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Rococo

The Rococo movement originated in France in the early 18th century, during the reign of Louis XV. It was initially a decorative style that emerged as a reaction against the strict regulations and monumental scale of the Baroque architecture and design favored by Louis XIV and his absolutist regime. Rococo was a more personal, frivolous style that flourished in the intimate interiors of the French aristocracy, who sought lighter, more delicate, and playful designs in their private spaces.

Rococo in France
In France, the Rococo style was epitomised in the interiors of the Hôtel de Soubise and the Petit Trianon. Decorative arts, such as furniture, porcelain, and textiles, were integral to Rococo interiors, featuring elaborate marquetry, gilt, and sculptural forms. Artists like François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard captured the essence of Rococo in their paintings, which were characterized by soft colors, fluid lines, and light-hearted themes.

Rococo in England
While the Rococo movement in England was influenced by its French counterpart, it manifested with a distinct English character. English Rococo was more restrained in its ornamentation and often incorporated Gothic and Chinese motifs, reflecting the English taste for eclecticism and the exotic. Thomas Chippendale’s furniture designs exemplify the English Rococo style, blending Rococo curves and ornamentation with traditional English forms. In fine arts, painters like Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds contributed to the Rococo movement in England, though their work also began to signal the transition to the more serious and moralising themes of Neoclassicism.

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