Rococo is a style of art that emerged in France in the first half of the 18th century. Rococo style in France

In the 18th century, Western European art became perhaps the main object of heated debate, a point of collision between different worldviews, reflecting big picture mixture and diversity of forms of its existence. Contemporaries argued about the relationship between art and nature, the role and purpose of the artist and the viewer, the relationship between truth and fiction. A characteristic feature of this time was the indisputable fact not of gradual change, but of the simultaneous existence of Baroque, classicism, rococo and sentimentalism.

How did classicism and the ideals of the Baroque, so dissimilar and in many ways even opposite in essence, “coexist” in this difficult situation?

Classicism was the first clearly defined direction in European art, which created its own aesthetic program, developed strict rules of artistic creativity and its own ideological orientation (If at the beginning the art of classicism was inseparable from the idea absolute monarchy and was the embodiment of integrity, greatness and order, then later, in the form of the so-called revolutionary classicism, the birthplace of which was France, it served the contradictory ideals of the struggle against tyranny and the assertion of civil rights of the individual. But at the last stage of its development, classicism began to actively express the ideals of the Napoleonic empire - it was not without reason that it found its artistic continuation in the Empire style).

Baroque art, which was described in sufficient detail in previous posts (if anyone is interested, you can find them using the appropriate tag), relied more on intuition than on rational principles, and therefore did not create any theory. Classicism abandoned the fundamental inconsistency of the Baroque and rejected its main motto: “He who does not break the rules is not a poet.” Recognizing only harmony and order, classicism “straightened out” the bizarre forms of baroque art, ceased to tragically perceive the spiritual world of man, and transferred the main conflict to the sphere of relations between a separate person and the state.

Baroque, having almost completely outlived its usefulness and come to its logical conclusion, gave way to classicism. But the true heir of the Baroque was not classicism, but another style - rococo.

Rococo in fine arts:
Jean Honore Fragonard "The Happy Possibilities of a Swing" (1766)

In the 20s of the 18th century, a new style of art developed in France - rococo (from the French rocaille - sink). The name itself revealed the main, characteristic feature of this style - a predilection for refined and complex shapes, bizarre lines, in many ways reminiscent of the silhouette of a shell.

The shell either turned into a complex curl with some strange slits, or into a decoration in the form of a shield or a half-unrolled scroll depicting a coat of arms or emblem.

In France, interest in the Rococo style waned by the end of the 1760s, but in the countries of Central Europe its influence was noticeable until the end of the 18th century.

Rococo art was formed during the era spiritual crisis absolutist power in France. Reflecting the ideals and sentiments of the upper strata of French society, it could not help but be influenced by aristocratic customers.

The main goal of Rococo art absolutely hedonistic - provide sensual pleasure. Art was supposed to please, touch and entertain, turning life into a sophisticated masquerade and “gardens of love.” Complex love affairs, fleeting hobbies, daring, risky actions of heroes that challenge society, adventures and fantasies, gallant entertainment and holidays determined the content of works of art.

Characteristics of Rococo that can be identified in works of art of this style can be recognized as follows:

1. Gracefulness and lightness, intricacy, decorative sophistication and improvisation, pastoralism (shepherd idyll), craving for the exotic.

The Rococo style reached its greatest flowering in works of decorative and applied art in France (interiors of palaces and costumes of the aristocracy).

But its influence, for example, on impressionists there is no doubt. And the influence of Rococo appears most clearly in the works of artists and architects of the style.

There are countless movements in the visual arts. Most often, a new style arises on the basis of an existing one, and for some time they develop in parallel. For example, Rococo in the painting of Western Europe was formed on the basis of pompous and magnificent Baroque.

However, the emergence of a new style, as often happens, was initially met with criticism. Rococo was accused of lack of taste, frivolity and even immorality. Nevertheless, it is impossible to deny his contribution to the further development of fine art.

The birth of a new direction

In 17th-century France, it became fashionable to decorate parks with stylized grottoes with stucco decorations, which were shells with intertwined plant stems. Over time, this decorative element became the dominant ornamental motif, although it underwent significant changes.

By the beginning of the next century, it was difficult to recognize a familiar shell in it; rather, it resembled a bizarrely curved curl. That's why French word rocaille has acquired a wider meaning. Now it meant not only a stone or a shell, but everything fanciful and writhing.

Louis XV inherited the throne in 1715, which is why the Rococo style of painting is sometimes called after him. Really, chronological framework The reign of the king and the development of a new stylistic direction coincide. And since France at the beginning of the 18th century. was an undisputed trendsetter, the Rococo craze soon spread throughout Europe.

Style Features

Baroque art, which originated in Italy in the 17th century, was distinguished primarily by its majesty. However, it never became widespread in France, although some of its features can be traced in the Rococo style. For example, both directions are decorative and rich, the only difference is that rocaille pomp is graceful and relaxed, and baroque is energetic and tense.

Interestingly, the previous styles initially arose in architecture, and then spread to sculpture, decoration and painting. With Rococo it was the other way around. This trend first developed in the interior design of aristocratic boudoirs and living rooms. It influenced the development of applied art and practically did not affect the architecture of exteriors.

Rococo in painting is a depiction of gallant scenes from the life of the aristocracy. There is no place for harsh realities, religious motives, glorification of strength and heroism. The canvases depict romantic courtship with a touch of eroticism against the backdrop of pastoral landscapes. Another characteristic feature of the style is the lack of a sense of the passage of time.

The ideological basis of French Rococo

Hedonism, with its desire for pleasure as the highest good and meaning of life, along with individualism, became the main philosophy of the French aristocracy of the 18th century. He also determined the emotional basis of the Rococo style in painting, which was expressed in playful grace, sweet whims and lovely little things.

It is no coincidence that the favorite allegory of Rococo became the mythical island of Cythera - a place where pilgrims seeking sensual pleasures flock. This piece of land in the middle of the Aegean Sea actually exists.

Here, according to ancient Greek mythology, the beautiful Aphrodite was born. It was here that the cult of the goddess of love arose, which later spread throughout Greece. Worshipers of Aphrodite came to the island to make sacrifices at the sanctuary built in her honor.

In the Rococo era, Cythera symbolized paradise for lovers who went to an imaginary island to the temple of Venus. Sophisticated eroticism, eternal holidays and idleness reigned there. On Kiefer, the women are young and beautiful, and the men are exceptionally gallant.

From the palace to the private living room

The trend towards intimate interior design emerged already at the beginning of the 18th century. Aristocratic salons and boudoirs of private houses, where women played the main role, became centers for the formation of a gallant culture and corresponding rules of behavior.

An entire army of French jewelers, furniture makers, tailors, painters and decorators was ready to satisfy any requests of capricious customers. Rococo fashion was primarily dictated by the queen and the favorites of Louis XV: and the Marquise de Pompadour.

Wall lamps and panels, as well as pictorial compositions over window and door openings, were the main types of fine art. Now, in addition to the royal court and church prelates, the new aristocracy and representatives of the third estate commissioned decorative paintings for their living rooms from artists.

Genres and plots

Despite the new ideas, Rococo painting did not completely reject the traditional themes developed in the past. For example, mythological subjects continued to be used, only now cupids and nymphs were mostly drawn from the entire ancient pantheon, and Venus was more likely to resemble a society lady demonstrating the delights of her naked body in a piquant setting.

Over time, pastoral appeared - a new genre of chamber painting intended for residential interiors. Pastoral paintings in the Rococo style represented idyllic rural landscapes, against the background of which shepherdesses and shepherds in rich outfits play pipes, read or dance. Despite the innocent activities, the whole atmosphere is shrouded in a light veil of eroticism.

Pioneer of gallant style

Watteau Jean-Antoine is considered the founder of Rococo painting. The artist began by imitating Flemish painters, but over time he truly found his own style, depicting gallant scenes. His paintings are characterized by a special artistic depth, and not just an image of idle aristocrats flirting in the lap of nature.

Antoine Watteau painted two canvases on a popular subject allegorical journey to the island of lovers. One of them, “Pilgrimage to the Island of Kythera,” is exhibited at the Louvre, and the other is in Berlin, at Charlottenburg Palace. Both of them are striking examples of the Rococo style.

The theatricality, characteristic of 18th-century art in general, is especially noticeable in Watteau’s works. For example, in the construction of a composition (“Shepherds”, “On the Champs Elysees”). There is always a foreground here - a kind of stage area, and groups of figures are located in the same way as in the theater.

Boucher's multifaceted creativity

Of course, Watteau was not the only artist working in a new direction. Francois Boucher is another prominent representative of French Rococo, whose work most fully reflected the frankly frivolous hedonism inherent in that era. He carried out orders from Louis XV, the Marquise de Pompadour, in particular, he painted the famous portrait of his favorite.

Boucher also created sets for operas, engravings for Moliere’s books, cardboards for tapestries, sketches for Sevres porcelain, in a word, he worked in different directions visual arts.

Antoine Watteau, without knowing it, left his mark on the work of Boucher, who in his youth copied his drawings. Later, Boucher studied Baroque technique in Rome, became a professor at the French Academy of Arts, and received all-European fame.

His work covers all the themes characteristic of Rococo painting: mythology, country fairs, allegories, Chinese scenes, scenes from fashionable Parisian life, pastorals, portraits and landscapes.

Representatives of Rococo in painting

Fragonard Jean Honoré, one of the greatest French artists of the 18th century, created canvases with playful and erotic motifs. These are, for example, “Swing”, “Sneak Kiss”, “Two Girls”, “Odalisque”, etc.

His paintings, full of sensual bliss, are distinguished by subtle light and shadow effects, a light painterly manner, and decorative coloring. Fragonard's style changed over time. If the painting “Latch” shows a classical style, then in the portraits painted in the 1760s, a romantic influence is noticeable.

Another prominent representative of Rocaille painting was Nicolas Lancret, who did a lot to spread French taste in Europe. His paintings were readily bought by Catherine II, Frederick II of Prussia, not counting private collectors - admirers of the Rococo style.

Paintings by famous artists of that time are today presented in the exhibitions of the largest museums in the world. Although critics have different assessments of Rococo aesthetics, it is nevertheless impossible to deny the originality of this style, which has no prototypes in history.

A style in art (mainly in interior design) that arose in France in the first half of the 18th century (according to various sources - until the end of the century, approximately about a century, etc., exact date there is no ending) as a development of the Baroque style. Sometimes the Rococo style is defined as the last, crisis phase of the development of Baroque. Both Rococo and Baroque are rich and decorative, but if Baroque pomp is intense and dynamic, then Rocaille is gentle and relaxed. In general, French Rococo is more closely associated with the forms of the Regency style of the early 18th century.

Rococo immediately arose as a chamber style of aristocratic living rooms and boudoirs, interior design, decorative and applied arts and was practically not reflected in the architectural exterior. Rococo is an original phenomenon that has no prototypes in the history of art. During this period, the eastern, and, above all, Chinese influence - the so-called - continues to strengthen. style chinoiserie. Graceful in form, decorated with subtle, exquisite decor, the artistic products of Chinese masters were in perfect harmony with the style that flourished in European courts.

Ornament, the main exponent of this era, had 2 forms of development: 1) a tendency towards naturalization (decor in the form of small colored garlands with cupids, ribbons), 2) the main thing - abstraction, asymmetry of both decorative elements and the composition itself. It all comes down to rocaille, it replaced the volute motif (Baroque). Reflected inner emptiness spiritual world European noble society.

The characteristic features of Rococo are sophistication, great decorative loading of interiors and compositions, graceful ornamental rhythm, great attention to mythology, and personal comfort. The style received its highest development in architecture in Bavaria.

Porcelain as a material, with its snow-white surface and delicate, miniature painting, was one of the main artistic discoveries of the Rococo era.

The Rococo style for the first time raised the comfort and convenience of the interior to the level of art. Spreading throughout Europe, the Rococo style acquired local characteristics in each country. In France, with all the splendor of its decoration, the Rococo style retained the features of subtle nobility. In German interiors, colorful lacquered furniture, designed for less sophisticated tastes, has become more widespread. In Austria, the Rococo style expressed itself in calm, homely forms. Dutch Rococo furniture is distinguished by simplicity and laconic lines. The originality of English Rococo is given by admixtures of Gothic and Chinese elements.

Architecture

Generally: The style did not find a clear expression in the architecture, but rather penetrated into the interior. Rococo architecture strives to be light, welcoming, avoids strict symmetry, endlessly varies divisions and ornamental details and does not skimp on lavishing them. In the creations of this architecture, straight lines and flat surfaces almost disappear, or at least are disguised by figured decoration; none of the established orders is carried out in pure form; the columns are sometimes lengthened, sometimes shortened and twisted in a helical manner; their capitals are distorted by flirtatious changes and additions, cornices are placed above the cornices; high pilasters and huge caryatids support insignificant projections with a very protruding cornice; the roofs are surrounded along the edge by balustrades with bottle-shaped balusters and with pedestals placed at some distance from each other, on which vases or statues are placed; the pediments, representing broken convex and sunken lines, are also crowned with vases, pyramids, sculptural figures, trophies and other similar objects. Everywhere, in the frame of windows, doors, wall spaces inside the building, in lampshades, intricate stucco ornamentation is used, consisting of curls that vaguely resemble plant leaves, convex shields irregularly surrounded by the same curls, masks, flower garlands and festoons, shells, rough stones (rocaille), etc.

Specifically:In the mansions and hotels of the largest French Rococo architects : Robert Decotte, Gabriel, Boffrand, Oppenord, Delmer, Meissonnier, they often retreated from logical clarity and rational subordination of parts to the whole. The sculptural detail used to decorate the facade becomes more convex and acquires a self-sufficient meaning, no longer subordinate to the main architectural lines. The flat pilasters of the large order are replaced by convex semi-columns, giving the wall a more picturesque appearance.

A striking example of Rococo is considered to be Hotel Soubise in Paris designed by Pierre Alexis Delmer (1675-1745). In terms of its exterior, the hotel is strict and classic, with only a few structural elements: convex sculptural details and semi-columns decorating the façade of the building. But it should be noted that Rococo architecture in France is characterized by the fact that the main attention of the architect was focused not on the exterior, but on the interior, so the main changes affected, first of all, the internal layout of buildings.

A much more vivid, full-scale example of the flourishing of rocaille art in architecture is given to us by Germany (the largest representatives of rococo here are the architects Balthasar Neumann and Knobelsdorff), and, above all, in areas not in demand by the French tradition. It was in Germany that such unique phenomena as the summer pleasure residence and Rococo church architecture were formed - areas that did not receive any distribution in France, although it was in them that all the formal characteristics and aesthetic possibilities of the style showed themselves especially convincingly and exhaustively. Finally, the German region today preserves the largest number of Rococo monuments, giving the most consistent and complete picture of this art.

The most successful example of German Rococo is the royal residence of Sans Souci, built by the architect Wenzelaus Knobelsdorff (1699-1753) in the Berlin suburb of Potsdam for King Frederick II of Prussia.

Another significant monument of the era is the Amalienburg Palace near Munich (Bavaria), built by the architect Francois Cuvillier (1695-1768), who came from France, and is even more modest in size than the residence of the Prussian king. This small building is an example of strict and restrained French taste.

Construction activity in other countries lags significantly behind France and Germany.

Sculpture

Portrait busts and small sculptural groups or statues of bathers, nymphs, and cupids became widespread in the art of Rococo and the entire 18th century; they were placed in the park and decorated with gazebos, salons, and bathhouses. The largest Rococo sculptors: J. B. Lemoine, Pegal, Pajou, Falconet, Clodion. Rococo sculpture was dominated by reliefs and statues intended for interior decoration, small figurines, including those made of terracotta and porcelain (products by I.I. Kendler). The whimsical elegance of decoration, the frequent borrowing of exotic decorative motifs from Chinese art, and the masterly identification of the expressive capabilities of the material are inherent in rocaille decorative and applied art.

The largest sculptors of the Rococo era: J.B. Lemoine, Pigalle, Pajou, Falconet, Clodion, Houdon.

Rococo sculpture is a sculpture of small forms, chamber in content, in which one is attracted by the intimate beauty of the images and the grace of their solution. These features distinguish both the slyly playful “Cupid” by Etienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-1791) and the group “Cupids Fighting for the Heart” performed by Jean-Baptiste Pigal (1714-1785): The charm of the latter is in the funny plot, in the whimsical game lines, in the skill of reproducing plump children's bodies, fast, easy to move and at the same time, childishly a little clumsy, awkward.

“River Nymph” by Claude Michel, nicknamed Clodion (1738-1814). is close to rocaille sculpture. A captivating girlish-tender appearance, a relaxed grace of pose. The figurine is made of terracotta, emphasizing with its texture and tone the warmth of life, which is felt in the soft plasticity of the body. Fractional the folds of the fabric highlight the smooth lines of the nymph’s figure.

An excellent example of Rococo sculpture is the statue of the muse, Thalia, made by the Gropelli brothers. The marble image of the muse has a soft, smooth body modeling and somewhat elongated proportions.

Houdon's masterpiece is a marble statue of eighty-four-year-old Voltaire.

Painting

The favorite themes of Rococo artists were not strength, passion and heroism, but tenderness and play. There is only the present, without past and future. The moment itself is aestheticized, not life. The ideological and emotional basis of the French Rococo style was hedonism and individualism, which was formed during the Regency period, and the form was intimate grace, the spirit of little things.

The painting was predominantly decorative in nature, rich in subtle tints of color and at the same time somewhat faded in color. Rococo painting, closely associated with the interior, developed in decorative and easel chamber forms. Main types of fine arts: wall panels (the most common type were for the most part oval, round or bizarrely curved; the basis of the composition and design is a gently curving line, which gives the work the pretentiousness and elegance required for this style), lampshades and decorative compositions located above door or window openings - desus de porte (French dessus-de-porte - above the door). The customer of the paintings has changed - in addition to the church and the royal court, a “third estate” and a new aristocracy appear.

Rococo artists were characterized by a subtle culture of color, the ability to build a composition with continuous decorative spots, achieving overall lightness, emphasized by a light palette, and a preference for faded, silvery-bluish, golden and pink shades. Simultaneously with the development of Rococo painting, the role of the realistic movement increased; Portrait, still life, everyday genre, and landscape reached their peak. Also at that time, eroticism was a characteristic feature– images of nudes of Venus, nymphs.

Over time, a new genre of chamber and decorative painting appears - pastoral(French pastorale from Latin pastoralis - shepherd). But in the Rococo era, this is not just a rustic, rural motif, but idyllic pictures of “shepherd” life with erotic overtones

One of the founders of the Rococo style was A. Watteau (“Pilgrimage to the Island of Cythera”, “The Sign of Gersen”, F. Boucher (“Venus Comforting Cupid”), O. Fragonard (“Music Lessons”, “Pastoral”). Their paintings are mostly decorative and intended for residential interiors. In Russia, during the Rococo era, painting of the European type only appeared for the first time, replacing its own Russian tradition, icon painting. This is Rokotov’s portrait painting: Coronation Portrait of Catherine II, Portrait of G. G. Orlov in Armor.

Interior

The Rococo style manifested itself most clearly in interior design. rococo- this is the style of boudoir and small living rooms for a narrow circle of close friends. Characteristic features of Rococo- elegance and sophistication taken to the limit. At the same time, Rococo interiors are overloaded with decorative details and furniture, which acquired flexible, soft, cozy forms. Mirrors, gilding, rich stucco patterns on the ceilings and walls break the spatial structure of the interior, the corners of the rooms are rounded. Dynamic and asymmetrical shapes set the main tone.

During Rococo times, architects for the first time began to purposefully strive for stylistic unity in the interior. The decor of walls and ceilings, the shape of furniture, the colors of drapery and upholstery fabrics, decorative objects, doors and accessories - everything was built into a coherent ensemble. New forms of social life dictated a new arrangement of furniture, which was assembled in small groups in different places in the room. The group necessarily included a table, a sofa, several armchairs and chairs. Such “centers of gravity” for guests were conceived as integral compositions that necessarily supported the uniform style of the entire room.

The main dominant feature of the Rococo interior was a low fireplace, covered with a marble slab and elegantly finished with stucco (artificial marble, the highest grade of plaster). Clocks and decorative objects were placed on the fireplace, and a mirror in a luxurious frame was hung above the fireplace. The most expensive materials were used in the Rococo interior: marble, exotic woods, bronze, gold, silk, tapestry. The colors of the Rococo style are delicate, pastel; basic color combinations– white with blue, green or pink, and the obligatory presence of gold.

During the Rococo era, the fashion for “Chinese” or chinoiserie flourished and reached its apogee. Elegant, finely decorated artistic products of Chinese masters harmonized perfectly with the Rococo style. Owners of palaces and luxurious mansions were required to set up a “Chinese hall”, furnished with lacquered Chinese furniture, or, at worst, simply set up a gallery of Chinese porcelain in one of the rooms.

As a result of the passion for “Chinese”, paper wallpaper was brought to Europe for pasting the walls of residential premises. Movable and sliding screens painted in the Chinese style appeared in Rococo interiors; aquarium fish; exquisite orchids and thin-trunked trees. Decorative pillows made of silk fabric with large flowers have become widespread.

Furniture

The sophistication of the Rococo style was reflected not only in the nature of the furniture, but also in the emergence of new types of furniture, intended mainly for aristocratic women. A secretary on high legs with an inclined folding board and many secret compartments, a cardboard box (cabinet for papers), a toilet with a folding mirror, various bedside tables and tables were designed to create special conveniences for their housewives.

The shapes of seating furniture have changed towards greater comfort and elegance. A canapé (a sofa in the shape of two or three armchairs connected together), a chaise longue, and a bergere (a deep armchair) appeared. The contours of the furniture become more and more soft and wavy, the bend of the legs increases. Among cabinet furniture, the main role is played by chests of drawers and secretaries. The furniture parts dissolve in the overall volume and seem to be cast from a plastic mass. Decoratively, the furniture is decorated with whimsical ornaments in the form of climbing vines, flower garlands, diamond-shaped mesh and gilded bronze. A large number of different types of tables, created depending on their purpose.

Speaking about Rococo furniture, one cannot fail to mention the outstanding English furniture maker Thomas Chippendale(1718-1719). Chippendale's furniture style was a peculiar combination of French Rococo with Gothic and East Asian motifs. Chippendale introduced large grandfather clocks into fashion. In his furniture, he often used the motif of a bird's clawed foot holding a ball. He perfected the shapes of many pieces of furniture, from chairs and desks to bookcases. Many types of furniture he designed have survived to this day without significant changes.

Catherine's Rococo: Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum, Golden Cabinet; Bavarian Rococo: Vierzenheiligen Basilica;

Porcelain fabrication begins to develop, and biscuits appear. Porcelain figurines from the Meissen manufactory (Germany) and Northern Europe were especially popular in Europe. The fragile figurines, painted with delicate colors, were akin to the characters in contemporary paintings. Fragrance vases and other items were also made from porcelain, completely covered with small porcelain flowers.

In addition to porcelain, silver is in fashion. Chocolate bowls, tureens, coffee pots, dishes, plates and more are made. Silver is also used for lighting items, sets and, in some cases, for furniture. The soft and pliable material easily took on the plastic, whimsical shapes of the Regency and Rococo styles. In this century, culinary art in its modern form was born, including the art of table setting.

Earthenware continued to be used.

The fashion for Chinese screens, porcelain and lacquer painting was reflected in tapestries with images of flowers, birds, pagodas, men and women in Chinese clothes. They organically complemented the exotic picture created in Rococo interiors with authentic Chinese products.

Also, it was during that era that the art of beautiful table setting and cooking became widespread.

Men's and women's costumes from the Rococo era.

Men wear justocor. In the Rococo era, the floors of the justocore became wider, now they seemed to stick out in different directions.

In the Rococo era, men wore a camisole under the justocore. A camisole is a type of men's clothing, sewn at the waist and knee length, sometimes it was sewn without sleeves; it was often, especially in winter, worn under a caftan. By the 19th century, the camisole would turn into a vest. In the Rococo era, a “skirt with hoops” was formed from the tails of a camisole in a men’s suit, because men’s fashion strives to imitate women’s fashion in everything. Men also wore snow-white shirts with lace jabots and neckerchiefs. The fabrics in both women’s and men’s suits were soft, pastel colors. The men's suit, like the women's, was richly decorated with flounces, buttons, ribbons, and lace. Men also wore knee-length pants, which were complemented by white stockings. However, hairstyles, unlike Baroque, become simpler and flatter. The hair is curled into curls that frame the face, and later collected into braids. The headdress is a cocked hat. The ideal man is a court dandy.

Women still wear full skirts - panniers, which are held on a frame, as well as corsets. At the beginning of the Rococo era, the skirt decreases slightly, but then expands again to its maximum possible extent. Hairstyles also initially become less voluminous - a sleek, small hairstyle with rows of flowing curls is in fashion.

Huge skirts no longer even take a round, but an oval shape. The bodice of the dress extends down, below the waist, in the form of a triangle; it also has a fairly deep neckline. This contrast becomes especially noticeable in the dress - a large fluffy skirt and a small bodice that is not at all voluminous in comparison. The sleeves of the dress taper to the elbow, they are abundantly decorated with ribbons and cascades of lace.

Ribbons become a favorite decoration of the Rococo era. In addition to ribbons, flowers were also actively used, both natural and artificial. It was during the Rococo era that artificial flowers first began to be used to decorate an outfit; before that, they served only to decorate churches and were made in monasteries.

And among the fabrics, satin and satin are the most popular. These fabrics, soft to the touch, allow you to create many folds, which were so necessary in the Rococo era, plus the shiny satin was in perfect harmony with matte lace.

The outerwear in the Rococo era was a manto - a loose cloak falling from the shoulders. Great importance is also attached to additional elements such as a muff, gloves, and a fan, with which ladies gave special signs to their gentlemen. Flies - black silk patches of various shapes - also served as the secret language of lovers. The Rococo style pays great attention to underwear, because in dresses that largely expose the body, which was typical for dresses of the Rococo era, underwear appears on public display. Women, like men, begin to wear stockings, like men - white, but sometimes colorful. Underwear is made of silk and richly decorated with embroidery, lace trim, gold and silver. After all, the neckline now allows you to see the undershirt, and the underskirt becomes visible when walking. Now the lower skirt is decorated, like the upper one, with lace, flounces, and ribbons.

Shoes are worn soft and low. They were made of fairly simple material, but were often richly decorated - ribbons, embroidery, buckles, precious stones.

The ideal of female beauty was considered to be those with a wasp waist, narrow hips, fragile shoulders and a round face. The ideal woman is a fragile and slender primp.

Jewelry

Brooches studded with diamonds were extremely fashionable in the 18th century. The shapes of Rococo brooches are varied - ribbons, bouquets of flowers or skillfully intertwined branches, generously enriched with asymmetry effects.

The brooches that decorated the neckline were matched by aigrettes (sultans), derived from hairpins. They sparkled with diamonds, other precious stones and pearls. The decor was dominated by natural motifs that inspired Rococo jewelers - bright butterflies and graceful feathers.

Pant buckles became popular as a popular decoration for a gentleman's suit in the thirties. Along with precious specimens, imitation diamonds - rhinestones - were also used. Representatives of the third estate used steel buckles imported from England.

During the Rococo era, necklaces with diamond drop-shaped or star-shaped pendants became fashionable.

Rococo fashionistas also loved medallions with miniatures, which were worn on a colored or black ribbon tightly covering a slender neck.

In his passion for the game of Rococo, he showed interest in the type of “briolette” earrings - pendants that are in constant motion. Such earrings often have no frame at all, with the exception of fastenings.

Rococo rings are also dominated by the stone - diamond - colored stones, usually rectangular or oval, framed by small diamonds, in a modest, almost invisible frame. However, other forms of rings are also found at this time - bows or flowering branches.

Among other decorations that had a more utilitarian purpose, the 18th century gave preference to perfume bottles (the so-called chatelaines), consisting of two plaques connected to each other by a chain and several chains on the second plaque, to which were attached watches, keys, signets and other "cute" things.

The works of French silversmiths of the Rococo era are well known. The forefather in the production of silver products in the new style was J. Meissonnier.

One of the masterpieces of French silversmiths is in Russia. This is the “Oryol service” made by Jacques Rethier in 1770, commissioned by Catherine II.

During these years, the influence of French jewelry in silver on European art was very great. In addition to this material, decorative plastics also use ivory inlay, enamel, hard stone, and pearls.

Books

Fashion of the 18th century was a fashion for youth, luxury and carelessness. - this is the fashion of the last carefree years of the French aristocracy, and the aristocracy of all Europe as well. The 19th century will go down in history as a century of revolutions; at the end of the 18th century, the French king would be one of the first to lose his crown, and at the same time lose his head.

Miniature depicting Marie Antoinette (seated on the right) and her sisters
Marie Antoinette - the last French queen, trendsetter in the Rococo style

But for now it’s the 18th century, the time of balls and salons. The time of dresses with incredibly full skirts, in such dresses it is difficult to pass through doorways, and unimaginably high hairstyles. With such hairstyles, sometimes you have to travel in open carriages, since the roofs of the carriages are too small for Rococo hairstyles. After all, at this time they could carry an entire ship on their heads.

As for costumes, 18th century fashion in clothing adhered to three basic principles:

Portrait of Louis XVI - husband of Marie Antoinette, the last king France (before the French Revolution)

The first is youth. Both men and women were expected to look as young as possible. Men did not wear beards or mustaches. They whitened and blushed their faces. They put small ones on the head, gathered into small tails or knots.

Women tightened their waists with corsets as much as possible; small breasts were also considered beautiful at this time. There were even special tablets that women placed under the bodice of their dresses in order to shrink their breasts. Their faces became white and red, their eyes and lips stood out. As before, as in the 17th century, artificial moles were worn.

By the way, in the 17th century, at the French court, on the contrary, curvaceous female forms were valued - ample breasts, rounded hips, but at the same time a thin waist. The 17th century can be called a time when a mature woman was considered the standard of beauty, the 18th century is the opposite, now the ideal of beauty is a young girl.

The same thing happened with the colors of clothes. If in the 17th century rich dark blues and reds predominated, then in the 18th century both men's and women's suits were made from pastel-colored fabrics. And this is the second principle of 18th-century fashion - your clothes should be in the most delicate colors possible: light green, white, pink, blue. Blue and pink were the favorite colors of the Rococo style.

Portrait of Francois Boucher - French artist of the 18th century

Principle three - as many bows, ribbons and lace as possible. And especially in a man's suit. Both in the 17th century and in the 18th century, French fashion, as never before and never later, brought the men's suit closer to the women's suit in its decorativeness, silhouette and complexity. Men not only wore cosmetics, they also wore bows, lace and stockings.

Looking like a man in the 18th century meant wearing a white undershirt with lace cuffs, stockings, outer short trousers (culottes) decorated with bows, shoes with heels and a bow on the toe.

Outerwear was originally justocore, which came from the 17th century in the 18th century. Justocor is a long men's caftan, tailored to the figure, without a collar (the lace collar of the undershirt was laid out on it) and with pockets, decorated with a large number of buttons and belted with a wide belt.

A white neckerchief was worn with the justocore - a prototype of the modern tie. During the Baroque times, XVII style century, justocore was dark in color; during the Rococo period, justocore began to be worn in blue and even pink.

18th century caricature of high hairstyles

However, the justocore is soon replaced by a frock coat. The 18th century frock coat is fitted, widening towards the hips, with pleats and a narrow line of shoulders and sleeves. The frock coat was made of velvet, satin, silk, and decorative buttons.

At the end of the 18th century, a new type of clothing appeared - a tailcoat. The first tailcoats were made from silk and velvet fabrics of various colors and decorated with embroidery.

Women also wear undershirts decorated with lace. Then a whalebone corset and a frame for the skirt of the dress. At this time, the frames are made on figurines.

Fizzles - a frame for a skirt in the form of sewn-in plates of whalebone or willow twigs. It is believed that figs first appeared in England in 1711. By the middle of the 18th century, oval hoops began to be worn under the petticoat, and a complex hinge mechanism for lifting the skirt appeared. Now a very wide skirt for passing through a doorway can be narrowed and then straightened again.

Antoine Watteau. Two cousins
Dress with Watteau fold

Appear Various types dresses. The kuntush dress is becoming the most fashionable. A kuntouch dress (or a dress with a “Watteau fold”) is a dress that is narrow at the shoulders with a fairly large neckline; its main feature is wide pleats (“Watteau folds”) on the back of the dress.

These folds are named after the Rococo artist Watteau, in whose paintings you can find images of the kuntush dress. Also on this dress you can see the sleeves typical of dresses in the Rococo style - narrow, widening towards the elbow, decorated with a cascade of lush lace.

Francois Boucher. Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour

Details of the Marquise de Pompadour's dress

Also in the 18th century, the negligee dress appeared. This dress could be worn at home. The negligee was worn without a frame or a rigid corset. On top of it they often wore a karako - a kind of women's tailcoat or a jacket with long sleeves, short tails and lapels on the chest.

Portrait of Marie Antoinette by her court artist Vigée-Lebrun

Details of Marie Antoinette's dress (one of Vigée-Lebrun's portraits of Marie Antoinette)

At the end of the 18th century, England began to exert increasing influence on the fashion of Europe, including France. In the 19th century, England will push France into the background and European fashion of the 19th century will be formed under the influence of English fashion.

Francois Boucher. Portrait of Madame Bergeret

So, from England at the end of the 18th century the fashion for the polonaise dress came to France. The polonaise dress was considered a morning dress, and it could be either home or formal. The hem of the polonaise dress was selected in the form of semicircles in such a way that the petticoat was visible from under it.

Portrait of Mrs. Oswald

Various accessories also played an important role in women's rococo style costumes - fans, ribbons that were tied around the neck, hats, combs and brooches, and handbags. For example, the “pompadour” handbag, it received its name in honor of the favorite of the French king, Madame de Pompadour. A pompadour handbag is a small handbag in the form of a velvet, fabric or lace bag.

Vigée-Lebrun. Viscountess Vaudreuil
The neckline of the dress is covered under the influence of English fashion

Also, ladies of the 18th century could wear very specific jewelry, for example, flea traps. Fleas were not uncommon at that time, and hygiene problems in palaces had existed since the Middle Ages.

European aristocrats did not like to wash (and there were no conditions - there were no baths in the palaces) and therefore preferred to use perfume in large quantities. So flea traps were both decoration and a completely necessary thing from a practical point of view. They looked like a fork with movable teeth-tendrils. Worn society ladies flea traps as decoration on the neck.

Ring given by Marie Antoinette to her daughter Sophie.

Introduction

“Rococo style - distribution, forms and means of embodiment in different types art" is one of the most interesting topics to date.

The Baroque style is followed by the Rococo style. Rococo prefers lightness and grace, while Baroque gravitates toward monumental solemnity. Dark colors and heavy gilding give way to light pastel tones - blue, pink, green, with a huge number of white details. The Rococo style originated in France and spread to Italy, Germany, Russia, the Czech Republic and other European countries. The characteristic features of painting of that time are eroticism, light pastel shades, the main themes are gallant festivities, shepherd motifs, and nudity. Of the artists, portrait painting by Antropov and Rokotov (Russia), Francois Boucher (France), and Antoine Watteau should be noted. The contribution of the French masters N. Lancret, F. Lemoine, J.M. is invaluable. Nattier, F. Boucher, J.O. Fragonard.

The relevance of this study determined the purpose and objectives of the work:

The purpose of the work is to consider the Rococo style - its distribution, forms and means of implementation in different types of art.

To achieve the goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:

Explore Rococo as an art style.

Based on a theoretical analysis of the study of the problem, systematize knowledge about the means of implementing Rococo in various forms of art

To address the topic at hand, the following structure is defined: the work consists of an introduction, two chapters and a conclusion. The title of the chapters reflects their content.

Chapter 1. Rococo as a style in art

1.1 General idea of ​​the Rococo style

The term “rococo” arose in France at the end of the 18th century, during the heyday of classicism, as a contemptuous nickname for all the mannered and pretentious art of the 18th century: a curved, capricious line, reminiscent of the outline of a shell, is its main feature. Rococo art is a world of fiction and intimate experiences, decorative theatricality, sophistication, sophisticated sophistication; there is no place for heroism and pathos in it - they are replaced by a game of love, fantasy, and charming trinkets.

Rococo is an elegant and sophisticated style of the early eighteenth century. The characteristic features of the interior in the Rococo style are sophistication, graceful ornament, a large decorative load of compositions and interiors, great attention to mythology, comfort, erotic situations, the creation of an illusory world filled with an atmosphere of warmth, coziness, comfort and grace. The philosophy of Rococo is the world of the boudoir, the game of carnival. The coloring of the Rococo interior is dominated by delicate pastel colors. The most popular color combinations are white with blue, green or pink and, of course, gold.

One of the founders of the Rococo style was the talented Antoine Watteau, who gave the most perfect embodiment of the principles of this style.

Movable screens appear in the interiors, which visually change the space, tapestries with images of pagodas, flowers, people in Chinese clothes, exquisite orchids, famous Chinese porcelain, aquarium fish, thin-trunked trees and elegant lacquered furniture by Chinese craftsmen, as if created for Rococo.

Basic elements of the Rococo style:

· eroticism, intimacy and coziness of the premises, asymmetry of compositions, sophistication of forms;

· hidden pavilions, Chinese houses, secluded grottoes;

· style ideal: teenage woman;

· materials: wood, gilding, textiles, mirrors, bronze, crystal;

· rich color palette: pastel colors, pearl tones, a combination of light green and pink, pale lilac and marble shades;

· stucco molding, gilded ornaments, carved panels, mirrors;

· large decorative load of interiors and compositions;

· small stylized thin relief ornament in the form of interlacing, grotesques, scrolls, convex shields, and rocaille - ornament in the form of shells;

· small rooms with rounded corners or oval in plan, dynamic asymmetrical shapes.

2 History of the Rococo style

The Rococo style originated during the Regency in France (1715-1723), reaching its apogee under Louis XV, moving to other European countries and dominating them until the 1780s. The Rococo style is a continuation of the Baroque style, its modification. This style did not introduce any constructive elements into art; it used old ones, without constraining itself in using them with any traditions to achieve a decorative effect.

The emergence of the Rococo style was due to changes in philosophy, tastes and court life. The Rococo style received its highest development in Bavaria.

The Rococo style originated in France during the crisis of absolutism, reflecting the tendency to escape from reality into an idyllic and illusory world theatrical play, as well as hedonistic moods characteristic of the aristocracy. Rococo is the product of an exclusively secular court, culture, and also the French aristocracy. Nevertheless, it was able not only to leave its mark on art, but also to influence its further development.

Most Rococo buildings are private houses of the French nobility and country palaces. The rooms in them were not arranged in a suite (as in the 17th century), but formed asymmetrical compositions. The main hall (salon) was usually located in the center. The exquisite salons and boudoirs of hotels became an enchanting backdrop for privacy and the life of the aristocratic elite.

The philosophy of the Rococo style was determined by women - the king's favorites: the Marquise de Pompadour, Madame DuBarry, Maria Leszczynska. Rococo considers the main things in life to be celebration, refined pleasure and love. Hidden pavilions, Chinese houses, secluded grottoes. The intimacy and coziness of Rococo rooms was created due to much smaller sizes and special decoration.

In Russia, the influence of Rococo was especially strong in the mid-18th century, manifesting itself mainly in the decoration of palace interiors, stucco decoration of buildings, and in many branches of decorative and applied art (art porcelain and silver, wood carving, jewelry and furniture).

A branch of the Rococo style was Chinoiserie (from the French chinois - Chinese), using motifs and stylistic techniques of medieval Chinese art in European painting, decorative and applied arts, costume, and in the design of landscape gardening ensembles of the 18th century.

The basic principles of the Rococo style are escape from life into the world of fantasy, games, mythical plots and erotic situations. A graceful, whimsical ornamental rhythm dominates. The furniture is elegant and light. The decorative art of Rococo belongs to the highest achievements of 18th century art in terms of sophistication, the beauty of asymmetrical compositions, and the spirit of intimacy, comfort and personal convenience. The Rococo style was the brilliant completion of the Baroque style. Taste presupposed the ability not only to distinguish beauty and know how to recreate it, but also the ability to deeply enjoy creation. If Baroque requires the whole gamut of emotions - from joy to tragedy, then for those enjoying Rococo - only exquisitely subtle and graceful ones. “Graceful” is the key word of this era.

Chapter 2. Means of embodying Rococo in various forms of art

1 Architecture and painting

Painting is characterized by erotic-mythological, erotic, as well as pastoral (pastoral) subjects. The first of the significant masters of painting in the Rococo style is Watteau. This style was further developed in the works of such great artists as Fragonard and Boucher. The most prominent representative of this style in French sculpture is Falconet, although his work was dominated by statues and reliefs that were intended to decorate interiors, namely busts, including those made of terracotta. Falconet himself was the manager of the famous Sevres porcelain manufactory. (The factories in Meissen and Chelsea were also famous for their wonderful porcelain products).

In architecture, the Rococo style found its most vivid expression in the decorative decoration of interiors. The most complex asymmetrical stucco and carved patterns, intricate curls of the interior decoration contrasted with the strict appearance of the buildings, an example of this is the Petit Trianon, which was built in Versailles by the architect Gabriel (1763-1769).

Originating in France, the Rococo style quickly spread to a number of other countries thanks to French artists who worked abroad, as well as publications of projects by many French architects. Outside of France, Rococo reached its greatest flowering in Austria and Germany, where it absorbed many traditional Baroque elements. In the architecture of many churches, such as the church in Vierzenheiligen (1743-1772) (architect Neumann), their spatial structures and the solemnity of the Baroque style are combined with the exquisite pictorial and sculptural interior decoration characteristic of the Rococo style, while creating the impression of fabulous abundance and lightness .

One of the supporters of Rococo in Italy, the architect Tiepolo, contributed to the spread of this style in Spain. As for England, in this country Rococo had a strong influence on the applied arts, as exemplified by the inlay of furniture, as well as the production of silverware, on the work of masters such as Hogarth or Gainsborough, whose refinement of images and their artistic manner of painting are entirely consistent with the spirit Rococo style. This style was very popular in Central Europe until the end of the 18th century, while in France and several other Western countries interest in this style weakened already in the 1860s. By this year, it was perceived only as a symbol of lightness and was supplanted by neoclassicism.

The slogan of the short, short-lived “century” of Rococo became “art as pleasure,” the purpose of which was to excite light, pleasant emotions, entertain, caress the eye with a bizarre pattern of lines, exquisite combinations of light elegant colors, which was especially expressed in the architectural decoration of interiors, with the new requirements of which Rococo painting also evolved. The most common form painting became a decorative panel, mostly oval, round or intricately curved; The composition and design is based on a softly curving line, which gives the work the pretentiousness and elegance required for this style.

Boucher's painting dictated the laws to a whole galaxy of masters (Natoire, the Vanlot brothers, Antoine Coypel, etc.) and this influence lasted in France until the Revolution of 1789. Among the significant masters of Rococo were artists of various talents, who turned to a variety of genres of painting: J.M. . Nattier, Drouet, Tocquet, Louis-Michel Vanloe, Latour, Perroneau. The last major Rococo painter was Jean Honore Fragonard, a subtle portrait and landscape painter, like Watteau, who did not fit into the framework of a simply fashionable style. Rococo sculpture is less significant and original than painting. Portrait busts and small sculptural groups or statues of bathers, nymphs, and cupids became widespread in the art of Rococo and the entire 18th century; they were placed in the park and decorated with gazebos, salons, and bathhouses.

The largest Rococo sculptors: J.B. Lemoine, Pigalle, Pajou, Falconet, Clodion. It is characteristic of Rococo architecture that the main attention of the architect was focused on the interior. In France, the classicism of the 17th century continued to dominate in the interpretation of the facade. Only a number of minor changes softened the severity of the architectural image. The sculptural detail used to decorate the facade becomes more convex and acquires a self-sufficient meaning, no longer subordinate to the main architectural lines. The flat pilasters of the large order are replaced by convex semi-columns, giving the wall a more picturesque appearance.

Rococo building plans are mostly asymmetrical and are often built on round, oval and octagonal rooms; a sharp right angle is avoided even between the wall and the ceiling, and the connection line is masked with a relief ornament, the motionless plane of the wall is crushed, deepened, thereby giving the rooms an even more elegant, bizarre shape. The walls are painted in light, airy colors and decorated with picturesque panels, carved panels, and mirrors in elaborate gilded frames. The largest French Rococo architects: Robert Decotte, Gabriel, Boffrand, Oppenor, Delmer, Meissonnier. France was the legislator of Rococo aesthetics; European countries were unevenly captured by this trend.

Rococo became most widespread in Germany, especially in Prussia at the court of Frederick II. The architect Knobelsdorff created one of the most famous rocaille ensembles (Sans Souci) in Potsdam. The largest representatives of Rococo in Germany are the architects Balthasar Neumann and Knobelsdorff, the painters Zick, Maulberch, Dietrich, and the sculptor Donner. In Russia, Rococo developed under the direct influence of visiting French and German masters (Tocquet, Roslin, Falconet); Under this strong influence, such masters as Rastrelli (in small architectural forms), Rinaldi (especially his buildings in Oranienbaum), Ukhtomsky, and, to a large extent, Rokotov and Levitsky emerged in Russia. The flourishing of graphics was extremely characteristic of the Rococo era.

Almost all great painters of the 18th century. were also brilliant draftsmen (Watteau, Fragonard), a number of major masters devoted themselves entirely to graphic art (Saint-Aubin, Cochin, Debucourt in France, Khodovetsky in Germany). Book design, binding craftsmanship, furniture, bronze, etc. reached great artistic heights. The Royal Tapestry Manufactory in Paris produced a series of wonderful tapestries. Porcelain factories (Sèvres in France, Meissen, Nymphenburg in Germany) produced artistic tableware, as well as figurines made of bisque and porcelain.

Rococo in painting, sculpture and graphics is characterized by a move into the area pure art . Salon-erotic, mythological and pastoral subjects predominate. This style is characterized by intimacy and refined decorativeness of artistic solutions. Rococo painting - easel paintings, panels, paintings - is distinguished by its fragmented and asymmetrical composition. An abundance of decorative accessories and details, an exquisite combination light colors and tones.

Rococo sculpture is represented mainly by decorative reliefs and statues, small figurines and busts. It is distinguished by its elegance.

In general, the Rococo style is characterized by a rejection of straight lines, an order system, light colors, airy lightness, sophistication and whimsicality of forms. In architecture, interior design in the Rococo style was combined with the relative austerity of the building's exterior. Since the 1760s, classicism has replaced Rococo as the leading stylistic movement. historical context replacing the decaying aristocratic culture with the ideas of the Enlightenment.

2. Music and poetry

The brightest representative of musical Rococo, François Couperin (1668-1733), was born 13 years and died 23 years earlier than Johann Sebastian Bach, the brightest representative of the musical Baroque.

Rococo in all its manifestations - in architecture, painting, music - is associated mainly with France. Its heyday occurred in the 20s of the 18th century. We find perfect musical examples of Rococo in the works of François Couperin and Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). In Germany, elements of Rococo are found in Telemann's music, but his work can also be seen in the Baroque mainstream.

What characteristic features in music can we talk about in connection with this style? Much is clarified by the fact that the Rococo style arose at the end of the Baroque era. It appeared as a kind of reaction of protest against the rigor and even some rigidity of Baroque musical forms. Protest is perhaps too strong a word for a style that least of all demonstrates any kind of force. Rather, it is a whim - a rejection of the formal rigidity of Baroque structures and the seriousness of the content of Baroque music, and with all this, the monumental musical forms of Baroque (by the way, in other forms of art too).

This will be especially obvious if we take as an example a musical form such as fugue.

Bach's victory over Louis Marchand, famous in his home country in France, in a musical tournament that never took place publicly (Marchand, having heard Bach play, chose to retreat secretly), turned out to be possible not only due to the incommensurability of the talents of the two musicians. This probably also happened due to the difference in their aesthetic positions: in Dresden in 1717, where the tournament was to take place, the Baroque style dominated. It was at this time (1709-1728) that Matthias Daniel Peppelmann built famous palace The Zwinger is a pearl of the Saxon Baroque, now home to the Dresden Art Gallery. Marchand arrived here from Versailles, completely imbued with the ideas of Rococo in their specific refraction in the musical sphere.

Rococo music is characterized by miniature forms, clarity of harmonic progressions, the primacy of melody over harmony, and the exaggerated role of ornamentation.

At first glance it seems that many musical forms are the same in Baroque and Rococo music. For example, an instrumental suite. However, let's compare Bach's classical baroque suite with the suite by François Couperin. Bach's Suite is a very significant work even from a purely external point of view (the duration of its performance is about 20 minutes).

In ornamentation, the art of musical Rococo, and primarily French, can be considered the height of sophistication and sophistication. Even Bach, with whom none of his contemporaries could withstand comparison, relied on the achievements of French composers in the field of ornamentation. It has long been established that Bach’s table for decoding melismas (symbols that encoded certain melodic turns that adorned the main sounds of the melody) is nothing more than a simplified table French composer dAnglebera.

The main requirement for Rococo music was that it please the ear and not require too much emotional commitment from listeners. Both the creators and those to whom this music was addressed avoided seriousness. The most desirable characteristics of the music of this movement were the epithets “charming”, “lovely”, “sweet”, “bewitching”... The music was supposed to serve for entertainment.

Numerous diverse performance remarks - a striking distinctive feature of French Rococo music - are in the same vein: “gently”, “naive”, “cheerfully”, “kindly, courteously”, “enthusiastically”, etc.

Rococo music demonstrates a striking harmonic unity with painting, architecture, literature, design (as we would now say) of interiors and furniture of the time.

Music, literature, and theater reached their artistic maturity in this era, which came in the 16th-18th centuries. to painting, as an example it is enough to name the novels of Fielding, Prevost, Smollett, Goethe, Voltaire, the music of Haydn, Bach, Mozart.

The favorite forms of lyricism in the Rococo style are playful messages, drinking songs, gallant sonnets, madrigals, rondos, epigrams, romances, and occasional poems, which with light strokes capture the motley movement of high society life.

The pompous classicist ode did not find adherents among the poets of the Rococo style. Her “trumpet voice” is unbearable for the pampered ears of these poets. They prefer the melodic sounds of the “pipe” to the thunderous peals of the heroic “trumpet”. Poets do not think about eternity at all, about marble and bronze, from which the classical poets carved their poetic monuments. Their poetry is “the poetry of fleetingness” (po esie fugitive), which lives in the moment and is a graceful product of high society vanity. Capital love affairs, “anecdotes, a chronicle of dinners,” “a thousand charming little things that you don’t even realize when you move away” from the capital, form her familiar environment. Here everything comes back, slips away, disappears and nothing is durable.

Poems in the Rococo style acquire extreme lightness and flexibility. The heavy-footed Alexandrian verse is replaced by shorter and more mobile meters. Poems of eight, six and even five syllables occupy a dominant position. At the same time, the poems themselves are shortened. Thus, the verbosity of the previous century is transformed into a special elegant conciseness of speech, where there is a lot of reticence, and only a hint is made about much.

La Fontaine’s immodest “fairy tales” (“Contes et nouvelles en vers”) enjoyed great success, and were published in a long series. Great attention was also paid to the gallant-pastoral tradition of European poetry.

Illusoryness was a characteristic feature of Rococo art. And this was quite natural, due to the fact that the social existence of the feudal aristocracy itself, which gave birth to Rococo art, became more and more in the 18th century. illusory. Power was still in her hands, but the ground was quickly slipping from under her feet and the thunder of the great bourgeois revolution was getting closer and closer.

In Rococo art, illusion takes the place of reality. Rococo poets soar into the world of a feudal fairy tale, from which everything that could resemble the rough prose of the surrounding life is expelled, while starting from the world of the “low rabble.” Hence the success of the idyll genre, with its conventional world of gallant shepherdesses and shepherdesses, the gentle melodies of the pipe and the murmur of clear streams, the success of extravaganzas in drama and “fairy tales” (contes de sfees) in narrative literature. The real world is unsightly, but poetry obscures it with a wonderful mirage; a man of the Rococo era despises the “darkness of low truths” and prefers “pleasant delusions” to it.

The fashion for fairy tales is transforming into a major phenomenon in literary life. In 1704-1708, a translation of “1001 Nights” was created, one after another, collections of oriental fairy tales were published: Tatar (1719), Persian (1712), Mongolian (1732), Chinese (1723), Peruvian (1733). Even the writers of the Enlightenment are influenced by this fashion; but if Voltaire or Montesquieu use elements of oriental fantasy and exoticism mainly to insidiously disguise their thoughts “undermining the foundations,” then Rococo writers appreciate the fairy-tale mirage itself in all its ghostly splendor. In addition, the East is dear to the Rococo poets for the temptations of the seraglio, its cult of lazy bliss, the ease of its life frozen in patriarchal slumber.

Rococo savors fantasy and exoticism as a spicy seasoning for everyday life that bores them, admires them as a lush decoration woven from fanciful arabesques. A man of the Rococo era is in love with decoration in general, as well as with its festive appearance. Masquerade and life for such a person are synonymous. He perceives the world itself through the prism of theatrical effects in the form of a constant change of living pictures. This is also the root of the constant method of dressing up in Rococo literature, which turns life into a picturesque performance, in which the gods themselves are participants, along with people. Illusion triumphs. The island of Cythera takes on cosmic contours.

Characteristic is the fact that the English of the 18th century. did not give noticeable phenomena in the field of Rococo art, but in the cultural life of Germany and Italy in the 18th century. Rococo played an important role. “Light” poetry, pastoral, was widespread in Italy. In close connection with the Rococo style are also the fiabs (dramatic tales) of Carlo Gozzi, who dissolved life in a stream of sophisticated illusion. In Germany, Rococo poetry found its masters in the persons of Goetz and Jacobi, who created a masterpiece of European Rococo literature in his gallant fantastic poem “Oberon”. It should be noted that in Germany the art and poetry of Rococo could never rise to the level of aristocratic gallantry that characterized the literature of noble France.

In Russia, the poetry of the Rococo style did not appear in the form of a clearly defined literary movement and was largely sporadic and epigonic in nature. Its most consistent expression was the “light poetry” of the 18th century. (a gallant pastoral, a love song), which sang the delights of the “Citerian amusements” and the power of the “rogue Cupido”, blindly imitated the examples of French Rococo. At the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Rococo motifs sound quite clearly in the works of D. Davydov, Batyushkov and mainly the early Pushkin, as well as other poets who instilled in Russian noble poetry the genre of anacreontic song, erotic elegy, gallant mythological “pictures”, etc.

Rococo painting, sculpture and graphics, as mentioned above, are characterized by pastoral and erotic-mythological subjects, chamber gallant scenes, and asymmetrical compositions. Rococo sculpture was dominated by statues and reliefs, which were intended for interior decoration, small groups, figurines, busts, including those made of terracotta, unglazed or painted.

Rich in subtle tints and faded in color, painting in the style also had a predominantly decorative character. The whimsical elegance of the decoration, which was often combined with the borrowing of exotic motifs of Chinese art, characteristic of works of decorative and applied art of the Rococo. The masters of the Rococo style were able to subtly identify the expressive capabilities of the material.

It was an art that was marked with the stamp of high skill, which amazed with its elegance and grace, but painfully fragile, ideologically empty, completely alien to the noisy “vanity” social life; as if in an ivory tower, it is confined within the narrow confines of the bedroom and boudoir. The triumphs of Rococo in the process of the simultaneous degradation of classicism clearly indicate that the spirits of former heroism and greatness were flying away from the noble art of the 18th century; it gradually turns into a means of entertainment or a graceful trinket.

Style is a harmonious system of constructive and decorative elements. Their combination for each style is individual and, without a doubt, unique. For example, classicism is based on a constructive order system; rococo is characterized by decorative ornamental elements, decorative columns, etc. It is important to note that the style, in addition to its contemporary formal preferences, reflects public and social tastes. A change in social ideas is always accompanied by a change in styles.

Thus, the Rococo style was most clearly manifested in decorative and applied arts and was mainly associated with the decoration of palace interiors.

The distinctive features of the Rococo style were abundant decoration, asymmetry, and a light color palette. Among the favorite ornamental motifs of Rococo were floral curls, stylized shells, pseudo-Chinese ornaments, cupids' heads, etc. Rococo gave preference to fractional, small forms. An example of the playful and graceful Rococo style is the Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam.

In Russia, the palace of Peter III in Oranienbaum is rightfully considered a monument in the Rococo style. In the decorative and applied arts of Rococo, great attention is paid to the specifics of a variety of reflective and shiny materials - gold, bronze, beads, silk, etc. Porcelain products (decorative jewelry, small plastic items, etc.) are widespread. In the fine arts - painting, sculpture, graphics - the Rococo style was characterized by a special range of subjects. These are pastorals (idyllic scenes from the life of shepherdesses and shepherds), gallant scenes and mythological subjects with an erotic tint.

Rococo is opposite to the previous era in that almost all previous styles initially developed primarily in architecture, and only then spread to interior decoration, clothing, furniture, decorative and applied arts, painting, sculpture, etc. The Rococo style was practically not reflected in the architectural exterior, but almost immediately emerged as an intimate chamber style of palace and aristocratic interiors of living rooms and boudoirs.

The center of the formation of a new style becomes not the ceremonial palace interior, but the salons of private houses, where their mistresses create a new aristocratic image and lifestyle with their own rules of behavior and their own art. This elegant, gallant art, designed to provide an eternal holiday, likened to a masquerade, the life of secular aristocratic salons, exactly follows the fashion trends dictated by the main favorites of the king: the Marquise de Pompadour, Madame DuBarry and Maria Leszczynska. A woman, her image, her whims, her demands - this is what underlies the new style. Therefore, the main features of Rococo are determined not by the object-spatial environment and decor of the state halls and offices, but by the decor and furnishings of the boudoirs, rich in works arts and crafts, clothing, gallant manners and new requirements of etiquette.

In the Rococo era, it was not the goals, but the means of art that were aestheticized. The main focus now is on the artist not achieving artistic image as a whole, but to individual methods and techniques of composition. Instead of the sublime, unattainable, beautiful ideal of Renaissance or Baroque beauty, an accessible, very physical, playful and piquant ideal appears. Now power, passion and heroism are not the favorite theme of artists, as was the case in previous times, but tenderness, play, slight frivolity, reflections of the momentary nature of life. It is not life itself that is aestheticized, but only its moments, and the most pleasant ones. An aesthetics of everything elusive, changeable, fleeting and capricious arises, which is reflected in the “caprice” genre, which differs from the baroque “capriccia” in its greater lightness, grace and irony.

These associations were strengthened by the large number of fountains and pools located in the parks. In 1736, J. Mondon, a French jeweler and woodcarver, published an album of engravings entitled “The First Book of Forms Rocaille and Cartel” (from the French cartel - map, roll of paper). The shape of the shell gradually became the main decorative motif of Rococo, which came to be called “rocaille”. Form sea ​​shell existed as a decorative element during the Renaissance and Baroque. But now its form has changed dramatically. It began to be interpreted in the form of a bizarre curl with a double S-shaped bend. Therefore, the word "rocaille" has acquired a broader meaning. Now it has come to mean a strange, bizarre shape not only of the shell, but also of everything pretentious, restless, and writhing. This is where the name of the new style came from - Rococo.

The finishing of objects reaches the highest level. Carvings, gilded bronze, porcelain, mosaics made of stone or various types of wood, lacquer painting, etc. are used. The Rococo style is striking in its sharpness of design, ornamental decoration and freedom of compositional construction of interior decorative elements. Rocaille ornament, varying the motif of fantastic shells and a dynamic pattern of intertwining stems, leaves, and curls, was embodied with equal success in metal, porcelain, wood, stucco, and decorative fabrics.

A new element of the interior in Rococo is a smooth transition from wall to ceiling, the so-called. a canopy that replaces the cornice and makes the joint line between the vertical and horizontal planes of the wall and ceiling invisible. The corners of the walls are rounded. In addition to paintings, the main type of Rococo fine art became, as in the previous era, panels, lampshades and decorative compositions with which the planes of the walls above window and doorways, the so-called, were decorated. here are ports (from the French dessus de porte - above the door).

During this stylistic period, the craving for oriental, primarily Chinese, art intensified. The first examples of Chinese decorative and applied art were imported to Europe at the beginning of the 17th century. First of all, these were porcelain products and lacquer panels and boxes. Now such products are imported in large quantities. There is a craze for the so-called. Chinese - chinoiserie (from the French chinoiserie - Chinese). The high society nobility and the wealthy bourgeoisie considered it their duty to have a “Chinese hall” in their palace or hotel, decorated with wooden lacquer panels, furnished with Chinese furniture and decorated with Chinese porcelain. Movable screens, tapestries with images of Chinese women, tangerines, flowers, pagodas, etc., aquariums with fish, etc. appeared in the interiors. The Chinese influence also affected the fact that paper wallpapers, which had not previously been used in France, began to be used in the decoration of residential premises. were applied.

The leading decorator of that time was J.-O. Meyssonnier. In 1734, he published a collection of his decorative works entitled “The Book of Ornaments.” It included not only ornaments, but also designs for buildings, fountains, gratings, etc. He developed the Rococo style decoration technique that was so beloved by his contemporaries - the use of asymmetrical compositions, called “contrast.” His fantastic forms of rocaille are intricately intertwined and combined with climbing plants, images of animals, fish, and streams of water. These decorative motifs enjoyed great popularity and were included in the arsenal of decorative means called genre pittoresque (picturesque, lively manner).

Rococo furniture exists a large number of types of tables made depending on their purpose. There were dining tables and breakfast tables, movable tables on wheels for serving food, tables for dishes and trays, coffee tables, card tables and tables for playing checkers, tables for flowers, tables for knitting, dressing tables, movable tables for various items for handicrafts, cabinet tables at the head of the bed, mirror tables, console tables, work tables, desks, desk tables, decorative tables on one or four legs, etc.

Outstanding bronzesmiths of the Rococo era were J. Caffieri and his son Philip, who, after his father’s death in 1755, continued his work. These were bright representatives of a culture known since the 17th century. dynasties of sculptors and carvers. In addition to furniture decorations, J. Caffieri made highly artistic bronze candelabra, chandeliers, clocks and other objects.

In the decorative and applied arts of Germany, Rococo began to gain its position by 1730, and this style reached full maturity, as in France, in the middle of the 18th century. The spread of this style in the south of the country was facilitated by interior decoration and furniture projects carried out by such masters as Haberman, Cuvillier, Meil. A kind of center of Rococo, which at that time emerged in the court circles of Prussia under strong influence French Rococo, was called Friederian Rococo - a unique historical and regional style. King Frederick I of Prussia was a great admirer of all French art.

Renaissance and Baroque, which is reminiscent of the style of Louis XIV, and in interiors, furniture, works of decorative and applied art, etc. - Rococo in its French version, i.e. Louis XV style. Under Elizabeth, domestic science and art received a new impetus for development. At this time, large construction work began in St. Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo, the famous Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo, Winter, Vorontsov, Stroganov palaces were being built, the decoration of which used a lot of gilded wood in the Rococo style, stucco patterns, skillfully painted lampshades, shiny parquet floors reflected in mirrors , etc. In 1757 I. Shuvalov opened the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, Moscow State University opened in Moscow, in 1746

D. Vinogradov unravels the secret of porcelain, and near St. Petersburg, the production of porcelain products using domestic raw materials begins; in 1752, M. Lomonosov receives the “privilege” to open a factory for the production of colored glass, which is used for the production of mosaics, stained glass windows, dishes, vases, etc. .P. By order of the Empress, the French jeweler F.-T. Germain in 1756-1759 made the famous “Parisian service” from silver in the Rococo style. Elizabeth really liked the Rococo style, and therefore the newly created interiors and furniture of the palace premises have abundant and exquisite rocaille ornamentation

The decor increasingly features female heads, as if growing from a flower, interpreted in a graceful twist to images of nymphs and fauns. All these bizarre intertwining, twisting elements of the ornament wrap around mirrors, decorative panels and doorways, decorate picture frames, wall panels, wallpaper, decorative fabrics and furniture objects, are present in the form of applied bronze decorations, in the form of handles, oarlocks and locks. etc. The Rococo style, denying symmetry and a straight line, is nevertheless characterized by the compositional integrity of its ornaments, a peculiar balance of their elements and a complex but clearly readable rhythm. Some historical features and worldview of that time, the Rococo style left its most noticeable mark not in large monumental forms, but in interior items and accessories. Rococo is a style based on detail. Bagatelle (French trifle, trinket) is becoming a fashionable word. It was in the Rococo era that the idea of ​​the interior as an integral ensemble first appeared: the stylistic unity of the building, the decor of walls, ceilings, and furniture. The combination of openwork forms, complex patterns and transparent, light colors created a festive, truly enchanting spectacle. All Rococo art was built on asymmetry, which created a feeling of unease - pretentious, playful and mocking.

It was in the Rococo era that the idea of ​​the interior as an integral ensemble first appeared: the stylistic unity of the building, the decor of walls and ceilings, furniture, etc. And never before has the interior so accurately matched the character of the lifestyle. All interior items are made with great attention to comfort and the little things in life. The forms of Rococo furniture are characterized by a complete rejection of the autonomy of individual structural elements, symmetry and straight lines. The main thing is the desire to dissolve details in the overall volume of objects. It is not for nothing that Rococo furniture seems to be cast from a single plastic mass. The main place in the decoration of Rococo style furniture is occupied by bronze plates, the advantage of which is that they are convenient for processing ready-made, ground and polished surfaces of objects. Sometimes, instead of veneering, the entire surface of objects is treated with colored varnishes and is also decorated with overlays or gilded carvings.

Conclusion

Rococo is an art style that originated in France in the early 18th century and spread throughout Europe. This style was distinguished by its lightness, grace, and intimate and flirtatious character. Having replaced the ponderous Baroque, Rococo was both its artistic antipode and the logical result of its development. With the Baroque style, the Rococo style is united by the desire for completeness of forms, but if Baroque gravitates towards monumental solemnity, then Rococo prefers lightness and grace. The darker colors and lush, heavy gilding of Baroque decor were replaced by light tones - blue, pink, green, with a huge number of white details. Rococo has a mainly ornamental orientation; its very name comes from a combination of two words: “baroque” and “rocaille” (an ornamental motif, intricate decorative decoration of fountains and grottoes with shells and pebbles).

Rococo style, unlike many others historical styles, quite suitable for almost all rooms. Naturally, it will fit more organically into the living room, bedroom, and bathroom. Which one you turn into a boudoir is up to you to decide. But Rococo will fit into a study, a library, and even a kitchen. This is a picturesque, romantic and cozy style, and what room would refuse such epithets.

The interior in the Rococo style is a celebration of eternal youth and carefree life, where personal comfort comes first.

The Rococo style is ideal for sophisticated and delicate natures who gravitate toward complex, elaborate details. After all, it is Rococo that combines lightness, grace and decorativeness.

List of used literature

rococo art style

Beletsky I.V. Rococo in Russia. - St. Petersburg: 1975

1. Big Encyclopedic Dictionary / ed. Prokhorov. - M.: 1998

2. Zherebin A.I. Rococo style as a cultural space // 18th century: literature in the context of culture. - M.: 1999

Giorgi R. El Greco / trans. from Italian Sokolova. - M.: 2002

Kozlov S.L. The problem of Rococo and French literary consciousness of the XVII-XVIII centuries. - M.: 1985

Mikhailov A.D. Rococo. Delusions of the heart and mind. - M.: 1974

Pakhsaryan N.T. Genesis, poetics and genre system rococo. - Dnepropetrovsk: 1996

Translations: A. Bazhenova, M., 1861, Vodovozova. - St. Petersburg: 1988

Renaissance. Baroque. Rococo. Problems of styles in Western European art. - Editor-in-Chief Wheeler. - M.: 1966

Samin D.K. Rococo. - M.: 1999

Eskina N.P. Rococo.- Music life. - M.: 1991

Laufer R. Style rococo, style des Lumieres. - P. - 1963 g.

12.Hatzfeld H. The rococo. - N.Y.: 1972

13.Brady P. The rococo style versus Enleihtenment novel. - Geneve.: 1984 g.

Weisgerber J. Les masques fragiles. Esthetique et forms de la litterature rococo. - Lausanne, 1991

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