Rococo

Rococo, also known as Rocaille, is an 18th-century European artistic movement and style that originated in Paris in the early 1700s and remained influential until the mid to late century. It developed from late Baroque, emphasizing lightness, elegance, and ornate decoration, moving away from Baroque grandeur toward intimate, decorative forms. The name derives from rocaille (rockwork) and reflects the use of shell and rock motifs in garden grottoes and interiors.

Characteristics include asymmetrical ornament, sinuous curves, scrolling foliage, and shell motifs. The color palette favors pastels—pale blues, pinks, creams—with gilded accents. Subjects in painting often depict courtship, pastoral scenes, theater, and romantic or mythological themes; the style emphasizes grace, playfulness, and movement. Rococo was especially associated with interior decoration, furniture, porcelain, and other decorative arts, as well as painting and sculpture.

Leading painters include Antoine Watteau, François Boucher, and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, who produced idyllic scenes set in parks, salons, or mythological and romantic contexts. In architecture and interior design, designers such as Germain Boffrand helped develop light, airy spaces and elaborate ornament characteristic of the style. In the decorative arts, fine marquetry, gilding, and refined craftsmanship were common, with notable contributions from furniture makers and porcelain manufacturers.

Spread and decline: Rococo spread from France to much of continental Europe, influencing Austrian and German courts and urban spaces. Beginning in the 1760s, it was increasingly supplanted by Neoclassicism, which emphasized restraint and ancient models. Today, Rococo is studied as a distinctive expression of early- to mid-18th-century taste, emblematic of aristocratic leisure and refined decorative culture.