Rococo Oil Painting

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Rococo Oil Painting
The word "Rococo" was evolved from the French
word Rocaille. Rococo art was formed in Paris
in the early eighteenth century and was
mainly featured by delicacy, refinement, sweetie
and elegance. Its characteristics lied in the
fine, lightweight, gorgeous and tedious
decoration and the use of C type, S type or
swirling curve and pastel colors. It had a deep
influence and served the European decadent feudal
nobility of the eighteenth century.
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After the seventeenth and eighteenth century,
because of the gradual development of natural
science, and impact of various democratic
theories and Chinese thoughts and cultures, the
Enlightenment was born in Europe, leading to
the industrial prosperity and rising democratic
thoughts. Later the industrial revolution and
French Revolution broke. These changes of
objective situations exerted a great influence on
the development of the art at that time.
Early in the eighteenth Century, although Baroque
art was still popular in Europe, at the same
time, an art style called Rococo was produced in
France and gradually prevailed, and then replaced
the Baroque style. Although Rococo still retained
the comprehensive qualities of Baroque, it lacked
of the religious atmosphere and exaggerated
emotions and especially emphasized the use of
light and beautiful and soft atmosphere. Many
paintings of Rococo style were genre paintings,
which were with light and sweet colors and full
of elegance. The themes of Rococo paintings also
included portrait, landscape, mythology and
ordinary peoples life, in addition to the
aristocratic life.
The Rococo style was represented by the works of
French painter Antoine Watteau. Most of the works
were related to the luxury life of Paris
aristocracy. He did not scratch, but drew the
pictures directly on the canvas.
Deeply influenced by Rubens, the characters'
sharp nose, small mouth, and small fingers were
all showed in his pictures with bright colors. In
the use of light, Watteau will never restrain the
comparison scope which Baroque painters did.
Rococo art did not spread widely and gradually
declined in the middle of the eighteenth century
and then replaced by new classicism. The
important painters at that time included French
Watteau, Chardin, Boucher, Fragonard, Italy
Tiepolo, British Hogarth, Reynolds, Root Barlow,
etc.
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