The Relationship Between Rococo and Neoclasical Art Period - Essay Example

? The Relationship between Rococo and Neo ical Art Period The Relationship between Rococo and Neo ical Art Period Rococo art refers to an art style mainly focused on decoration and beauty. This type of art was mainly used in France in the 17th Century during the reign of Louis XV; its key functions being interior design and use in architecture to portray beauty and elegance with a romantic theme. Rococo art was developed after the Baroque art period developed in Italy in the 16th Century which mostly relied on the use of regular shaped objects. It was believed that Baroque art brought about conflict between the two major religious factions in Italy i.e. Roman Catholics and Protestants as the Catholics used it to portray their religious beliefs. Baroque art also had a serious tone to it and lacked in elegance thus lead to the inception of Rococo art which used asymmetrical and curved features such as sculptures and mirrors to portray the excesses in lives of the noble people in society (Richard, 1996). A good example of this style of art is Joshua Reynold’s painting of 1765 of Robert Clive and his family with their Indian maid clearly showing the contrast in the lives of nobility and the common people. Stones and shells formed the major objects used in rococo art with irregularly shaped stones and shells portraying a playful atmosphere wherever the art appeared. Rococo art was later incorporated into carpentry with carpenters adopting more curvy patterns in furniture. During the rococo art period, architecture was mainly focused on extravagance and the use of bright colors and the use of light (Richard, 1996). Sculptors during the rococo art period created huge sculptures using porcelain rather than stone; these sculptures mainly portrayed love and happiness. Rococo art was faced out during the American and French revolution of 18th Century as a result of its flamboyance and superficial nature mainly focused on imaginary happiness. This brought about the development of a new form of art referred to as the neoclassical art as it tried to recapture the culture of early Greek art (Riley, 1999). Neoclassical art had a sense of tradition and kept with the European culture of transparency and upholding of people’s individual rights. Neoclassical art was characterized by less playful art forms such as the use of dull colors and humorless paintings and sculptures. Neoclassicism focused on portraying strong moral characteristics such as unselfishness, abstinence and patriotism such as the Jacques Louis’ painting of the oath of Horatti in 1784. Architecture in the neoclassical era was less extravagant and more sophisticated characterized by the use of flat roofs, leaving more empty spaces in buildings which showed the impeccable character of the people using this type of art. Neoclassical artists sort to replace the excesses portrayed by the rococo artists with simpler and morally upright characteristics. Rococo and neoclassical art periods were interlaced as both brought an end to the baroque art period which mainly focused on portraying religious issues among the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestants thus bringing tension through works of art such as sculptures, paintings and music. These works of art were mostly promoted by the Roman Catholics and nobility which saw this form of art as a channel to impress outsiders with their influence and wealth. Both art periods made use of stone and shells although during the rococo art period these stones were mostly asymmetrical as compared to the symmetrical forms used in the neoclassical period. The use of asymmetrical forms was to enhance beauty and make the art more captivating to people. Different colors were also used in both art periods, but the colors used in the rococo period were brighter and more radiant as compared to the dull and less lively colors used during the neoclassical period. Both art periods made use of different shapes with the rococo period focused on using curved forms unlike in the neoclassical period where mostly straight forms were used to relay a sense of good judgment. Another similarity between the two art periods was the impact on architecture as both highly influenced the architectural designs used during each individual period. During the rococo art period, architecture mainly focused on extravagant use of shapes such as columns and uneven roofs as opposed to neoclassical art which used flat roofs and less wasteful decorations. Rococo art focused on emotion contrary to neoclassical art which focused on intellect. Furthermore, during the neoclassical period it is noted that architecture borrowed from the earlier more reserved Greece styles as opposed to the rococo period where architecture focused on elegance and extravagance. Rococo art mainly sort to show the extravagance in the lives of nobility as opposed to neoclassicism which endeavored to portray moral characteristics such as patriotism and righteousness. In addition, rococo art in architecture didn’t allow architects to leave any empty spaces as it focused on completely filling the building with different types of art forms such as paintings and sculptures. The rococo art period laid emphasis on the upper class members of the society and vividly portrayed their lavish livelihoods (Richard, 1996). This focus on the superficial and flamboyance of the nobility caused an uproar in the mid 18th Century as people condemned the superficial tradition of this art style. This led to the incorporation of neoclassical art into people’s way of life. This resulted in the inception of more morally upright works of art depicting characteristics such as unselfishness and patriotism which reflected upon the people’s behavioral change. People generally act according to their emotions and with the kind of positive emotions radiated from neoclassical art, it resulted in uplifting people’s moral standards. Rococo art also centered on the rich thus few lower class citizens could afford the various art forms such as furniture, paintings and architecture thus making them recent the aristocrats. Neoclassical art portrayed a sense of reality and freedom and deviated from the extravagant use of decorative forms. It served to bring back the culture of patriotism and unselfishness in people and still does to date. Furthermore, this art style is mostly intellectual as it doesn’t focus on beauty or decoration thus portraying art as more than a mere showcase of beauty, decoration and extravagance. Neoclassical art brings out the individual characteristics of each piece of art therefore giving the audience a more profound experience without being sidelined by the mere attractiveness of the work of art. In architecture, neoclassicism served to return the use of Greece architecture which accentuated the beauty of the walls of a building rather than focusing on the excessive detail used on the interior and exterior of the building (Riley, 1999). References Richard, M. (1996), The History of Modern Painting, London, Henry and Co. Print. Riley, N. (1999) The Age of Rococo. World Furniture. Secaucus, NJ: Chartwell. Print. Read More