The art of the 18th century, afterwards called
the "ancien regime" was aristocratic, delicate,
playful and even provacative. Although much maligned in subsequent years as superficial and escapist, the Roroco produced works of astonishing beauty and charm. The word "rococo" was coined to describe these works only in the late 19th century. It appears to have been made from the French words for pebble (rocaille) and shell (coquille) to suggest that these paintings were from a world of sensuous objects, decorations, and the intimate interiors of the aristocrats and upper middle classes who after the death of Louis XIV (1715) left the solemnity of Versailles for the pleasures of Paris
By general agreement, the two greatest figures of Rococo Art
were François Boucher (1703- 1770)
Unfortunatly, even a careful examination of all these six artists do not fully exhaust the richness of the rococo. So at the bottom of this page, I have have included several thumbnails from other artists in order to show the variety and extent of rococo paintings. Clicking on the individual thumbnails will bring up a description and enlargement.
To enter the collection, click on the enhanced title.
Boucher, François(1703-1770) |
Fragonard, Jean-Honore(1732-1806) |
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Interrupted Sleep (1751) |
The Swing (1766) |
Three Women Rococo ArtistsAdelaide Labille-Guiard, Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun, and Marguerite Gérard |
Greuze, Jean-Baptist(1725-1805) |
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Adelaide Labille-Guiard with her pupils (1788) |
The Spoiled Child (1765) |
To see enlarged versions of the pictures below, click on the work
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