Rococo and Neoclassicism – From light and fluffy, to straight-lined and straight-laced
The Sun King is dead and the Regent Philippe d’Orléans and boy king Louis XV have free reign to pursue their love of the naughty life – art, sex, and rejection of the overly dramatic seriousness of the Baroque. Watteau, Fragonard, and Boucher are all the rage with their organic curves, pastel colours, and sexual innuendo.
But just when the royals and aristocrats were having so much fun… the Enlightenment, discoveries of Herculaneum and Pompeii, and hints of a revolution lead to the rejection of all the playfulness and whimsy of the Rococo leading to the return of classical style, known as Neoclassicism. In this 60-minute session, Ali Cohen shares tales of aristocrat antics and the artistic ups and downs of 18th-century France, and asks: Does art always sober up when the going gets tough?