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The Baroque, Rococo and Neo-classical: an Introduction by Way of Versace - Part Two:
by Susanne Reece

Last month, inspired by designer Gianni Versace's short life, abundant work, and the recent auction of elements from his estate, we decided to offer an overview of three key art movements of the 17^th and 18^th Centuries that inspired Versace. In Part One, we started Baroque Art. This month we turn to Rococo and Neo-Classicism.

The Rococo style, often mentioned in connection with Versace, was a French development. It is a lighter, more playful style, characterized by soft pastel colors and delicate decorative elements. Germain Boffrand's (1667-1754) Salon Ovale in the Hotel de Soubise, Paris (1736-1739; http://ps.theatre.tulane.edu/lester/text/18thCentury/Rococo/Rococo15.html ) illustrates the style, and its difference from the bolder, heavier Baroque style like the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. There are mirrors here, as well, but they reflect gently curving lines and fine, filigree-like stucco work.

Fragonnard's painting The Swing, (oil on canvas, c.1767 Wallace Collection, London http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/detail/Detail_fragonard_jean-honore.html) completely captures the spirit of the Rococo. An aristocratic lady, dressed in the wedding-cake like fashions of the day, is pushed by her male companion on a swing. She playfully flips off her slipper on the upswing as he looks up her petticoats. The colors are soft and the paint is feathery, a spun-sugar confection.

The Neo-Classical style coincided with the French and American Revolutions. Just as the political revolutions were a reaction to political trends of the time, so too was the artistic Neo-Classical style a reaction to the decadent Rococo "let 'em eat cake" attitude and the heavy-handed rule of the Baroque. Revolutionaries, philosophers, artists, and architects turned to the democratic and artistic ideals of Ancient Greece and Republican Rome.

Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) was the quintessential Neo-classical painter. He recorded the major events of the French Revolution, portrayed its heroes, and eventually became one of Napoleon Bonaparte's court painters. His Oath of the Horatii (1784, Museé du Louvre, Paris; http://www.louvre.fr/anglais/collec/peint/inv3692/peint_f.htm), a painting of high seriousness in terms of its subject and style in comparison to the fluff of Fragonnard's The Swing, tells a story from antiquity of honor and loyalty, and of a bitter, family-dividing fight against tyranny. The figures are painted in a hard, starkly lit, sculptural style. The artist strives for authenticity in costumes and setting.

We see the softer, quieter side of the Neo-classical style in David's Portrait of Madame Recamier (1800, Museé du Louvre, Paris; http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/jdavid/p-jdavid13.htm). Here, a patroness of the arts, a woman who was considered in her time an enlightened thinker, Madame Recamier reclines, dressed in the fashions of her day, a loose-fitting, flowing gown in the Greek style, with her tousled hair held up with delicate bands. The chaise lounge is also in the Greek style, simple and elegant. The portrait looks as if it could have been lifted off the side of an ancient Greek vase or from the frescoed walls of a villa at Pompeii.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was an architect as well as one of the fathers of the United States of America. He designed Monticello (1768-1782) http://www.GreatBuildings.com/buildings/
Monticello.html), his home in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the Neo-classical style. Clean and simple, its portico with columns and pediment, and rotunda are derived from Classical Greek and Roman architectural forms.

Now that we have an idea of what each of these styles are, the Baroque, the Rococo, the Neo-classical, we return to Versace. A great innovator in fashion and interior design, Versace took elements from many styles and successfully combined them into something new. His fashions are innovative reinterpretations of great designers from the sixties, like Emilio Pucci, Chanel, and many others, with lots of flash and splash. His home furnishings, textiles, tableware and lighting fixtures (www.versace.com), are also a unique combination of influences, from the Baroque architecture of his native Italy to the 19^th century Neo-classical art and decorative items he collected. He often uses Neo-classical motifs, like Greek key patterns, his Medusa's head logo, and others, but adds heavy, chunky Baroque-inspired gold. His style, in short, is his own invention. To call it Baroque, Rococo or Neo-classical just doesn't do it justice.

Mining past styles for inspiration is an important skill for any decorator or designer, and studying the history of art, decorative art and architecture is essential. Put those design magazines down and take some time to browse the art book section of your favorite bookstore and visit museums and galleries for ideas. Learn what historical styles are all about and which ones you like. And, like Versace, don't be afraid to mix it up.

For more info:
Baroque and Rococo (World of Art Series), Germain Bazin, 1985.
Gardner's Art Through the Ages, Fred S. Kleiner et al., 2001.
Neo-Classicism, Hugh Honour, 1996.
The Visual Arts, A History. Hugh Honour and John Fleming, 1999.

This article was reprinted with permission from the Sheffield School of Design web site at http://www.sheffield.edu.

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