Rococo Art

Fete galante

A category of painting in which the leisure pursuits of the idle rich are depicted.

Antoine Watteau

(1684-1721) Watteau is credited with inventing the genre of fêtes galantes: scenes of bucolic and idyllic charm, suffused with an air of theatricality. Some of his best known subjects were drawn from the world of Italian comedy and ballet. His innovative subject matter did not fit into any established category in the academic hierarchy, and he was ultimately accepted with the unprecedented title  "painter of fêtes galantes."

François Boucher

(1700-1770) Rococo painter employed by Louis XIV to paint Madame Pompadour and his other mistresses., influenced by Watteau, favorite painter of Mme. Pompadour (Louis XV's favorite mistress).

Pilgrimage to Cythera

1717, Jean Antoine Watteau (French, 1684-1721)Oil on canvas; 51 x 76 1/2 in. (129 x 194 cm )Musée du Louvre, Paris submitted to the  Academy in 1717. It depicted amorous couples on the mythical island of Cythera, in various stages of their metaphoric "journey" of love.

Portrait of Marquise de Pompadour

Boucher, 1759, Oil on canvas, 91 x 68 cm. • Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson (1721-1764) became marquise de Pompadour and maitresse en titre to Louis XV in 1745. Behind her in this portrait stands the sculpture of Love and Friendship which she had commissioned from Pigalle to symbolize her later, platonic relationship with the King.

The Swing

Fragonard. 1766. Oil on canvas.

Rococo

The word Rococo is seen as a combination of the French rocaille, or stone garden (referring to arranging stones in natural forms like shells), and the Italian barocco, or Baroque style. The term evolved from the Rococo love of shell-like curves and focus on decorative art. An 18th century art style, Rococo placed emphasis on portraying 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.

Jean-Honore Fragonard

the main representative of Rococo, whose art was focused on the aristocracy and their indulgent lifestyle rather than piety, morality, self-discipline, reason, and heroism (all of which can be found in the baroque). The last great painter of the French Rococo, Fragonard developed an exuberant and fluid manner. He abandoned the career path dictated by the hierarchical structure of the Royal Academy, working largely for private patrons.