Characteristics of Rococo
Art and Architecture
The two pictures above are of The Hôtel de
Soubise in Paris, France
Rococo Defined
• A style of architecture and
decoration, primarily French in
origin, which represents the
final phase of the Baroque
around the middle of the 18th
cent. characterized by profuse,
often semiabstract
ornamentation and lightness of
color and weight.—Dictionary of
Architecture and Construction
Characteristics of Rococo include the
use of elaborate curves and scrolls,
ornaments shaped like shells and
plants, and entire rooms being oval in
shape. Patterns were intricate and
details delicate. Compare the
intricacies of the c. 1740 oval
chamber shown above at France's
Hôtel de Soubise in Paris with the
autocratic gold in the chamber of
France's King Louis XIV at the Palace
of Versailles, c. 1701. In Rococo,
shapes were complex and not
symmetrical. Colors were often light
and pastel, but not without a bold
splash of brightness and light. The
application of gold was purposeful.
"Where the baroque was ponderous,
massive, and overwhelming," writes
fine arts professor William Fleming,
"the Rococo is delicate, light, and
charming." Not everyone was charmed
The Rococo library (Barocksaal der Stiftsbibliothek) of St Gallen
by Rococo, but these architects and
artists did take risks that others
previously had not.
Painters of the Rococo era were free
not only to create great murals for
grand palaces but also smaller, more
delicate works that could be displayed
in French salons. Paintings are
characterized by the use of soft colors
and fuzzy outlines, curved lines,
detailed ornamentation, and a lack of
symmetry. The subject matter of
paintings from this period grew
bolder—some of it may even be
considered pornographic by today's By Farah Sahira 110052935
standards.