Extravagant Rococo
- Zoe Chang
- Feb 21
- 2 min read
By Tyger Byun ('28)
Before the rise of austere Neoclassical styles, Europe was dominated by Rococo, though the style is best seen in France. It involved asymmetrical patterns and pastel colours and dominated the continent throughout much of the continent before the French Revolution. Pastel colours flooded the dresses of the nobility and the ornate ceilings of palaces. Below, the expression of Rococo in different design elements such as fashion and architecture will be explored.
Fashion:
The Rococo period produced voluminous dresses of pastel colours and gold. Many women in higher classes wore wide dresses with ornate patterns while men wore decorated coats. In contrast to the heavier and serious nature of Baroque, Rococo strived to create a more playful and unserious reaction to Baroque. This shift is evinced by the emergence of pink and white in costumes whereas in the Baroque period, such colours were rarities. However, these unserious fashion designs were also the point of criticism for many Enlightenment thinkers such as Diderot, who believed that Rococo should be replaced by a “nobler art.” This idea was reflected in the French Revolution in which the French populace dismantled the monarchy partly for their use of extravagant designs in their lifestyles.
Architecture:
Architecture, for the most part, reflected earlier Baroque styles, but with less geometric patterns and more curved and asymmetrical ones. During the reign of the “Sun King” Louis XIV, Baroque architecture was the dominant style, but following the king’s death, many designers sought to escape the seriousness and grandiosity of Baroque. For example, the palace of Versailles built by Louis XIV in the 17th century lacks many pastel colours and asymmetrical patterns, but in the Hôtel de Soubise, decorated in 1732, the designs appear free flowing and unrestrained. Like with fashion, this practice was mocked by Enlightenment thinkers, and was replaced by Neoclassical, a rejection of ornamentation and frivolity in favour of order and simplicity.
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