Rococo

While its predecessor, the Baroque, used scale and symmetry to project power, Rococo sought to create surprise through motion and illusion. The style is defined by rocaille—a decorative motif of asymmetrical shells, acanthus leaves, and twisting vines. Architects used trompe-l'œil frescoes and "quadratura" (illusionist ceiling paintings) to make solid roofs appear as open skies where cherubs gazed down at the room's occupants.

The aesthetic palette moved away from the heavy, dark tones of the 17th century toward airy whites, pastels, and heavy gilding. Materials like molded stucco, carved wood, and "Japanese-style" lacquer were used to create "S" and "C" curves that mimicked the flow of water or vegetation. This was a "theatrical" style, designed to evoke awe and wonder from the moment a guest entered a space.

Rococo began in 1730s Paris as a reaction against the formal, geometric "Louis XIV style." The term itself was originally a joke—a humorous variation of rocaille, which described the method of using pebbles and seashells to decorate grottoes and fountains. What began as a technique for garden ornaments eventually moved indoors, appearing first in jewelry and furniture before consuming entire rooms.

In France, the style was primarily secular and intimate. It flourished in "salons," a new type of room designed for entertaining guests with wit and elegance rather than formal court ritual. Unlike the massive public monuments of the previous era, French Rococo was an art of the private residence, focused on exceptional craftsmanship in mirrors, clocks, and furniture.

The style reached its absolute summit in the pilgrimage churches of Bavaria and Austria. In these spaces, the "simple" exterior of a church often hides an interior of overwhelming decorative density. Architects like Balthasar Neumann and Dominikus Zimmermann created "theatres of light" where white walls and pastel columns contrast with gold-leafed ornaments that seem to "creep" up the walls and across the ceilings.

The German variant was far more extravagant and asymmetrical than its French counterpart. In sites like the Wieskirche, the sanctuary is an interlocking oval filled with light from all sides, creating a harmony of art and architecture intended to give worshippers a physical sensation of the divine. This transition from secular luxury to spiritual ecstasy remains the style's most significant cultural legacy.

As the style spread, it absorbed local flavors. In Venice, Rococo took the form of painted furniture featuring landscapes and Chinoiserie (Chinese-inspired motifs) set against signature greens and blues. In England, the movement was slower to arrive but found its voice through Thomas Chippendale, whose furniture designs blended Rococo curves with Gothic and East Asian influences, eschewing French inlays for masterful woodcarving.

In Russia, Empress Elisabeth and Catherine the Great used the style to modernize the imperial image. Court architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli designed the Winter Palace and the Catherine Palace using soft pastels and massive gilded cornices. Even Russian Orthodox churches adopted the style, topping their traditional square structures with Rococo-influenced gilded onion domes and elaborate parquetry floors.

By the mid-18th century, critics began to tire of Rococo’s perceived "frivolity" and its emphasis on gallantry and mythology. The turning point came with the archaeological discovery of Herculaneum (1738) and Pompeii (1748), which reignited a European obsession with the "noble" simplicity of Roman and Greek antiquity.

Influential figures like Madame de Pompadour accelerated this shift by sending artists to Italy to study classical ruins. They returned with a passion for symmetry and structural logic, leading to the rise of Neoclassicism. By the late 1800s, "Rococo" had actually become a derogatory term used to describe anything considered old-fashioned or excessively overloaded with ornament.