Rococo

Rococo
Ballroom ceiling of the Ca Rezzonico in Venice with illusionistic quadratura painting by Giovanni Battista Crosato (1753); Chest of slindo by Charles Cressent (1730); Kaisersaal of Würzburg Residence by Balthasar Neumann (1749–1751)
Years active1730s to 1760s
LocationFrance, Italy, Central Europe

Rococo, less commonly Roccoco (/rəˈkk/ rə-KOH-koh, US also /ˌrkəˈk/ ROH-kə-KOH, French: [ʁɔkɔko] or [ʁokoko] ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, and trompe-l'œil frescoes to create surprise and the illusion of motion and drama. It is often described as the final expression of the Baroque movement.[1]

The Rococo style began in France in the 1730s as a reaction against the more formal and geometric Louis XIV style. It was known as the "style Rocaille", or "Rocaille style".[2] It soon spread to other parts of Europe, particularly northern Italy, Austria, southern Germany, Central Europe and Russia.[3] It also came to influence other arts, particularly sculpture, furniture, silverware, glassware, painting, music, and theatre.[4] Although originally a secular style primarily used for interiors of private residences, the Rococo had a spiritual aspect to it which led to its widespread use in church interiors, particularly in Central Europe, Portugal, and South America.[5]

  1. ^ Hopkins 2014, p. 92.
  2. ^ Ducher 1988, p. 136.
  3. ^ "Rococo writing table". Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Rococo style (design)". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 28 August 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  5. ^ Gauvin Alexander Bailey, The Spiritual Rococo: Decor and Divinity from the Salons of Paris to the Missions of Patagonia (Farnham: Ashgate, 2014).