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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE ROCOCO
Google Earth Coordinates:
Garden front of the center block of the Palace of Versailles
St. Paul’s Cathedral, London
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, England
East Front of the Louvre, Paris
France: The Rise of the Rococo
Key Images
Jean-Antoine Watteau, A Pilgrimage to Cythera, p. 763, 22.1
Jean-Antoine Watteau, Mezzetin, p. 764, 22.2
Jean-Antoine Watteau, Seated Young Woman, p. 764, 22.3
Primary Source: Jean de Jullienne (1686-1767), A Summary of the Life of Antoine
Watteau, 1684-1721, p. 766
Materials and Techniques: Pastel Painting, p. 769
The Rococo style often is viewed as a final, specialized, phase of the Baroque.
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At the end of the seventeenth century, followers of Poussin (the Poussinistes) and
followers of Rubens, (the Rubénistes) engaged in a dispute over the primacy of
drawing or color. The Rubénistes favored color over drawing, while the Poussinistes
preferred drawing. This debate factionalized the French Academy.
Chardin s still lifes are characterized by very balanced compositions with few objects,
while his Soap Bubbles (22.7) is tied to the tradition of Dutch genre painting.
Items in Chinese style were known as Chinoiserie and belonged mostly to the
decorative arts.
The Rococo in Western Europe Outside of France
Key Images
William Hogarth, The Orgy, Scene III of The Rake s Progress, p. 775, 22.13
William Hogarth, He Revels (The Orgy), scene III of The Rake s Progress, p. 775, 22.14
Canaletto, The Bucintoro at the Molo, p. 776, 22.15
William Hogarth developed a new style called the serial painting. In these works he
created stage-like settings for his characters as they played out dramatic scenes. These
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The Rococo in Central Europe
Key Images
Johann Fischer von Erlach, Façade of the Karlskirche (church of St. Charles Borromeo),
p. 777, 22.16
In Germany and Austria, the Rococo style was mainly communicated through
architecture.
Johann Fischer von Erlach designed a façade for the church of St. Charles Borromeo
(22.16) that borrowed from Baroque and Roman models to create a brand new style.
Key Terms /Places/Names
salons
Poussinistes
fête galantes
pastel
Discussion Questions
1. What are the fundamental differences between the Baroque and Rococo styles?
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5. What was
6. Why do portraits give us the clearest understanding of the French Rococo ?
7. ) exemplify the French Rococo?
Resources
Books
Boucher, François. François Boucher, 1703 1770. New York: Metropolitan Museum of
Art, 1986.
Grassellli, Margaret and Pierre Rosenberg. Watteau, 1684 1721. Washington, D.C.:
National
DVDs
Landmarks of Western Art From Rococo to Revolution A Journey of Art History
across the Ages. (2006). Kultur Video. 50 min.