During the early eighteenth century, France experienced radical social and political change with the decline of the Baroque and advent of the Rococo. Prior to this transformation, France was ruled by the absolutist monarch Louis XIV, who used the extravagant style of the Baroque to reflect his absolute power – demonstrated most prominently through the Palace of Versailles. The King’s “large-scale royal work projects” nearly bankrupted the nation and characterized the Baroque as “a period of austerity and solemnity marked by an etiquette which verged on the liturgical.” Following the death of Louis XIV in 1715, his great-grandson Louis XV claimed the throne, and established a new pleasure-seeking lifestyle through the innovative style of the
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Possibly the most intricate demonstration of French salon culture mirrored in Rococo décor is Germain Boffrand’s Salon de la Princesse, 1738-40. Located in Paris – the birthplace of the Rococo – this salon is often considered “the prototype of the Rococo,” as it features various signature Rococo elements. To begin, the Salon de la Princesse uses a pastel colour palette, which is seen in the muted walls, pink furniture, and blue ceiling [Fig. 1-1.1]. The use of pastels was characteristic of the Rococo, and is significant in evoking sensuality. Also notable is the extensive use of delicate gilded stucco paneling, apparent in the abundance of cherubs and cartouches – the former adding a playful quality to the room, and the latter acting as a dominant motif of the Rococo [Fig. 1.2]. The fine delicacy of the Rococo framework is important, as it conveys the refined nature of those engaged in salon gatherings. A central aspect of this salon is its blue ceiling decorated with naturalistic elements, which gives one the sense of standing under an open sky in a garden pavilion [Fig. 1.3]. Not only does the ceiling reinforce the Rococo notion of bringing the outside in, it also establishes the salon as a place of refuge in nature. In fact, “Rococo interiors …show more content…
1.7-1.8]. Rococo painting is often referred to as “fantasy painting,” as it was “devoted to the pleasures of love and the senses.” Additionally, the lifestyle of the aristocracy was a main subject of the Rococo, and is therefore reflected in both paintings. To start, Van Loo’s Spanish Reading illustrates a group of aristocratic individuals interacting in a pastoral setting, and conveys the relaxed nature of both the Rococo and the French salon. The central focus of the painting is the gentleman reading a romance novel, who is dressed in an outdated seventeenth-century costume which evokes the period of the Spanish novel [Fig. 1.9]. This man is significant in embodying French salon culture, as he reflects the reading and learned knowledge that goes into the salon. Likewise, the young girl on the far right of the painting is notable in representing a saloniere in training, as eighteenth century salonieres regularly trained young women from childhood. In Spanish Reading, the young girl is illustrated holding onto a string which is attached to a bird flying above her [Fig. 2]. An ideal saloniere always had her passions and urges under control, and
Possibly the most intricate demonstration of French salon culture mirrored in Rococo décor is Germain Boffrand’s Salon de la Princesse, 1738-40. Located in Paris – the birthplace of the Rococo – this salon is often considered “the prototype of the Rococo,” as it features various signature Rococo elements. To begin, the Salon de la Princesse uses a pastel colour palette, which is seen in the muted walls, pink furniture, and blue ceiling [Fig. 1-1.1]. The use of pastels was characteristic of the Rococo, and is significant in evoking sensuality. Also notable is the extensive use of delicate gilded stucco paneling, apparent in the abundance of cherubs and cartouches – the former adding a playful quality to the room, and the latter acting as a dominant motif of the Rococo [Fig. 1.2]. The fine delicacy of the Rococo framework is important, as it conveys the refined nature of those engaged in salon gatherings. A central aspect of this salon is its blue ceiling decorated with naturalistic elements, which gives one the sense of standing under an open sky in a garden pavilion [Fig. 1.3]. Not only does the ceiling reinforce the Rococo notion of bringing the outside in, it also establishes the salon as a place of refuge in nature. In fact, “Rococo interiors …show more content…
1.7-1.8]. Rococo painting is often referred to as “fantasy painting,” as it was “devoted to the pleasures of love and the senses.” Additionally, the lifestyle of the aristocracy was a main subject of the Rococo, and is therefore reflected in both paintings. To start, Van Loo’s Spanish Reading illustrates a group of aristocratic individuals interacting in a pastoral setting, and conveys the relaxed nature of both the Rococo and the French salon. The central focus of the painting is the gentleman reading a romance novel, who is dressed in an outdated seventeenth-century costume which evokes the period of the Spanish novel [Fig. 1.9]. This man is significant in embodying French salon culture, as he reflects the reading and learned knowledge that goes into the salon. Likewise, the young girl on the far right of the painting is notable in representing a saloniere in training, as eighteenth century salonieres regularly trained young women from childhood. In Spanish Reading, the young girl is illustrated holding onto a string which is attached to a bird flying above her [Fig. 2]. An ideal saloniere always had her passions and urges under control, and