Wikipedia Details

Wiki Details

Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( rə-KOH-koh, US also ROH-kə-KOH; French: [ʁɔkɔko], also [ʁokoko] ), is a style of architecture, art, and decoration that emerged in France in the 1730s as a reaction against the formal and geometric Louis XIV style. It developed as the final expression of the Baroque movement and is therefore alternatively designated as Late Baroque. Rococo established its own highly specific visual vocabulary, exhibiting extensive ornamentation alongside a heightened sense of theatricality. It relies heavily on fluid, scrolling curves, often blending white and pastel colours with gilding and sculpted moulding. To generate spatial illusions and a sense of dynamic movement, it employs trompe-l'œil frescoes. The foundational departure from earlier conventions was its prioritization of lightness and asymmetry over rigid symmetry and the abandonment of monumentality in favour of intimacy.
Originally termed style rocaille, Rococo rapidly disseminated from French domestic interiors to other parts of Europe, particularly northern Italy, Austria, southern Germany, broader Central Europe, and Russia. This geographic expansion coincided with a broader cross-disciplinary application, and it subsequently influenced sculpture, furniture, silverware, glassware, painting, music, theatre, and literature. Although initially a secular style used primarily for the interiors of private residences, it was later adapted for ecclesiastical architecture; this led to its widespread application in church interiors, particularly in Central Europe, Portugal, and South America. By the late eighteenth century, Rococo experienced a decline as it was largely superseded by Neoclassicism.

Back

General info from Wikipedia.org