Eighteenth-Century Art in Europe
History
• This was an age of revolution and radical change in society, thought, and politics with worldwide consequence.
• Cultural historians it the Age of Enlightenment or Age of Reason.
• A reverential attitude toward scientific inquiry developed that extended to studies of the natural world.
Rococo
In 18th century Europe, the Rococo style became prevalent in interior design, painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts. A reaction to the rigidity of Baroque style, the frivolous and playful Rococo first manifested itself with interior design and decorative work. In French, the word salon simply means living room or parlor, and Rococo salons refer to central rooms that are designed in the Rococo style. In addition, the notion of the ‘salon’ is an Enlightenment era ideal that transformed the living room into the central space for aristocracy to entertain guests and engage in intellectual conversation. The idea that one’s architectural surroundings should encourage a way of life, or reflect one’s values, was the philosophy of the time.
The Rococo interior reached its height in the total art work of the salon. Rococo salons are characterized by their elaborate detail, intricate patterns, serpentine design work, asymmetry, and a predisposition to lighter, pastel, and gold-based color palettes.
As another means of reflecting status, furniture rose to new heights during the Rococo period, emphasizing the lighthearted frivolity that was prized by the style. Furniture design became physically lighter, so as to be easily moved around for gatherings, and many specialized pieces came to prominence, such as the fauteuil chair, the voyeuse chair, and the berger et gondola. Furniture in the Rococo period was freestanding, as opposed to wall-based, in order to accentuate the lighthearted and versatile atmosphere that was desired by the aristocracy. Mahogany became the most widely used medium due to its strength, and mirrors also became increasingly popular.
Rococo salons often employed the use of asymmetry in design, which was termed contraste. Interior ornament included the use of sculpted forms on ceilings and walls, often somewhat abstract or employing leafy or shell-like textures. Two excellent examples of French Rococo are the Salon de Monsieur le Prince in the Petit Château at Chantilly, decorated by Jean Aubert; and the salons in the Hotel Soubise, Paris, by Germain Boffrand. Both of these salons exhibit typical Rococo style with walls, ceilings, and moulding decorated with delicate interlacings of curves based on the fundamental shapes of the ‘S,’ as well as with shell forms and other natural shapes.
In France, the style began to decline by the 1750s. Criticized for its triviality and excess in ornament, Rococo style had already become more austere by the 1760s, as Neoclassicism began to take over as the dominant style in France and the rest of Europe.
Neoclassicism and Romanticism
• The period between the mid-18th and the mid-19th century in Europe, and its cultural extension in America, is characterized by a marked increase in stylistic variety in the visual arts. (Neoclassicism and Romanticism)
• Neoclassicism is defined by heroic nudity, Classical orders, and general emphasis on noble and serious modes of expression.
• Antonio Canova is credited with the Italian Neoclassical revival.
• The erotically charged statue of Cupid and Psyche shows projection of wings and legs into space on diagonals.
• Romanticism features loose, fluid brushwork, strong colors, and dramatic contrast, setting paintings and sculptures in literary fantasies or exotic places.
• It was a celebration of emotions and subjectivity that contrasted the reason of the Enlightenment.
Jean-Honoré Fragonard - The Swing
Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing, 1767, oil on canvas, 81 x 64.2 cm (Wallace Collection, London photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
As with most Rococo paintings, the subject of Fragonard’s The Swing is not very complicated. Two lovers have conspired to get an older fellow to push the young lady in the swing while her lover hides in the bushes. Their idea is that—as she goes up in the swing, she can part her legs, and her lover can get a tantalizing view up her skirt. The figures are surrounded by a lush, overgrown garden. A sculptured figure to the left puts his fingers to his mouth, as though saying “hush,” while another sculpture in the background shows two cupid figures cuddled together. The colors are pastel pale pinks and greens, and although we have a sense of movement and a prominent diagonal line—the painting lacks the seriousness of a baroque painting.
Jacques-Louis David - Oath of the Horatii
Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784, oil on canvas, 3.3 x 4.25 m, painted in Rome, exhibited at the salon of 1785 (Musée du Louvre; photo: Steven Zucker , CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
This work is David's famous work. The composition of the picture is simple, and the figures are arranged in a triangular shape, following the concept of "noble simplicity and quiet greatness" of enlightenment art. The work shows a historical story of ancient Rome: In the 7th century BC, there was a dispute between the Romans and the Alba that needed to be resolved by force. Even if their family has related by marriage. However, they still fight decisively. David reflected a revolutionary belief in his works, that is the country is more important than the family.
Joseph Wright of Derby -
A Philosopher Giving A Lecture at the Orrery
Joseph Wright of Derby, A Philosopher Giving A Lecture at the Orrery, c. 1765, oil on canvas, 147 x 203 cm (Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, England)
In the painting above by Joseph Wright of Derby, we see an orrery— a mechanical model of the solar system. In the center is a gas light which represents the sun (though the child who stands in the foreground with his back to us block this from our view); the arcs represent the orbits of the planets. Wright concentrates on the faces of the figures to create a compelling narrative. With paintings like these, Wright invented a new subject: scenes of experiments and new machinery. This was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (think cities, railroads, steam power, gas and then electric light, factories, and machines). Wright’s fascination with light, strange shadows, and darkness, reveals the influence of Baroque art.