Rococo Architecture (1715-1789)

1. Rococo Architecture (1715-89)

ROCOCO ARCHITECTURE
(1715-89)
Lenkova Elisaveta 11 b

2.

During the last phase of Baroque, the reign of King Louis XV of France witnessed a revolt against the earlier Baroque style of Louis
XIV's court, and the emergence of a more decorative, playful style of architecture, known as Rococo. An amalgam of the words 'rocaille'
(rock) and 'coquillage' (sells), reflecting its abundance of flowing curved forms.
Unlike other major architectural movements, like Romanesque, Gothic or Baroque, Rococo was really concerned with interior design.
This was because it emerged and remained centred in France, where rich patrons were unwilling to rebuild houses and chateaux, preferring
instead to remodel their interiors. And the style was far too whimsical and light-hearted for the exteriors of religious and civic buildings. As a
result, Rococo architects - in effect, interior designers - confined themselves to creating elaborately decorated rooms, whose plasterwork,
murals, tapestries, furniture, mirrors, porcelain, silks, chinoiserie and other embellishments presented the visitor with a complete aesthetic
experience - a total work of art (but hardly architecture!)
Rococo perfectly reflected the decadent indolence and degeneracy of the French Royal Court and High Society. Perhaps because of
this, although it spread from France to Germany, where it proved more popular with Catholics than Protestants, it was less well received in
other European countries like England, The Low Countries, Spain and even Italy. It was swept away by the French Revolution and by the
sterner Neoclassicism which heralded a return to Classical values and styles, more in keeping with the Age of Enlightenment and Reason.