1. The 18th Century
in Europe and America
From Denis Diderot’s Encyclopedie, ca. 1750

2. Art of
the Rococo

3. Rococo
Dates and Places:
• 1715 to 1780
• France and England
People:
• Aristocrats
• Urban townhouses
• Social intercourse,
cultivation of good
taste
(tete-a-tete)
Francois Boucher, Blonde Odalisque
1752, oil on canvas

4. Rococo
Themes:
• Fete galante
• Leisure of the upper
classes
• Ornament
Forms:
• Small and delicate
• Pastels
• Feathery brushwork
CLODION, Satyr Crowning a
Bacchante, 1770. Fig. 11-5.

5. Dangerous Liaisons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GBhKrwdqjo
1989
Directed by Stephen Frears

6. Rococo
FRANCOIS DE CUVILLIÉS, Hall of Mirrors, early 18th century. Fig. 11-2.

7. Rococo
• Interiors totally
designed
• Rocailles
• Organic, playful,
moving decoration
• Romantic themes
(cupids, etc)
• Proper setting for
entertaining guests
• Salons – Women held
considerable
influence
FRANCOIS DE CUVILLIÉS, Hall of
Mirrors, early 18th century.
Fig. 11-2.

8. Rococo
ANTOINE WATTEAU, Pilgrimage to Cythera, 1717. Fig. 11-3.

9. Rococo
• Fete galante
• New category of
painting
• Color for decorative
effect, Rubeniste
• Light and airy
• Elegant sophistication
• Sensuality and
sexuality
• Allegory of romantic
love (Aphrodite) &
stages of courtship
ANTOINE WATTEAU, Pilgrimage
to Cythera, 1717. Fig. 11-3.

10. The Rococo in Contemporary Art
http://video.pbs.org/video/1281770054/
Yinka Shonibare, The Swing (After Fragonard),
2001, installation
Fragonard, The Swing, 1766, oil on canvas, fig.11-4

11. The Late 18th Century:
The Enlightenment
and Neoclassicism
From the Religulous movie poster, 2008

12. The Enlightenment
Dates and Places:
• 1700-1800
• Western Europe
People:
• Replace faith with reason
• Scientific, empirical
approach
• Rousseau (“noble
savage”)
• Positivism
ÉLISABETH LOUISE VIGÉELEBRUN, Self-Portrait, 1790.
Fig. 11-8.

13. The Enlightenment
Themes:
• Nature and naturalness
• Rejection of Rococo frivolity
• Grand tour (pilgrimage to Italy)
• Genre (humble daily life)
• Satire of modern life &
sentimental subjects
Forms:
• Empirical observation
• Classicizing approach
• Narrative clarity
• “Grand Manner” in portraiture
JEAN-BAPTISTE-SIMÉON
CHARDIN, Saying Grace,
1740. Fig. 11-7.

14. The Enlightenment
JOSEPH WRIGHT, A Philosopher Giving a Lecture at the Orrery, ca. 1763–
1765. Fig. 11-6.

15. The Enlightenment
• Illustrates interest in
science and rationality
• Industrial Revolution
transforms Europe
• Demonstration of
mechanical solar
system
• Observers embody
Enlightenment age
JOSEPH WRIGHT, A Philosopher
Giving a Lecture at the Orrery, ca.
1763–1765. Fig. 11-6.

16. The Enlightenment
WILLIAM HOGARTH, Breakfast Scene, from Marriage à la Mode,
ca. 1745. Fig. 11-9.

17. The Enlightenment
• English painter and
printmaker
• Satire of modern life
• Moralizing story of
misbehaving upper class
• Narrative sequence like
theater
• Comment on poor taste
WILLIAM HOGARTH, Breakfast
Scene, from Marriage à la
Mode, ca. 1745. Fig. 11-9.

18. Neoclassicism
Dates and Places:
• Late 18th century
• France, England, US
People:
• Admiration for antiquity
• Harmony and
rationality
• Model of civilized
society: civic virtue and
self-sacrifice
THOMAS JEFFERSON, Monticello,
1770–1806. Fig. 11-17.
ANDREA PALLADIO, Villa Rotonda, ca. 1550–1570.

19. Neoclassicism
Themes:
• Ancient history
• Modern history
• Portraits
• Allegories
Forms:
• Classical forms
• Balanced
compositions
• Idealized
figures
• Gender roles
About Schmidt
2002
JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID, Death
of Marat, 1793. Fig. 11-16.

20. ANGELICA KAUFFMANN, Cornelia Presenting Her Children as Her Treasures, or Mother
of the Gracchi, ca. 1785

21. Neoclassicism
JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID, Oath of the Horatii, 1784. Fig. 11-15.

22. Neoclassicism
• Ancient Roman story
• Allegory of French
Revolution
• Self-sacrifice
• Pose and gesture
communicate state of
mind
• Triangular composition
• David celebrates perfect
forms of Greeks
JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID, Oath of the
Horatii, 1784. Fig. 11-15.

23. David’s drawing of
Marie Antoinette on
her way to the
Guillotine, 1793