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Rococo style was first begun in the 18th century in France. It reached its peak by 1730 and disappeared by 1750. It was a variation of baroque style. Baroque style was fundamentally a decorative style of capricious, elaborate and ornate forms. Rococo style, on the other hand, was lighter and more graceful than Baroque style.
The name rococo was derived from rocaille, a specific type of decoration derived from shell-work in grottoes. Rococo first became popular in France, from there it spread all over Europe. In Germany and Italy it became popular, while in Britain it was not appreciated. Rococo style was characterized by free asymmetry. Fine and ornamental plasterwork was its prominent feature. Arches, oval and rounded shapes were pursued everywhere in design. Most of the rococo decoration were natural forms, such as tree branches, clouds, flowers, seashells, surf, coral, seaweed, mostly pastel colors with lots of gold. Rooms were often in rectangular or oval shape with rounded corners. Rooms did not follow any rigid, structured layout. Rather, they were arranged for convenience. The rooms were not box-type. They were more continuous and flowing. Walls were often lacquered in beautiful deep green color. Wallpapers were used for lesser rooms however; tapestry remained the most popular form of wall decoration. Ceilings were carved elaborately and decorated with shells, flowers and ribbon motifs. Walls and ceilings were gilded, fancifully outlined and painted white or ivory. Doors and windows went all the way from floors to ceilings. Depressed arches set in the walls was another feature of rococo. Doors and windows had light carvings. Most common type of window dressing was pull up curtains. Furniture was light, often gilded with gracefully carved legs. The furniture also bore light carvings. Most often it was custom made, designed to suite a specific room. However, every room had some fixed and some movable furniture. Fabrics used were graceful and ornamental. However, since it was joined at many places while upholstering, it was not sturdy enough for the rough use. Thus, the furniture was often slip covered to protect expensive upholstery from everyday wear and tear. Mirrors were an integral part of this style. Sometimes entire walls would be lined with mirrors. Mirrors were used for window slides, to hide fireplaces in summer. They were shaped irregularly and were alternated with white or pastel panels. They were laced with ornamented gold and silver or brilliantly contrasted hues. Go To Page: 1 2 |
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