Styles & Periods

• Artists
• Styles & Periods
• Associations
• Glossary
• Projects
• Purchase Guides

Rococo

In the 18th century, the opulence of the Baroque developed into the Rococo, meaning ‘pebble-work.” Artists of the Rococo sought a more personal relationship to art, in opposition to the grand theatricality of the Baroque. These periods, however, are linked in their images of fantasy. As its name suggests, Rococo works with great curlicues and decoration prevailed, and much of the subject matter was concerned with eroticism and whimsy. In comparison to the Baroque, these subtle shifts resulted in enormous changes. Most importantly, the spectrum of humanity was broadened, and for the first time the family was treated as an important subject, as were scenes of amusement. Although the movement certainly was not contained to France, French artists dominated. Two groups of artists, the Poussinistes and Rubénistes, soon developed and engaged in a longstanding debate over line versus color. The Poussinistes believed that line and drawing appealed to the mind, and was therefore a superior technique around which to construct paintings. The Rubénistes preferred color because of its emotional connection to nature. The best known artist of the Rococo is Antoine Watteau, whose Rubéniste style lent his groundbreaking with elegance and comedy.

Some Artists In This Style

Jean-Honoré Fragonard
(1732-1806)

Feeling inspired? Try out these fine products…

Up to 35% Off How to Draw Cartoons Kit by General's Everything you need to create your own cartoon characters	From $23.96 The Art of Gouache by Search Press A practical guide to painting with this exciting medium.	Up to 34% Off Tri-tone Multi-colored Pencils by Koh-I-Noor 3 Complementary colors in 1 pencil
Up to 35% Off #234 Paris Bleedproof Pads by Borden & Riley For rendering fine clean lines, this is the one!	Up to 64% Off Series 6700 Red Line Brushes by Princeton Use to paint large color surfaces.	At Least 29% Off Flashe Vinyl Paint Set by Lefranc & Bourgeois Intense, uniform, and opaque vinyl based paint