Rococo - architectural styles - design and architecture grow here - artichoke. Rococo style in interior, architecture, clothing and painting History of the Rococo style

In the 18th century, Western European art became perhaps the main object of heated debate, a point of collision between different worldviews, reflecting the general picture of the mixture and diversity of the 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 of ​​absolute monarchy and was the embodiment of integrity, greatness and order, then later, in the form 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 is 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 perceive the spiritual world of man as tragic, and transferred the main conflict to the sphere of relations between the individual 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 in the era of the spiritual crisis of 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.

2. Ornament in the form of stylized shells and curls, arabesques, flower garlands, cupid figurines, etc.
3. A combination of pastel light and delicate colors with a lot of white details and gold.
4. The cult of beautiful nudity, dating back to the ancient tradition, sophisticated sensuality, eroticism.
5. The cult of small forms, intimacy, miniatureness (especially in sculpture and architecture), love for little things and trinkets (“charming trifles”) that fill the life of a gallant person of the “gallant age.”
6. Aesthetics of nuances and hints, intriguing duality of images, conveyed with the help of light gestures, half-turns, barely noticeable facial movements, half-smiles, clouded eyes or a wet glint in the eyes.

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

In Russia, it manifested itself primarily in architectural decoration - in the form of scrolls, shields and intricate shells - rocaille(decorative ornaments imitating the combination of fancy shells and strange plants), as well as mascarons(molded or carved masks in the form of a human face or the head of an animal, placed above windows, doors, arches, on fountains, vases and furniture).

The Rococo style quickly went out of fashion.

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.

Thank you for attention.
Sergey Vorobiev.

The 18th century in Western Europe is usually called the Age of Enlightenment. The old culture was replaced by a new culture of philosophers, economists, and writers. All types of art are achieving extraordinary flourishing, especially literature, music, and painting.

Life is being renewed especially rapidly in France. With the beginning of the new, 18th century, the process of decomposition of the French absolute monarchy became quite obvious. The death in 1715 of the “Sun King,” who had only formally retained his power for the last decade, was simply the final event in a long series of events that prepared the way for the advent of a new century, and with it new trends in art.

The beginning of the regency of the Duke of Orleans, uncle of the future king Louis XV, was marked by the replacement of strict court etiquette with a completely opposite atmosphere: frivolity, thirst for pleasure, entertainment, luxury not as heavy as in the past, and a life routine not so solemn. But in this stormy fun, the hasty desire to have time to enjoy, there was also a share of bravado, anxiety, a premonition of the brevity of the moment, the inevitability of retribution for thoughtlessness, and impending terrible disasters.

A lot is changing in art too. The king ceases to be the only customer of works of art, and the court - the only collector. Private collections and salons appeared. For many decades, France turns into the center of the artistic life of Western Europe, into the legislator of all artistic innovations, it becomes the head of the entire spiritual life of Europe.

In the first half of the 18th century, the process of replacing religious culture with secular culture was actively taking place. Rococo became the leading movement in French art.

This style originated at the French court and lasted for about half a century. The Rococo style is a later Baroque, but it was lighter and more playful. The name comes from the French word "rocaille", which means the then fashionable garden decorations made of pebbles and shells, as well as the pebbles and shells themselves. The Rococo style dominated the interior design.

During the Rococo era, relatively small and outwardly simple buildings were built - palaces and residential buildings for one family. The walls of their small salons and boudoirs were covered with light panels or mirrors, which were framed by decorative elegant compositions of flowers, branches and leaves. Soft pastel pearl gray, gold or silver tones, shiny mirror surfaces, and quietly tinkling crystal chandeliers made these rooms look like music boxes. Often objects and decorations had a capriciously asymmetrical shape. The shell motif was used everywhere - this is part of the surface of a wall or object in a carved frame of intricately sinuous outlines.

All kinds of decorations in Chinese taste also came into fashion; these were imitations of Chinese artistic crafts brought to Europe.

Chairs and armchairs with curved legs upholstered in light fabrics, light small chests of drawers, secretaries and other furnishings resembled toys. Both women and men wore silk clothes in delicate colors, lace and powdered wigs, women with curls curled in spirals, men with pigtails. Ladies pulled their waists to the limit, and their wide skirts resembled a sheaf. Such uncomfortable clothes could only be worn by people who were not engaged in any work. It was precisely this kind of life - idle, carefree and frivolous - that the artists of that time depicted.

In painting, preference was given to light colors - pink, blue, vibrating light, mysterious landscape backgrounds; Along with oil paints, pastels were often used. Shepherds and shepherdesses were especially often depicted in Rococo paintings. But these were not images of people from the people, but conventional shepherd scenes played out by aristocrats in disguise.

The sculpture was also dominated by lightness, softness and grace - bathers, putti and cupids - gods of love in the form of winged boys - are repeated in a long series.

The Rococo era brought new trends in the design of parks. In contrast to the symmetrical and regular park of the Baroque era, which is called French, a park imitating living nature arose with winding paths and seemingly randomly scattered clumps of trees, the so-called. English park (although this idea actually originated in China).

At the beginning of the 18th century, the heavy, lush Baroque was replaced by a new style - light, elegant Rococo. After the death of Louis XIV, the style of French architecture underwent some changes related to the nature of the life of the elite. The nobility spent their time in entertainment. Life is pleasure, this is the idea of ​​art of this period. The architectural design of the interiors of palaces in European capitals - Paris, Vienna, Berlin, St. Petersburg - was carried out in the Rococo style. This was a temporary retreat from the strict principles of classicism, due to the tastes of the noble elite. Rococo is characterized by mannered luxury in the design of rooms and furniture, fragmented and pretentious forms, curvilinearity and broken lines, fragile decorativeness, and an abundance of gilding. The new style was a continuation of the Baroque style. Like Baroque, Rococo is distinguished by immoderate, lush decorativeness. But if the forms of Baroque are plastic, then in Rococo they are crushed. In Baroque, the plasticity of the wall is dynamic; in Rococo, intricate decorations completely cover the even plane of the wall. Baroque colors are bright, rich, while Rococo colors are soft, pastel; The combination of white and gilding is becoming a favorite. If Baroque expresses the pathos of activity, then the task of Rococo is to achieve nothing more than a pleasant impression. Baroque seeks to shock, Rococo seeks to entertain.

The name of the style means crushed stone, decorative shell, shell, rocaille. Initially, this term was used to refer to the fanciful and artificial grottoes built in parks during the late Renaissance. This was the name for decorative decoration of fountains and grottoes with small sea pebbles and shells.
A feature of the style is carefully designed ornamental motifs in the form of stylized shells, stones and spirals. In this style, straight lines are practically not used, and if they are, they are hidden under an intricate ornament. Orders are not used in their pure form, the columns are sometimes lengthened, sometimes shortened and twisted in a helical manner; their capitals are distorted by flirtatious additions, high pilasters and huge caryatids support insignificant projections with a strongly protruding cornice; the roofs are surrounded along the edge by balustrades with bottle-shaped low figured columns in the form of columns - balusters and with pedestals with vases or statues placed at some distance from each other. Everywhere, in the frame of windows, doors, wall spaces inside the building, in lampshades, intricate stucco ornamentation is used. The ornament is represented by curls that vaguely resemble plant leaves, convex shields irregularly surrounded by the same curls, flower garlands and festoons, shells, and untreated stones.
Dark colors and lush, heavy gilding of baroque decor are replaced by light tones - pink, blue, green, with a lot of white details. Despite the fact that buildings of this style often lacked rationality, such structures to this day amaze the imagination with their beauty and complexity of architectural design.

Although the 18th century Sometimes called the Rococo Age, this art did not gain widespread dominance. Despite the breadth of its influences, it only acquired the significance of a truly leading style in a few countries. Rococo was not a style of the era even in the sense in which it is sometimes said in relation to Baroque in the art of the 17th century. It was rather the most important and characteristic stylistic movement that occupied a dominant position in the art of a number of leading countries of Western and Central Europe in the first half of the 18th century.

The architectural (more precisely, decorative) style of Rococo appeared in France during the Regency (1715-1723) and reached its apogee under Louis XV, moved to other European countries and dominated it until the 1780s. Rococo quickly spread to other countries thanks to French artists working abroad, as well as the publication of designs by French architects. Outside of France, Rococo reached its greatest flowering in Germany and Austria, where it absorbed traditional Baroque elements. In the architecture of churches, such as the church in Vierzenheiligen (1743-1772) (architect Neumann), spatial structures and the solemnity of Baroque are perfectly combined with the exquisite sculptural and picturesque interior decoration characteristic of Rococo, creating the impression of lightness and fabulous abundance.

Rococo in France

Rococo arose in the last years of the reign of King Louis XIV (1643-1715). And coincides in time with the reign of King Louis XV (1715-1774). But unlike all the styles of French architecture that preceded it, Rococo was not a court art. Most of the Rococo buildings are private houses of the French aristocracy: rich city mansions (in France they were called “hotels”) and country palaces. Unlike the palace buildings of the previous century, which pursued the goals of impressive representativeness and solemn grandeur, in the mansions created now great attention is paid real convenience of life. A high fence separated the mansion from the city, hiding the life of the owners of the house. Hotel rooms often had curved outlines; they were not arranged in an enfilade, as was customary in 17th-century mansions, but formed very elegant asymmetrical compositions. In the center there was usually a ceremonial hall, the so-called salon. The rooms were much smaller than the halls of classical palaces, and with lower ceilings. And the windows in these mansions were made very large, almost from the floor. The interiors of Rococo buildings were decorated with sculptural and carved decorations, paintings on fantastic themes and many mirrors.
Characteristic of the classicism of the last century, the great unity of figurative solutions of the external appearance and internal space of the building by the beginning of the 18th century. disintegrates. This process of disintegration is manifested in the difference in the principles of interior and facade design. Leading architects in their theoretical works still worship antiquity and the rules of the three orders, but in direct architectural practice they move away from the strict requirements of clear constructiveness. In hotels of the first half of the 18th century. The characteristic contradiction of French architecture of this era was most clearly manifested - the discrepancy between the external architecture and the interior decor.
The work of Robert de Cotte (1656-1735), successor to Jules Hardouin-Mansart as royal architect, provides a convincing example of this. In those built by him in the 1710s. In Parisian mansions (Hotel de Toulouse and Hotel d'Estrées), a lighter architectural form and free development of decor are noticeable.

Mansion d'Estrée.

The exceptionally beautiful mansion d'Estrée was built by order of the Duchess d'Estrée in 1711-13. designed by Robert de Cotte.

The Red Room is furnished in Louis XV style

The d'Estrées mansion was built on the principle of a city palace, with a large courtyard and a grand entrance in front of the mansion. Behind the house there is a picturesque garden, laid out according to the French, that is, regular, system. The facade of the mansion is designed in the spirit of classicism. The interior features an abundance of gilded carved decorations, giant mirrors, crystal chandeliers, velvet curtains, antique paintings and antique furniture.

Toulouse Hotel

The magnificent Toulouse hotel was built in 1640 by François Mansart for Louis Felipeau de La Vrilliere, Secretary of State and lover of Italian art. In 1713, the mansion was purchased by Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse, the natural son of Louis XIV. Robert de Cotte was entrusted with work in the hotel, the gallery was decorated with gilded panels.

Petit Trianon Palace

The Petit Trianon Palace at Versailles is an excellent example of the transition from the Rococo style of the first half of the 18th century to the more restrained, but no less elegant classicism that developed from the 1760s. Externally, the palace is simple and elegant, there are no elaborate decorations of the Baroque period. It is a two-story cube with five windows on each side. A peristyle of four columns on the side of the garden and courtyard completes the picture.

Petit Trianon in Versailles (1762-1768) Architect Ange Jacques Gabriel

The interior of the palace is decorated in the Rococo style. The proportions of the Petit Trianon are classically clear and nobly simple. This monument of world architecture embodies the idea of ​​intimate comfort, achievable only in unity with nature. Bridges across seemingly overgrown channels, pavilions built on seemingly wild islands, trees growing in precisely calculated disorder give the ensemble the charm of true romance.

Hotel Soubise in Paris

The Hotel Soubise in Paris was built for the Prince de Soubise in 1705 - 1709. designed by Pierre Alexis Delamere (1675-1745). Like other mansions, it is fenced off from the adjacent streets by a high wall with a luxurious entrance gate. The building itself was built in the spirit of strict classicism, and the hotel interior is considered perhaps the very first surviving interior in the Rococo style. Particularly interesting in the hotel’s interior is the Oval Salon (“Princess Salon”), created in the Rococo style by the architect, sculptor and decorator Germain Boffrand (1667-1754). Here all the corners are rounded, there is not a single straight line, even the transition from the walls to the ceiling is disguised by paintings placed in frames of curvilinear outlines. All the walls are decorated with carved panels, gilded ornaments and mirrors, which seem to expand the space, giving it uncertainty.

Hotel Soubise. Main facade. "Princess Salon".

Architect Germaine Boffand

Rococo in Bavaria

Located in Bavaria Amalienburg Pavilion at Nymphenburg Castle, which is one of the most striking examples of the Rococo style. A small pleasure hunting palace - the Amalienburg pavilion was built in 1734 - 1739 by Elector Karl Albrecht for his wife, the emperor's daughter, Maria Amalia. The building was designed in the Rococo style and supervised by Francois Cuvillier Sr. . The decoration of the palace according to his design was carried out by Johann Zimmermann, Johann Joachim Dietrich and Joseph Pascualin Moretti.

This is a simple and at the same time elegant building from the outside. Its center is slightly accentuated by a flat dome with a platform. According to the rules of French court art, individual interior rooms were given individual features. Each of them is decorated with sophistication in its own way, its own theme. The center of the palace is the “Grand Salon” or the Hall of Mirrors. With the help of alternating windows, mirrors and doors, through the play of natural and reflected light, a feeling is achieved that the boundaries of the hall disappear, you find yourself... would be in an open pavilion with a high vault of heaven in the form of a dome.

Basilica of Vierzenheiligen

The Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers is an outstanding monument of Bavarian Rococo, located in the vicinity of Bad Staffelstein near Bamberg. This is one of the most characteristic examples of the Baroque type of Central European pilgrimage church.

The basilica replaced the chapel that Cistercian monks erected on the site of the apparition of the Fourteen Saints in 1445. The design of the basilica was drawn up in 1743 by Balthasar Neumann, who oversaw the construction until his death. The construction and decoration of the temple was completed only 20 years later. The ceremonial consecration of Vierzenheiligen took place in September 1772.

In 1803, the possessions of the Cistercians were confiscated in favor of the state, and pilgrimages to the temple were banned. In 1835 the church was damaged by a lightning strike. In 1897, the Pope awarded it the status of a basilica.

The interior of the temple is dominated by a magnificent altar sculpted by Michael Feuchtmeyer. It presents statues of holy saints, intricately distributed over three tiers of the structure.

Rococo in Austria.

Belvedere Palace was built by order of the commander of the Holy Roman Empire of French origin, Generalissimo Eugene of Savoy in 1725. The complex includes two palaces - the Lower and Upper Belvedere, built in the Rococo style. The Belvedere was built by Lucas Hildebrandt in 1721 in just 24 months.
A feature of the Austrian Baroque was such details as the shape of the roof, reminiscent of a camp tent, domes, and the shape of the windows. Such domes the color of greened copper are a characteristic feature of Viennese architecture. The palaces are located on a hill with a magnificent view of Vienna. The ensemble of the palace includes a park with bosquets of trimmed trees and ponds, an extensive parterre with flower beds, spread between the large palace and the small Lower Belvedere Building, located symmetrically opposite it in shape. The palace itself (“Upper Belvedere”) is a rectangular building with octagonal pavilions at the corners. Its highest central part with the main staircase and the main hall is marked on the outside by a three-arched entrance with atlases and a pediment of bizarre curvilinear outlines decorated with a magnificent coat of arms. The lower, side parts of the palace with state rooms adjacent to the central hall are divided along the facade by ornamented pilasters, the lowest, outer parts of the building - by smooth blades between the windows.

The wonderful baroque architectural ensemble of the Belvedere is surrounded by no less wonderful extensive gardens, decorated in the French style, that is, in a regular style. Thanks to the efforts of masters of landscape gardening art, a luxurious park 500 m wide stretched from the Lower to the Upper Belvedere. The main theme that the landscape designers tried to reveal when working on the Belvedere Park was the path of man from darkness to divine light.

Lower Belvedere

Bizarre and capricious, this style originated in France at the beginning of the 18th century. Rococo in architecture was not so much an independent movement as a specific moment in the development of pan-European Baroque.

Characteristic features of Rococo

The Rococo style in architecture is one of the first movements in art that moved away from established canons and turned to sophisticated and refined themes. Some researchers and experts believe that this trend is characterized by frivolity and frivolity. Nevertheless, it was it that had a significant influence on many other movements and styles throughout art.

Quite often, manifestations of Rococo in architecture, photos of which can be seen below, are characterized as light and thoughtless. At the same time, the sophistication, sophistication and perfection of forms hiding behind the apparent frivolity are completely ignored.

Rococo in art is primarily a fictional world of intimate experiences, apparent theatricality, decorative sophistication and sophistication. There is absolutely no place for pathos and heroism here. They are replaced by fantasies, trinkets and the game of love.

A distinctive feature of this direction is a curved and capricious line, which in its outline resembles a shell, often found in architectural manifestations of Rococo.

History of origin

The architectural movement called “Rococo” appeared in France at the beginning of the 18th century. In those days, it was the so-called response to the “Grand Style” - monumental and unshakable classicism, official Baroque, the clearest example of which is the Palace of Versailles of Louis XIV. dominated in architecture and other areas of art throughout almost the entire period of the reign of the Sun King.

It is worth noting that closer to the middle of the 18th century, due to the excessive frivolity of Rococo, it gradually began to go out of fashion, but in the very center of the continent this art direction was popular almost until the very end of the century.

The term "rococo" comes from the French word rocaille, which means "whimsical", "capricious", as well as "shards of stones" and "shells". Over the entire existence of this style, an incredible number of works of art and architecture have been created, but one of the most significant is the urban ensemble in France - a complex consisting of three squares in the city of Nancy in Lorraine.

Rococo on the European continent

The territory of the European continent was unevenly covered by the trends and trends of this movement in art. Nevertheless, some countries and states felt the influence of this style quite strongly. For example, France was rightfully considered the founder of Rococo, but the Rococo style in architecture reached its greatest popularity in Germany, especially strongly reflected in Prussia at the court of Frederick II.

The sophistication and sophistication of this trend found expression in the luxurious palace ensembles of Germany, France, Russia and some other countries.

The hotel was distinguished by the lush design of its interior space - the rocaille interiors were very harmoniously combined with the relatively strict external design of the building. The Rococo style in architecture over time began to spread throughout Europe. Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic soon felt the trends of this fashionable trend in art.

Rococo in Russia

The new-fangled European trends of the 18th century Rococo in Russia began to manifest themselves especially strongly in the middle of the century. For the most part, this direction has found wide application in the interior decoration of palace interiors and stucco molding on the facades of many buildings, as well as in some branches of decorative and applied arts. The trend of architectural style came to Russia from France almost half a century late.

In 1662, the King of France, Louis XIV, began construction of Versailles, and in 1710 Peterhof appeared in Russia. Less than half a century has passed since Antonio Rinaldi is building a rococo palace in Oranienbaum, right in the middle of the Peterstadt fortress. In the 18th century it was most often called the “Stone House”, and currently the “Palace of Peter III” museum is located here.

Manifestations of Rococo in the architecture of the northern capital of Russia

The Stone House resembles a park pavilion and is made in a rather unusual shape - a square with a corner cut off in a smooth arc. The top of the central door is decorated with a balcony with an exquisite wrought iron grille. The elegance and sophistication of the building is achieved thanks to the high and elongated windows on the second floor, as well as an unusual balustrade.

The interior decoration of the Stone House, as well as the facade, is made in the Rococo style. It was from this time that room decor became a separate direction in architecture. The interior in this style is characterized by sophistication, elegance and sophistication. An abundance of pastel shades, a combination of delicate white with green, blue or pink, as well as gold inlay - all these are distinctive features of Rococo in the architecture of St. Petersburg.

Along with this trend, another newfangled trend came to Russia - Chinese exoticism, which was reflected in the trinkets that decorated the room, as well as entire spacious halls decorated in this style.

Distinctive features of Rococo

The distinctive features of architectural rococo from monumental and heavy baroque are its characteristic lightness, grace and mannerism. Architects no longer sought to build long and high halls, but gave preference to small, cozy rooms with high windows, which, in turn, were grouped around a central staircase, thus ensuring maximum comfort for all residents of the house.

For the most part, buildings are becoming more and more like the so-called mansion-hotel, which is intended for single-family residences. This architectural layout became popular, as a result of which many buildings that had previously been built in a pompous and monumental Baroque style began to be rebuilt.

In addition, despite the abundance of decorations and other decorative elements, Rococo did not look ponderous and monumental. Quite the contrary - it seemed light and airy thanks to the sophistication and sophistication of all the details and harmoniously selected colors.

Rococo in the interior decoration of buildings

The Rococo era affected not only trends and trends in architecture - this style did not bypass other aspects of art. Moreover, for most architects of that time, it was the interior that was the very place where the new direction found its brightest manifestation. The layout of buildings was most often asymmetrical; round, oval and even octagonal rooms were built.

In the 18th century, Rococo, whose architecture was distinguished by lightness and grace, became firmly established in the interior decoration of premises. The furnishings of the rooms, dishes and drapery, as well as the little details pleasing to the eye that gave the room even more sophistication - all this is typical for the interior in the Rococo style.

Chinese accent in Rococo

As already mentioned above, the newfangled direction in the architecture of the 18th century was somehow combined with Chinese echoes. During this era, elements of oriental culture could increasingly be seen in the interior decoration of premises, which were perfectly suited to the Rococo style. The premises were divided into unique zones using light screens and partitions, and in the kitchen one could increasingly see original sets and other utensils made from Chinese porcelain.

The rooms were characterized by natural shades and trees with thin trunks, aquarium fish and the graceful beauty of orchids, an abundance of gilding and other Chinese motifs - all this was harmoniously combined in the interior of the Rococo era.

Femininity in Rococo Architecture

In order to be imbued with all the beauty and atmosphere of this movement in art and architecture, it is not enough just to see the beautiful - you need to be able to feel it. It is probably no coincidence that this style is attributed to the feminine principle. It’s enough just to remind you that all the rooms were rebuilt from large and spacious into small, secluded and intimate rooms. Femininity was felt in absolutely everything. Moreover, even the state halls and rooms were more like boudoirs - everything in them was too chamber and intimate.

Light and delicate shades of the rooms, smooth and graceful curves of the walls, a large number of mirrors, as well as lace ornamental elements and an abundance of stucco with picturesque inserts - can any other style be so close to beauty?

The playful and graceful architectural style perfectly conveys the characteristics of the female character.

Rococo today

The 18th century is the time of Rococo in Russian architecture. However, even today there are fans of this sophisticated and sophisticated style.

Pastel colors, smooth lines and gold trim, light shades and a large number of cute accessories, all kinds of patterns and curls, as well as extraordinary mirrors and various draperies - these are some of the most important distinctive features of this architectural trend.

Decorating a room in the style of the 18th century is a great opportunity to feel like a real aristocrat. Opportunities and prospects for the development of furniture companies, as well as the incredible imagination of designers and decorators, will help you create an original and unusual room in the Rococo style. In such rooms you can truly enjoy life and enjoy every new day.

We wanted to learn how to quickly distinguish between styles, but didn’t know where to start! Just take a short course of our articles. Every day we will post an article describing one of the styles. And we promise that by the end of the week you will already become a professional in identifying styles.

Let's start with the Rococo style. Marie Antoinette's favorite style. The 18th century was the era of the heyday of Rococo: exaggerated, grotesque forms, extremely low necklines, metal corsets, giant skirts, whitewash, blush, high hairstyles in which pearls, jewelry, feathers, stuffed animals and figurines were woven - this is the fashion today doesn't seem very viable. But sometimes it is found in modern images.

Rococo is a style in art, architecture, fashion and painting. The Rococo style appeared in France during the regency of Philippe d'Orléans (1715-1723) and reached its apogee under Louis XV, spread to other European countries and dominated it until the 1780s. The characteristic features of Rococo are sophistication, high decorative intensity of interiors and compositions, graceful ornamental rhythm, great attention to mythology, and personal comfort. The main decorative element of Rococo is rocaille - an ornament in the form of a combination of natural stones with shells and plant leaves. Smooth curved stems and whimsical lines of the ornament fit into all the details of the interior, forming a single decorative background. Rocaille was used in interior design, garden gazebos and rotundas, for cladding terraces, finishing gates and fountains. The color scheme of a rococo style interior should be dominated by gentle pastel colors. The most popular combinations are white with blue, green, pink and gold.

Having rejected the cold pomp, the heavy and boring pomposity of the art of the times of Louis XIV and the Italian Baroque, Rococo architecture strives to be light, welcoming, playful at all costs; she does not care about the organic combination and distribution of parts of the structure, nor about the expediency of their forms, but disposes of them with complete arbitrariness, reaching the point of caprice, avoids strict symmetry, endlessly varies the divisions and ornamental details and does not skimp on squandering the latter. In the creations of this architecture, straight lines and flat surfaces almost disappear, or at least are disguised by figured decoration.

The emergence of the Rococo style was due to changes in philosophy, tastes and court life. The ideological basis of the style is eternal youth and beauty, gallant and melancholy grace.

The furniture of the Rococo era is very elegant. Richly decorated with intricate intricate carvings and gilding. The legs of the furniture are curved in a graceful line. Stucco, carvings and gilding are also used in large quantities on the ceilings and walls. The walls are decorated with wooden panels. The floor has patterned parquet and carpet-tapestry. A large number of mirrors in carved frames and lighting fixtures are used as decor: huge luxurious chandeliers, sconces, and candlesticks. In addition, various sculptures, figurines and other decorative items are required.

The fashion of the Rococo era was characterized by a desire for refinement, sophistication and deliberate distortion of the “natural” lines of the human body. Rococo fashion is considered to be feminine fashion, since in this era the closest approximation of men's fashion to typical female models occurred. The ideal man is a sophisticated courtier, a dandy. The ideal woman is a fragile, slender simper. In fashion - a wasp waist, narrow hips, fragile shoulders, a round face. This silhouette remained unchanged throughout the Rococo era. Women wear full skirts called panniers, creating the effect of an “inverted glass.”

Women's hairstyle has undergone significant changes. So, in the 1720-1760s (after the fontange finally went out of fashion), a sleek, small hairstyle with rows of flowing curls was in fashion. Then the hairstyle began to “grow”, so that in the 1770s it turned into the famous “frigates” and “gardens” that Marie Antoinette loved so much. Men first let out curls on the sides and wore a long braid at the back. White powdered wigs with side curls, a pigtail and a bow at the back were in fashion.

Rococo painting manifested itself most clearly in France and Italy. Instead of contrasts and bright colors, a different range of colors appeared in painting, light pastel colors, pink, bluish, lilac. The theme is dominated by pastoral, bucolic, that is, shepherd motifs, where the characters are not burdened by the hardships of life, but indulge in the joys of love against the backdrop of beautiful landscapes surrounded by sheep. For the first time, the features of this style appeared in the work of Antoine Watteau, whose main theme was gallant festivities. His work is classified as realism; he depicted the life of the courtiers quite fairly. But a new style is clearly visible in his paintings. Another characteristic feature of that time was eroticism. Many paintings depicting nudes, various nymphs, and Venus were created. The largest representative of Rococo in France is Francois Boucher, who worked in the genres of portraits and landscapes.

1. Dangerous ties (1988) directed by Stephen Frears. France of the 18th century. Viscount Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil are playing a dangerous game, fraught with broken hearts and crippled destinies. The Marquise, wanting to take revenge on her longtime lover Gercourt, promises Valmont her favor if he seduces Cecile Volange, Gercourt's young bride. Instead, Valmont is carried away by Madame de Tourvel, completely forgetting about the contract, and the Marquise has to look for workarounds. Unwittingly, the ruthless heartthrob Valmont falls under the spell of the virtuous wife of President Tourvel, thinking about the price that all participants in the intrigue will have to pay.
2. Duchess (2008) dir. Soll Dibb. Georgina was a spontaneous girl who loved to break rules, flirt, tease and play. Her mother married her to the Duke of Devonshire. She has acquired a position in society, a luxurious mansion, wealth, but where is the love? Will she be able to reconcile her feelings and obey her duty? Or will she, having become a trendsetter and a recognized ideal of high society, challenge him?
3. Marie Antoinette (2005) dir. Sofia Coppola. The brilliant and tragic fate of the French queen Marie Antoinette will always amaze and horrify descendants. A carefree childhood in the family of his father, the Emperor of Austria. Early marriage at 15 years old - and with whom! - with the heir of Louis XV himself! Accession to the French throne at 19 and a youth full of endless entertainment amid the luxury of Versailles. And, finally, sudden, terrible death on the guillotine under the hooting of the Parisian mob. Historians say that Marie Antoinette paid with her head for hating and not understanding the common people. But then we will have to admit that this witty and extraordinary woman was a primitive bitch! The authors of this film have another version, which is intended to shed light on all the dark places in the biography of the most famous queen in the history of France.
4. The story of the necklace (2001)dir. Charles Shayer. France is awaiting revolution. The young aristocrat Jeanne de la Motte-Valois was left penniless due to the uncertainty that reigned in the political life of France. She decides to steal a priceless diamond necklace in order to take revenge for the fact that her family was left out of high society. Her actions help supporters of the overthrow of the monarchy and spur the start of the French Revolution.
5. Amadeus (1984) dir. Milos Forman. 1781 Antonio Salieri successfully copes with the duties of a court composer under Emperor Joseph II. When Mozart appears at court, Salieri discovers to his horror that the divine musical gift that he so desires to possess has been given to some obscene, mischievous jester. Blinded by envy, he plots to destroy Mozart at any cost.
6. Casanova (2005) dir. Lasse Hallström. For the first time, the legendary Casanova met a worthy rival in amorous affairs - the Venetian beauty Francesca. She manages to do the unheard of: resist the irresistible charms of the famous seducer... He has to use the entire arsenal of techniques, risk his life and reputation for the sake of her favor.
7. Valmont (1989) dir. Milos Forman. Marquise de Merteuil is a brilliant “puppeteer” of intimate relationships in high society. The brilliant Valmont is the hero of Don Juan's list of the seduced and abandoned. The sharpest aroma of a distant era is spread by courtly seduction, betrayal, duels, and murders.
8. Barry Lyndon (1975)dir. Stanley Kubrick. The life story of a simple Irish guy, Redmond Barry. While still very young, he killed an English army officer in a duel. To avoid falling into the hands of the police, he had to leave his home and go wandering around Ireland. But his wanderings were short-lived. Having given all his money, horse and weapons to the robbers, he was forced to enlist in the English army. Having found himself in a war and having seen enough of all its horrors, he decides to desert. Having stolen an officer's uniform, Barry goes to the Allied location, hoping to secretly move from there to Ireland. But here, too, failure awaits him: he is exposed by the captain of the Prussian army, forcing him to join its ranks. With the war over, Barry was finally able to return to his country.