Chapter 3　Rococo Painting: Dreamy and Sensual
第三章　梦幻而性感的洛可可绘画

1．The overall characteristics of Rococo style　洛可可风格概述

Rococo is an 18th-century artistic movement and style, which affected several aspects of the arts including painting, sculpture, architecture, interior design, decoration, literature, music and theatre. The word Rococo is seen as a combination of the French "rocaille", meaning stone, and "coquilles", meaning shell, due to reliance on these objects as motifs of decoration. It usually covers the kind of ornament, style and design associated with Louis XV's reign and the beginning of that of Louis XVI. It is marked by its ornate, extravagant, frivolous and jocular style.

洛可可是18世纪的一种艺术风格，它涵盖绘画、雕塑、建筑、室内装潢、装饰、文学、音乐和戏剧等方面。“洛可可”一词是法文的rocaille和coquilles的合成词，即“石头”加上“贝壳”，因为洛可可风格常用这两种物品来做装饰。洛可可风格在法国路易十五时代和路易十六初期达到鼎盛，以其绚丽、豪华、轻佻和谐谑而闻名。

2．Leisure and frivolous Rococo painting　悠闲轻佻的洛可可绘画

The frivolous style of Rococo had completely rid paintings of the religious themes. Emphasis switched from grandeur to joviality. The merry-making worldly life and love affaires became the reoccurring theme of the paintings in this era.

洛可可以一种轻松优雅的风格使绘画彻底摆脱了宗教神学的教化思想，此时的艺术理想由雄伟转向了愉悦，享乐的世俗生活和欢愉的爱情是洛可可绘画的主题。

Main features of Rococo painting　洛可可绘画的主要特点

The Rococo painting has the following features:

First, Rococo opted for a more jocular, florid and graceful approach to Baroque art as it started in France in the 18th century a reaction against the grandeur, symmetry and strict regulations of the Baroque, especially that of the Palace of Versailles. In such a way, Rococo paintings were ornate and made strong usage of creamy, pastel-like colors. Unlike the more politically focused and religion-oriented Baroque, the Rococo had more playful and often witty artistic themes closer to everyday life.

The reason behind such shift is that in the 18th century, the absolute authority of monarchy and the church was shaken, partly due to the frivolous behavior of the aristocracy and the clergy men and partly due to the scientific and philosophical advancement. People were enlightened about the weaknesses of the old social structure and the power of rational thinking. It was pastoral scenes, sensuality, and sentimental feelings that touched people the most, not morality, strong will, heroism and sacrifice glorified in the 17th century.

The Rococo painting is lighthearted and records everyday life. Boucher's La Toilette paints an everyday life scene. The woman in the center is in the middle of dressing up. She is tying her sock, chest half shown, legs spread, not minding her posture in the comfort of her own room. A cat lies on the floor between her legs, making the scene more joyful. The maid turns her back to the viewer and is preparing her mistress' cap. The screen in the background is emblazoned with Chinese flower-bird paintings, indicating that this is an upper-class residence. In contrast, the left side of the scene is in disarray, adding to the hurry-scurry of the dressing up.

Another aspect of Rococo is its frivolousness. The Rococo trend was led by Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV, who also intervened in diplomacy and military. She was the major protégé of art in France and thus exerted an incomparable influence on art. She was the patron of Bucher, who had painted her several times and portrayed her as elegant and beautiful. Her extravagant and decadent lifestyle had directly set the trend for Rococo.

For instance, French artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard adopted the erotic subjects then in vogue and for which The Swing was the most famous. This picture became an immediate success, not merely for its technical excellence, but for the scandal behind it. The young nobleman is not only getting an interesting view up the lady's skirt, but she is being pushed into this position by her husband, shown in the rear. Also, the lady has deliberately kicked off one of her shoes to flirt the nobleman, while her husband has no idea of the sensual sentiments building up between his wife and his friend. All the three look happy, but for very different reasons. His other paintings of the kind include Young Woman Playing with a Dog, La Resistance Inutile, etc.

The beginning of the end for Rococo came in the early 1760s as figures like Voltaire and Jacques-François Blondel began to voice their criticism of the superficiality and degeneracy of the art. By 1785, Rococo had passed out of fashion in France, replaced by the order and seriousness of Neoclassical artists like Jacques Louis David. In Germany, late 18th century Rococo was ridiculed as Zopf und Perücke ("pigtail and periwig"). Rococo remained popular in the provinces and in Italy, until the second phase of neoclassicism, "Empire style", arrived with Napoleonic governments and swept Rococo away. Today we can still see Rococo in movies about European history. For instance, the 2006 Hollywood blockbuster Marie Antoinette shows the Rococo style in clothes and architecture at its prime. And the famous American singer Maria Carey's agile voice, particularly in the upper register and her signature hawking voice, is labeled as Rococo.

布歇笔下的蓬帕杜夫人。她是一个引起争议的历史人物，曾经是一位拥有铁腕的女强人，凭借自己的才色，蓬帕杜夫人影响到路易十五的统治和法国的艺术	弗拉贡纳尔《秋千》。画中描绘在幽静的林间，一位少女荡秋千时不慎飞落一只高跟鞋，而躲着偷看的一浪荡公子为献殷勤而急着接落下的鞋子

洛可可风格绘画有以下一些特点：

洛可可风格于18世纪兴起于凡尔赛宫，它是对巴洛克时期的尤以凡尔赛宫为代表的宏伟、对称的一种反抗。较之巴洛克，洛可可更加诙谐、华丽、优雅，因此洛可可绘画更具装饰性，用色更加柔和、更有田园之风。巴洛克艺术常常服务于政治，为贵族和教堂树立威信；而洛可可艺术则更加活泼、谐趣，更加贴近日常生活。

产生这种变化的原因是君主政体和教会的绝对权威在18世纪丧失了威望，这不仅因为一些世俗和教会的贵族由于放荡的品行而在思想道德上威信扫地，还因为自然科学和哲学发展了理性思维，使人们有能力认识到旧社会制度的缺点。人们喜欢牧歌式的轻松愉快的抒情，喜欢阿那克里翁式的诗篇，不愿再要17世纪悲剧中那种符合道德的歌颂义务、荣誉和意志的英雄史诗。

洛可可绘画氛围轻松，常常取材自日常生活，著名画家布歇的《梳妆》截取的就是日常生活中的一个画面。画面上的女子正在穿衣，手里系着袜子，胸脯半袒露着，两腿分开，似乎因为忙乱而顾不上体态。她的腿间有一只小猫悠闲地躺着，给画面一下子增加了情趣；女仆背过身去，正在给主人准备帽子；背景里画着花鸟画的屏风颇具东方色彩，增加了华贵的气息；但是画面左侧的物品十分杂乱，暗示贵妇装扮时的忙乱。

洛可可艺术风格的另一特点是轻佻浮华。洛可可艺术风格的倡导者是蓬帕杜夫人，她是路易十五的情人，不仅参与军事外交事务，还以文化“保护人”身份左右着当时的艺术风格。布歇的庇护人就是她，因此给她画过不少画像。蓬帕杜夫人奢华和轻浮的作风直接影响到了洛可可风格的形成。

比如，法国画家让·奥诺雷·弗拉贡纳尔的作品就迎合了当时流行的情色主题，其最著名的一幅画是《秋千》。这幅画工艺精良，而更轰动的是它所描绘出来的三角关系。画面左下方的绅士可以看到秋千上的贵妇人的裙底，而且这个贵妇是被她身后的丈夫推起来的。贵妇故意踢飞自己的一只鞋挑逗着绅士，而她的丈夫却对两人的暗送秋波毫不知情。画中的三个人看上去都很快乐，但是快乐的原因却不尽相同。弗拉贡纳尔情色风格的作品还有《玩狗的少女》、《无谓的抗拒》等。

从18世纪60年代开始，洛可可艺术开始衰败，伏尔泰和布隆代尔等哲学家抨击洛可可风格肤浅而堕落。1785年，洛可可艺术已经在法国完全销声匿迹了。在18世纪晚期的德国，洛可可被嘲笑为“猪尾巴和假发”（低级而矫糅造做的意思）。洛可可艺术在法国巴黎以外的地区和意大利存活得比较长，直到新古典主义时期到来，即随着拿破仑上台后“帝国风格”兴起，洛可可才完全退出历史舞台。今天，我们仍然可以在一些欧洲历史片里看到华丽的洛可可风格，如2006年的好莱坞大片《绝代艳后》中，玛丽王后的奢靡衣着和宫殿展示了洛可可的鼎盛时代。著名歌手玛利亚·凯利华丽多变的唱腔，尤其是她的海豚音，也被誉为是洛可可风格的音乐。

3．Representative figures of Rococo painting　洛可可代表画家

Rococo painters relied upon the support of their aristocratic patrons to survive and establish their reputation. Plus, the trend was started by the Madame Pompadour-led aristocracy. As a result, the works of the Rococo paintings manifested multiple facets of the aristocratic life at that moment.

洛可可时代的画家也要依靠贵族的支持来生存、扬名立万，而洛可可的奢华风格又是以蓬帕杜夫人为代表的贵族引领起来的，因此，这一时期的画家的作品很明显地体现出贵族生活的方方面面。

Watteau: inventor of fêtes galantes　华托：游园画创始人

Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684–1721) was a French painter whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement (in the tradition of Correggio and Rubens). He revitalized the waning Baroque style, and indeed moved it to the less severe, more naturalistic, less formally classical Rococo. Watteau is considered to be one of the first French Rococo painters. He often created asymmetrical compositions in his Rococo paintings, representing the gay and vivacious life of the period, with ideal forms and circumstances, and picturing the frivolity of his epoch extravagantly no doubt, but with great beauty and extraordinary charm.

Watteau is credited with inventing the genre of fêtes galantes: scenes of bucolic and idyllic charm, suffused with an air of theatricality. It was a compromise between extravagance and simplicity as French court abandoned the grandeur of Versailles for the more intimate townhouses of Paris where, elegantly attired , they could play and flirt and put on scenes from the Italian commedia dell'arte.

Watteau's most famous painting Pilgrimage to Cythera is a fêtes gallant. The Island of Cythera is where Venus first set foot on land after she was brought to the island by the Gods of Wind. The work celebrates love, with many cupids flying around the couples and pushing them closer together, as well as the statue of Venus. There are three pairs of lovers in the foreground. While the couple on the right by the statue is still engaged in their passionate tryst, another couple rises to follow a third pair down the hill. At the foot of the hill, several more happy couples are preparing to board the golden boat at the left. With its light and wispy brushstrokes, the scene seems hazy and moist. Other works of this kind by Watteau include Amusements champêtres, commedia dell'arte, Fête du Colisée, etc.

法国画家让·安东尼·华托（1684～1721年）的作品强调色彩和动感（继承了巴洛克大师科雷乔和鲁本斯的风格），振兴了正在消逝的巴洛克风格，同时进行创新。他的作品不似巴洛克那样严肃正统，而更自然，是洛可可风格的开先河者。他常常使用不对称构图，展现了他那个时代生机勃勃的一面，也展现了奢靡轻佻的一面，不管是哪一面，都美轮美奂。

华托是“游园画”的创始人，这种类型的画作中，乡村田园气息与戏剧风格糅合在一起。这是介于华丽和朴实之间的一种折中风格，当时法国贵族喜欢离开繁华的凡尔赛宫到乡村去小憩，仍然穿着华美的衣服，尽情游乐、调情，还可以演出意大利喜剧。

华托最著名的《舟发西苔岛》就是一幅游园画。西苔岛是爱神维纳斯第一次走上陆地的地方，她从海中诞生后被风神带到了这里。作品歌颂爱情，可以看到画面里有许多小丘比特在飞舞，让情人们凑得更近，画面右边还有一尊维纳斯的雕像。前景里有三对情人，一对正在亲密地幽会，另一对已经起身，追随正在走向坡下的第三对情人。山脚下，还有几对情人，正准备登上金色的小船。画面色彩模糊，有一种湿湿的雾感。其他这种类型的游园画还有《乡村乐土》、《意大利喜剧演员》和《克里西的节日》等等。

Boucher: painting China in imagination　布歇：想象中的中国画

François Boucher (1703–1770) is a French painter, a proponent of Rococo style, known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories representing the arts or pastoral occupations. In his Diana Leaving the Bath, Boucher depicts an arrogant and commanding Diana who raises her foot for her maid to check. The carcasses of the preys are lying just by her side. Legend has it that hunter Acteon peeped at Diana in bath and was turned into a milu by her curse before he was killed by his own hunting dogs. Other works of Boucher based on mythologies include Rinaldo and Armida,Les forges de Vulcain, etc.

An interesting fact about Boucher is that he painted a lot of China-themed paintings, such as Curio:Audienle of The Chinese Emperor, Chinese Garden, Chinese Bizarre, etc. Though he had never been to China, the porcelain ware, the umbrella, the plant and the architecture were largely accurate. But people's attire is more like costumes and looks nothing like what people were wearing in the Qing Dynasty. Boucher probably got the information who had been to China before and also used his own imagination.

《戴安娜出浴》，画中的戴安娜女神，不像是在奥林匹斯山，而像在宫廷或者闺房里。很多评论家认为，这幅作品是洛可可艺术的最好的代表作，现藏于巴黎卢浮宫	《中国花园》，布歇想象中的中国

法国画家弗朗索瓦·布歇（1703～1770年）是一位将洛可可风格发挥到极致的画家，他的作品在古典主题和寓言中中加入了田园风格和裸体画的元素。他的作品《黛安娜出浴》中，黛安娜高傲地坐着，侍女蹲下来似乎在检查她的脚，黛安娜身旁放着打死的猎物，显出她高高在上的地位。据说猎人阿克托安因为偷看黛安娜洗澡，而被她变成小鹿，被自己的猎狗咬死。布歇其他神话题材的作品包括《里纳尔多和阿米达》和《维纳斯要求伏尔甘给埃涅阿斯武器》等。

布歇有一点非常有趣，就是他画了一些有关中国的作品，如《中国皇帝上朝》、《中国花园》和《中国集市》等等。虽然他从未到过中国，但是作品中的瓷器、雨伞、植物和建筑画得却八九不离十，但是人物的衣着看上去更像是戏服，并非当时中国清朝的服饰。布歇很可能是根据以前到过中国的人的描述和他自己的想象来创作的。