French Rococo (1700-1760): Art and Design

French Rococo (1700-1760)

• French terms for the style: "le style rocaille", "le style moderne", "le gout"
• Coined by Pierre-Maurice Quays, a French Neoclassical painter

Rocaille Features

• Modeled on nature: shells, pebbles, cascades of leaves and flowers, palm, fern, and coral forms

Historical Settings

• Shift from formality and flamboyance of Louis XIV's reign to relaxation and pleasure in the 18th century
• Resulted in smaller, more intimate apartments and softer ornamental styles

Characteristics

• Exclusive to the court, aristocracy, and nouveau riches from 1700-1775
• Divided into three stylistic periods: Regence (1700-1730), Louis XV (1730-1765), and Transitional Louis XV-XVI (1765-1775)

Influential People

• Jean I. Berain: introduced chinoiserie and singeries, and initiated the Rococo movement
• Jean Antoine Watteau: painter
• Gilles Marie Oppenord: architect and decorator
• Jean Bernard Toro: wood carver
• Jean Courtonne: designer of Hotel de Matignon
• Jaques-Francois Blondel: minor architect and academic theorist
• Jean Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond: recommended room composition in Parisian residences
• Nicolas Pineau: French carver, sculptor, and decorator who worked on the cabinet of Peter the Great
• Mathieu Criaerd: prominent cabinet maker
• Francois Boucher: French painter, draughtsman, and etcher known for classical themes

Spatial Relationships

• Three influential theories in space planning for architects: Convenance, Bienseance, and Commodite
• Convenance focuses on functional relationships between parts of the plan, separating public and private spaces
• Bienseance relates to the intended function or purpose of a space
• Commodite ensures the fullest utilization of space

Residential

• Main residence kept a distance from the cuisine (kitchen) and salle à manger (dining room)
• Vestibule (portico) features a flat vault with a 16-inch rise
• Vestibule and salone (sitting room) form the center of a sequence of rooms
• Appartement de parade: a group of rooms including vestibule, anteroom, salone, and chambre de parade
• Appartement de commodity: less formal, designed for comfort and easy heating

Floor Plans

• Ground Floor: vestibule, antechamber, salone, chamber à coucher, cabinet, escalier, salle du commun, cuisines, cour, cabinet du bibliotheque, passage, remises, cour, salle à manger, garderobe, chambre du jardinier
• First Floor (right): pallier, antichamber, chambre, cabinet, chambre pour domestiques, chambre, cabinet, arriere cabinet, chambre, cour, corridor

Interior Architecture and Decoration

• Régence style: influenced by King Louis XIV, characterized by formal to informal, relaxed, and asymmetrical designs
• Engravings of Jean Berain introduced changes in chimney piece designs, leading to the widespread use of chinoiserie and singeries
• Claude Audran III worked with Berain, disseminating grotesques and arabesque ornaments
• Features that anticipated the Rococo style: large mirrors, depressed arches, gold-highlighted cross-hatching, cartouches, and trophies
• Louis XV style: ornaments extended beyond panel frames, often highlighted in gold
• Genre pittoresques (picturesque style) was significant in Jean Aubert's work
• Materials and decorative techniques: terracotta, wood, marble, carved boiserie, fresco, verni martin, japanning, and relief design in plaster and gilt