单选题
The Art of the Rococo
1) The Rococo art movement emerged during the 18th century in France as a reaction to the very dark and oppressive Baroque style. While Baroque engaged very serious and heavy themes, Rococo delighted in taking a playful approach to art. Its motifs are lighthearted and joyful, the color palette employed soft and pale. In contrast to the religious figures and heroic battlefields depicted by Baroque artists, Rococo artists were more interested in representing the carefree and opulent life of aristocrats and the nobility. The main focus of Rococo art is romance and nature, for which reason it was often criticized as being frivolous and vain. 2) It played to the fashion of the times, and its purpose was more to entertain than to educate or inspire. The Roman Catholic Church looked down on the worldliness of Rococo art as an offense to God and earnest moral principles. It considered Rococo art as artificial, obtrusive and obviously lacking in taste.
3) In spite of all these negative comments, Rococo emerged as one of the leading artistic movements of its time. Its love for shell-like or curved forms gave the style its name. Thus the term Rococo is a combination of the French word "rocaille", which means "shell", and the Italian word "barocco", which designates the Baroque style. At first, it was used in a derogatory way meaning "old-fashioned." 4) However, as soon as the 19th century, Rococo was accepted by critics as a major period in art history. It was predominantly used in the decorative arts of its times, such as furniture, porcelain figurines and metalwork. It then made its way into large-scale architectural designs, as well as sculptures and paintings. Rococo influences can also be found in the court music of the 18th century, which is often referred to as the Galante Style.
Rococo was first introduced in the interior design of the court of French king Louis XV. At that time, the French nobility was tired of the rich heavy designs of the Baroque. The dark motifs of the old era gave way to the light naturalness and the curved patterns of the new style. The main promoter of this courtly art was interior designer Nicolas Pineau. When the court moved from Versailles to Paris, Pineau was put in charge of decorating the royal palace according to the new tastes of the French aristocracy. His delicate, intricate patterns soon established themselves as a leading art trend. Rococo spread from France to Germany and Italy as well as Austria and Bohemia. It never caught on in England, however, where it was often ridiculed as extravagant "French taste".
Rococo was at the height of its power during the 1730s. It had come to be incorporated into architecture, painting and sculpture as well, and developed a theoretical foundation as laid out in William Hogarth"s essay "The Analysis of Beauty." The undulating forms of Rococo are evident in the elegant design of the German palace at Sanssouci or the Spanish cathedral in Cadiz. These extraordinary buildings are decorated by rich plasterwork and abstract ornaments of Oriental origin. They contain numerous porcelain figurines crafted at the famous factory in Sevres. The paintings hanging on the wall carry the signature of master painters Watteau and Fragonard, who use delicate colors to depict cherubs and myths of love. The Rococo style fell out of fashion by 1780 to be replaced by the more serious neoclassical style. It was shortly revived in England during the Victorian Era, and can still be traced in the works of modern painters, such as Delacroix.
Glossary
Rococo:
relating to an artistic style originating in the 18th century
Baroque:
relating to an artistic and architectural style developed in Europe from about 1550 to 1700
figurine:
a small molded or sculptured figure