used romantically rather than heroically

• scenes of pleasure and entertainment