March 28, 2024
  1. Home
  2.  » 
  3. Art Movements & Styles
  4.  » 
  5. Pre-Modern Art
  6.  » 
  7. Rococo Art Movement – Characteristics

Rococo Art Movement – Characteristics

 1720 – 1760

How to identify Rococo art?

1. Light-hearted depiction of domestic life in the upper class home (e.g. Le Dejeuner, or The Breakfast, by Francois Boucher)

Le Dejeuner, or The Breakfast, by Francois Boucher

2. Elegantly dressed aristocrats at play, usually in pastoral landscapes (e.g. The Lesson of Love by Jean-Antoine Watteau)

The Lesson of Love by Jean-Antoine Watteau

3. Look for courting, beauty, romance, fun, playfulness and sexual symbols (e.g. The Stolen Kiss by Jean-Honore Fragonard)

The Stolen Kiss by Jean-Honore Fragonard

4. Mythological themes (e.g. Diana after the Hunt by François Boucher)

Diana after the Hunt by François Boucher

5. Pastel colours, i.e. soft and light shades, are characteristic of the period (e.g. A Lady in a Garden taking Coffee with some Children by Nicolas Lancret)

A Lady in a Garden taking Coffee with some Children by Nicolas Lancret

6. Look for cherubs hovering around the painting – chubby, nude male babies with wings (e.g. The Toilette of Venus by François Boucher)

The Toilette of Venus by François Boucher