18th-century French art
French art history |
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Historical periods |
French artists |
Thematic |
Movements |
See also |
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18th-century French art was dominated by the Baroque, Rococo and neoclassical movements.
History
In France, the death of
The Louis XV style of decoration (although already apparent at the end of the last reign) was lighter: pastels and wood panels, smaller rooms, less gilding and fewer brocades; shells and garlands and occasional Chinese subjects predominated. Rooms were more intimate. After the return to Versailles, many of the baroque rooms of Louis XIV were redesigned. The official etiquette was also simplified and the notion of privacy was expanded: the king himself retreated from the official bed at night and conversed in private with his mistress.
The latter half of the 18th century continued to see French preeminence in Europe, particularly through the arts and sciences, and the
The writer
One of Diderot's favorite painters was Jean-Baptiste Greuze. Although often considered kitsch by today's standards, his paintings of domestic scenes reveal the importance of Sentimentalism in the European arts of the period (as also seen in the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Samuel Richardson.)
One also finds in this period a kind of
The middle of the 18th century saw a turn to Neoclassicism in France, that is to say a conscious use of Greek and Roman forms and iconography. In painting, the greatest representative of this style is Jacques-Louis David who, mirroring the profiles of Greek vases, emphasized the use of the profile; his subject matter often involved classical history (the death of Socrates, Brutus). The dignity and subject matter of his paintings were greatly inspired by Nicolas Poussin in the 17th century.
The Louis XVI style of furniture (once again already present in the previous reign) tended toward circles and ovals in chair backs; chair legs were grooved; Greek inspired iconography was used as decoration.
French neoclassicism would greatly contribute to the monumentalism of the
The Greek and Roman subject matters were also often chosen to promote the values of republicanism. One also finds paintings glorifying the heroes and martyrs of the French revolution, such as David's painting of the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat.
See also
- Neoclassicism in France
- French neoclassical theatre
- List of French artists of the eighteenth century
- Louis XV style
- Louis XVI style
- Louis XV furniture
- Louis XVI furniture
References
- André Chastel. French Art Vol III: The Ancient Régime ISBN 2-08-013617-8