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 library (Barocksaal der Stiftsbibliothek) of St Gallen
"the ​Rococo is delicate, light, and
charming." Not everyone was
charmed 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 By Farah Sahira 110052935
considered pornographic by today's
standards.