The French Rococo style of painting has several famous creators. Some include Jean-Antoine Watteau, Francois Boucher, and Maurice-Quentin de la Tour. These artists are considered the founders of this style. In this article, you’ll learn about their works and how they contributed to the French Rococo movement.
Jean-Antoine Watteau
The French rococo painting style began in the early 18th century with the work of Jean-Antoine Watteau. Watteau, influenced by the paintings of the Italian master Claude Audran III, painted symmetrical scenes on white grounds and embraced the exoticism of the style. He painted scenes with rhythm and line and often incorporated motifs in cornflower blue.
Watteau was born in Valenciennes, which was part of Flanders until 1678. His father was violent, but Watteau never referred to his family in his work. He began to paint at a young age and displayed an aptitude for drawing. He became fascinated by performers, mendicants, and other people on the fringes of society.
Artists in the Rococo style often incorporated natural objects in their paintings. Shells and rocks were popular in gardens, and the rococo painters reflected these in their paintings. Rococo artists used pastels that sparkled. They often started with a pearly white underlay and added thin layers of blue and white highlights.
Watteau’s influence was far-reaching. Not only did he use the style to paint landscapes, but he also extended it into sculpture. His work was full of vibrant colors and idealized themes, displaying the human spirit as one with nature.
Many of Watteau’s best works contain stage-like settings, an expanse of flat space, and figures suspended from slender foliate columns. These compositional devices trace their origins to his interest in theater and ballet. He also took great inspiration from opera and Commedia dell’arte.
Watteau became obsessed with the arts after studying theater. He was fascinated by Rococo styling and spent his early years in a set designer’s workshop. He later went on to work for Claude Audran III, an interior designer who influenced Watteau’s work.
Watteau’s most famous painting, the fête Galante, took him over five years to complete. This piece sealed his admission into the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. It measures over six feet in length and is displayed in the Musee du Louvre. It represents the Regency period in France when Philippe II was the regent, and the period was filled with peace and prosperity. It was a time when people enjoyed the pleasures of courtship and aristocratic life.
Watteau studied under Gillot and Audran, who had regular access to the works of Peter Paul Rubens. These two artists were able to check the Rubens cycle in detail. Through this experience, Watteau developed his unique style.
In addition to Watteau, several other influential artists during this period contributed to the evolution of the French rococo style of painting. Most people associate the type of art with Paris. Nonetheless, the term Rococo refers to a variety of styles.
Francois Boucher
While he is most often associated with the aristocracy and foppishness, Francois Boucher was also an exceptional artist. His style was characterized by the technical skill of the eighteenth century, and he was considered one of the best artists of his time. Among his most well-known paintings are the famous rococo arabesques.
The rococo style is known for its light, airy paintings and decorative arts. These paintings reflect the taste of 18th-century French society. The images of the Rococo style are known for their floral designs, elegant draping, and elaborate decor.
Many of Boucher’s paintings depict idyllic scenes with rich French people living in the Garden of Eden. While the subjects of his paintings may seem innocent, the truth is that they often contain suggestive sexual interaction. This put him in hot water with essential people in France.
The works of Rubens and Watteau influenced Boucher’s early careers. They celebrate idyllic scenes and depict the beauty and eroticism of their subjects. In 1765, Boucher was appointed the official painter to the king. He also influenced the work of J.A.D. Ingres and Eugene Delacroix.
His paintings in mythology were also famous among his contemporaries. One of his best-known works, Diana after the Bath, depicts the goddess Diana in a nude state. His use of contrasting satins and velvets, as well as the flowering vegetation, reveals his technical mastery. Boucher’s paintings also contain sensual female flesh in rich creams and pinks.
Francois Boucher is credited with creating the most famous artists of the French Rococo style. His works typified the class and were popular with the royal court. His work also helped spread the type across Europe and is regarded as the most influential representative of French taste in art.
In addition to painting, Boucher also influenced the design of many textiles and stage sets. Aristocratic and royal buyers prized his images of comic operas and myths. In addition to his paintings, Boucher copied his work from cheaper artists. His fame increased during the 1730s when a tapestry company commissioned him to design illustrations for their tapestries. These illustrations were distributed throughout Europe, even in China.
Though he had no formal training at the Academie, Boucher was already a successful painter. He won the Prix de Rome, the highest honor at the Academie. By 1724, he had already established his reputation as a significant artist.
After the death of Marquise de Pompadour in 1764, Boucher became the official painter of the king. He also took over as director of the Academie Royale. He dominated the French art scene for much of the eighteenth century. However, his influence began to diminish with Enlightenment morality. His works were dismissed as frivolous and amoral by some influential critics.
Another important person in the French rococo period was Hubert Francois Gravelot, a French artist who lived in London. His works influenced the development of the French rococo style. His students included Thomas Gainsborough, who was an exceptional landscape painter. His paintings often explored the interaction between human figures and their surroundings.
Maurice-Quentin de la Tour
During the 18th century, the French Rococo painting style began to emerge, marked by its use of bright colors and the depiction of mythical scenery. A prime example of the class is the Declaration of Love (1731), which depicts a group of sophisticated ladies in a garden. The asymmetrical format of the work creates whimsical contrasts in scale, which typifies this style.
During the early 1700s, Maurice-Quentin de la Tour specialized in pastel portraits. He became interested in this painting form when he became an apprentice. In 1719, he was introduced to the Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera, who had been part of the Rococo art movement.
After studying under La Tour and Greuze, Ducreux began to paint portraits for various royal patrons throughout France. In 1769, his most important commission came from the Duc de Choiseul, a trusted advisor to King Louis XV. He sought a painter to paint a portrait of the newlywed Marie Antoinette.
The French Rococo style of painting began in the early 18th century. The class was a reaction to the Baroque style of art. This period emphasized exuberance, tension, and drama in the arts. In addition to painting, the Rococo style of interior design flourished.
Maurice-Quentin de la Tour was a prolific painter in the 17th century. His work is thought to have influenced the French Revolution. It’s often associated with King Louis XV, but the revolution began a century earlier.
Although there is no documentary evidence to confirm the authenticity of this painting, its attribution is based on its handling quality, which is comparable to that of other autograph works by the artist. The characteristic light touches evidence of this quality on the picture surface with the point of the brush. Further evidence is available from numerous exhibitions and recent bibliographies.
