Rococo to Realism: Key Art Movements

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on art movements from Rococo to Realism, providing definitions and contextual information for studying their characteristics and themes.

Rococo

An art style flourishing in the 18th century, characterized by its ornate and playful aesthetic including delicate floral and pink color palettes, excessive detail in backgrounds with intricate patterns, and lighthearted, often frivolous, subjects set in idealized outdoor scenes. It emerged as a reaction against the grandeur and strictness of Baroque art, favoring intimacy and charm.

Fête galante

A primary and distinct theme in Rococo art, literally meaning 'courtship party.' These paintings depict elegant outdoor celebrations or pastimes, often involving members of the aristocracy engaged in leisurely activities, music, or flirtation, designed to showcase a refined and idyllic lifestyle.

Aristocracy

A hereditary class of people holding exceptional rank, wealth, and privileges within a society. In Rococo art, the aristocracy was frequently featured, highlighting their luxurious lifestyle, social status, and leisurely pursuits, often serving as patrons for the art itself.

History Painting

Considered the highest genre in academic art, history painting focuses on significant events, cultural narratives, and profound moral lessons. Subjects are typically drawn from historical, mythological, or biblical sources, aiming to educate, inspire virtue, and evoke noble emotions through a grand scale and often dramatic composition.

Neo-classicism

An influential artistic movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries that consciously draws inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity (ancient Greece and Rome). It emphasizes historical themes, stoic virtue, rationality, order, and civic duty, often employing crisp lines and balanced compositions as a reaction against the perceived frivolity of Rococo.

Romanticism

A widespread art movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries that emerged as a stark reaction against the rationalism and order of the Enlightenment and Neo-classicism. It emphasizes intense emotion, individualism, the sublime power of nature, the exotic, the macabre, and the heroic, often exploring subjective experience and the imaginative.

Landscape in Romanticism

A prominent and often symbolic depiction of nature within the Romantic movement. These landscapes often illustrate the profound emotional responses of humanity toward the natural world, portraying nature as awe-inspiring, wild, or even terrifying (the sublime), reflecting inner psychological states rather than merely replicating external appearance.

Photography

An independent art form that emerged in the 19th century, utilizing light and shadow to capture subjects with unprecedented realism. Beyond mere documentation, early photography quickly began to address complex philosophical and moral issues of its time, questioning truth, representation, and the nature of artistic creation.

Daguerreotype

An early and groundbreaking photographic process, invented by Louis Daguerre in the 1830s, which produced a single, unique, positive image directly on a highly polished, silver-coated copper plate. Due to its sharp detail and apparent objectivity, it was widely viewed as a direct, unmediated, and 'truth-bearing' medium during its popularity.

Realism

An art movement that gained prominence in the mid-19th century, fundamentally aimed at depicting subjects as they truly appear in everyday life, without idealization or embellishment. It often emerged from a scientific exploration of reality and sought to portray the unvarnished truth of ordinary people, social conditions, and common experiences, eschewing historical or mythological narratives.