Rococo, Neoclassicism and Genre: Beyond the Baroque

Paper Summary:

This essay discusses the differences between the Baroque period and the artistic periods that directly followed it, namely Rococo and Neoclassicism. The essay outlines the changing landscape of the eighteenth century in Europe's political and social systems. Though many art historians view artistic creations of the eighteenth century in Europe as an extension of the Baroque, this essay argues that the art following the Baroque reflects the social changes in Europe and show distinct differences from the Baroque style. The essay argues that these changes are exemplified in how European artists portrayed everyday life in their paintings to include genre paintings.

From the Paper:

"As a genre painter, David specialized in depicting scenes and figures from the ancient past, especially Greek and Roman classical iconography. In his Oath of the Horatti (1784), David selected a story from Republican Rome in which three brothers swear their allegiance to win or die for Rome and its ideals. Much like the social messages found in some Rococo paintings, this too has a deep message, one which the pre-Revolutionary French middle classes readily identified."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Ancien Regime Rococo." Art in European History. Internet. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/ancien.html. October 16, 2008.
• Andersen, Liselotte. Baroque and Rococo Art. New York: H.N. Abrams Publishing, 1969.
• Conisbee, Philip. French and Spanish Genre Painting in the Eighteenth Century. NewHaven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007.
• Smith, Claudia and Catheryn Cheal. Baroque, Neoclassical and Romantic Art. Paris:Reiner-McCuen, 2003.
• Thompson, Michael. Neoclassical Painting. New York: H.N. Abrams Publishing, 1988.

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