In this class, we discussed how the spirit of the Rococo period still echoed aspects of the Baroque era, with the focus on decorative elements. However, architecturally, this had shifted from the exterior ornaments to indoor/ private luxury. In some sense, this new version of luxury is less heavy and oppressive, perhaps representing the condition of that era, with the death of the King and the nobility taking over the ruling power. This is shown quite clearly in the plain facade, elaborate interior design of Hôtel Particulier owned by these people.
Another aspect of the period that came to represent the arts of the Rococo period is the general triumphs of Rubenists over Poussinists in their influence on the artistic landscape. Paintings of this time are painterly, emotional, sexual, and expressive. We looked at the infamous Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s The Swing, which, on top of the pale color palette and expressive figures, held an underlying sexual tension, both shown and kept hidden from the audience. This form of subject matters hold an important space in this era, as many artworks were created with a purpose of offering escapism to their viewers. On the flip side, there were also works that were used as a tool to teach moral lessons and impose threats on individuals that society deems as unrighteous, such as Greuze’s The Village Bride which depicts an idealistic portrait of a morally upstanding family structure, or William Hogarth The Rake’s Progress and The Harlot’s Progress series , which respectively creates a continuous story of a downfall of a young figure corrupted by hedonistic activities under an exaggerated, “theater-like” light. Interestingly, animals were sometimes used as a tool to tell these narratives – perhaps as Rousseau, many believed that animals carry an idealistic image of how to be a righteous human, and that there’s an indestructible concept of morality and social condition that all individuals carry.