1. Chapter 23
ROCOCO AND
NEOCLASSICISM:
REVOLUTION IN THE 18 TH CENTURY

2. In the last chapter we determined…
 The Baroque period should be governed
by:
 Emotion
 (Counter-Reformation)
 Observation
 (Optics)
 Reason
 (Rene Decartes)
 This leads to this week’s question.

3. Guiding Question(s)…
 What is Revolution?
 What precipitates Revolution?
 How do art, literature, music serve the
purpose of Revolution?
We will look at this question primarily through
political venues. Religious questions are becoming
less frequent.

4. Guiding Historical Events
 Industrial Revolution
 American Revolution
 Continental Congress
 French Revolution
 National Assembly
 Bastille Day
 Scientific Revolution
 Women’s Revolution
 Emanicpation ―Revolution‖
 WHAT LEADS TO THE NEED FOR
REVOLUTION?

5. Rococo Period
 When Louis XIV dies,
the aristocrats become
the power players
 In its wealth, this
aristocracy prefers to
commission lavish,
fanciful and carefree arts
 It intentionally rejects
the seriousness of the
Baroque Age
 The Rococo period FRANÇOIS DE CUVILLIÉS, Hall of
describes this Mirrors, the Amalienburg, Nymphenburg
preference Palace park, Munich, Germany,
 From the words rocaille,
(pebble or shell) and
barocco

6. Salon Society
 Hosted by wealthy
women
 High society
meetings of
discussion and art
GERMAIN BOFFRAND, Salon de la
Princesse, with painting by CHARLES-
JOSEPH NATOIRE and sculpture by J. B.
LEMOINE, Hôtel de
Soubise, Paris, France, 1737–1740.

7. Salon Society Women Prefer the following kinds of
paintings:
Watteau’s Pilgrimage to Fragonard’s The
Cythera, 1717 Meeting, 1771
Fête galantes depicting an outdoor party Frivolous subject
Lush gardens
Soft, pastel colors

8. and Boucher’s Bath of Diana, 1742
 Female nudity justified
in mythological scenes
 Diana here NOT the
huntress but a
sensual, pampered
woman
 This is really a scene of
aristocratic living—
luxurious
colors, curvilinear lines
of the female form
through sedentary
lifestyles and plush
dinners

9. Manufacturing and Mass Production/
Distribution
CONSEQUENCES:
Rift arises between poor and wealthy classes
Family structure changes—parents now leave
home for work
Industrial
Revolution
Watt Steam Engine and Wedgwood ceramic vase

10. Abraham Darby III, Severn River Bridge, 1779, Coalbrookdale, England
Industrial Revolution made technological advances in use of IRON.
Why? It is both practical and aesthetic—replaces heavy and
expensive stone materials and can mimic the pattern of Roman
architecture, as seen in Coalbrookdale.

11. Revolutions of Europe
1705—1809
The lavishness of the
Rococo indulgence and
the rift in classes caused
by the Industrial
Revolution lead to
revolutions throughout
Europe and the
bourgeoning US colonies

12. The US in 1800

13. With Revolution comes a new style to
support the cause--Neoclassicism
Rococo Neoclassicism
 Essentially rubenistes  Essentially poussinistes
 Lush landscapes with  Classical subjects with
pastel colors primary colors
 Frivolous subjects for  Civic subjects for
entertaining women revolutionaries
 Greco-Roman themes will
be used to arouse the
sympathies of French
Revolutionaries

14. But why return to the
Classical?
Archeological digs at Pompeii bring about a fetish for
the Greco-Roman—woman begin wearing toga-like
, muslin gowns and decorated their homes with
replicas of Italian cities. We see this idealizing in
writing of the time, as seen below.
Johann Joachim Winckelmann,
Reflections on the Imitation of Greek Works in Painting and Sculpture (1755)
______________________________________________________________________________
“The only way for us to become great, or, if this be possible, inimitable, is to imitate the ancients.
...In the masterpieces of Greek art, connoisseurs and imitators find not only nature at its most
beautiful but also something beyond nature, namely certain ideal forms of its beauty, which, as
an ancient interpreter of Plato teaches us, come from images created by the mind alone...
... The first development of the Greeks was influenced by a mild and clear sky; but the practice of
physical exercises from an early age gave this development its noble forms... These exercises gave
the bodies of the Greeks the strong and manly contours which the masters then imparted to their
statues without any excess.
...The general and most distinctive characteristics of the Greek masterpieces are, finally, a noble
simplicity and quiet grandeur, both in posture and expression. Just as the depths of the sea
always remain calm however much the surface may rage, so does the expression of the figures of
the Greeks reveal a great and composed soul even in the midst of passion.”
Polykleitos, Spear Bearer (Doryphoros), Roman copy after original bronze of c. 450-440 BCE

15. This Neoclassical dress can be seen
in contemporary paintings
ÉLISABETH LOUISE DAVID, Madame Récamier
VIGÉE-LEBRUN, Self-Portrait

16. Greco-Roman originals will inspire
Neoclassical content, as seen below
Apollo Belvedere, Roman copy of a Greek original
MENGS, Parnassus, 1760-61, Villa
Albani, Rome

17. In subsequent presentations, you
will learn more about:
 Social Criticism of Hogarth, an English painter
 Global Revolutions occurring in the 18th century
These presentations will prepare you to incorporate
the information in the assignments and assessments
for the week