In the field of art and architecture, the aesthetic styles of different periods present unique characteristics that reflect the social, cultural and historical changes of the time. Baroque, Rococo and French Chinoiserie are three different aesthetic genres, which have risen at different stages of European history, presenting a unique and diverse artistic outlook.
The Baroque style originated in Italy in the 17th century and later spread rapidly throughout Europe. Its core idea is to express emotion through exaggeration, movement, and an emphasis on grandeur and solemnity. During the Baroque period, artists often used rich ornamentation, curved lines, and sculptures to create a strong religious or political atmosphere. Typical features of architecture include massive domes, symmetrical structures, and ornate ornamentation. In terms of aesthetic concept, Baroque works have a large number of golden features, juxtaposed with rich dark colors, in order to emphasize religious and political solemnity, pay attention to the expression of sacredness and authority, and tend to be more inclined to a patriarchal aesthetic.
The golden ceiling of the Baroque in the Jesuit church in Vienna
The Jesuit Church in Vienna (German: Jesuitenkirche) is a two-storey, two-tower church influenced by the early Baroque and rebuilt by André Pozzo in 1703-1705. Despite its relatively modest appearance, the interior of the church has very ornate imitation marble columns, classic domes from Baroque architecture, symmetrical structures, gilded decorations, and many allegorical ceiling frescoes. The ceiling is divided into four compartments, and the frescoes use trompe l'l'em techniques, and although they have a dome-like depth of field, they are actually painted on the flat part of the ceiling, which is a true masterpiece of the Baroque period.
Rubens' "Diana Returns from Hunting."
In Rubens's paintings, he creates a strong sense of movement of the characters and scenes in the picture through vivid poses, flowing sets, and rich colors. And with bright, full and impactful colors, strong contrast of light and dark, making the picture more dramatic and attractive. This movement of the body and the drama created by the contrast of dark and saturated colors are important features of Baroque paintings.
A carved gilded wooden mirror in the Rococo style
The Rococo style, which followed the Baroque style, arose in France in the 18th century as an evolution and resistance to the former. The Rococo style inherited the sporty sense of the Baroque, so the rich curves and curves are the common characteristics of the Rococo style and the Baroque style. However, compared with the solemnity of the Baroque, Rococo pays more attention to lightness, elegance and playfulness, so its decoration is more slender and light as a whole. From the end of the 13th century, Europe was influenced by Chinese imports and oral and written materials of missionaries, and gradually formed its peak in the period of Louis XV, so the Rococo style was deeply influenced by the oriental aesthetics of the Chinese style, and the oriental asymmetrical composition appeared, and the oriental elements such as twig patterns and flower and bird patterns appeared in the patterns, and more attention was paid to the expression of nature. Due to the influence of oriental aesthetics, it reverses the solemnity and repression of the Baroque in color, and turns to a softer pink series, paying more attention to personal emotions, emphasizing the atmosphere of relaxation, joy and love, which is an aesthetic that tends to female consciousness.
From the gold-plated carved wooden mirrors in the Rococo style in the Sotheby collection, you can clearly see the asymmetrical composition derived from the oriental aesthetic, as well as the classic Rococo pursuit of ornate decoration, the gilding inherited from the Barocco style, and the lightness and strong sense of movement of the various floral branches in the decoration.
The true chinoiserie began with the Italian Marco. Polo visited the capital at the end of the 13th century and reached its peak in the mid-18th century, sweeping almost every country in Europe. The emergence of French chinoiserie indirectly influenced the emergence and development of the Rococo style, which is unique in its integration of Chinese elements into traditional European art. French chinoiserie shows the yearning for exotic cultures by introducing Chinese elements. On the whole, the French style has the characteristics of distinctive Chinese elements, such as Chinese figures with hats, buildings with cornices, and asymmetrical compositions, as well as the aesthetics of traditional European art, such as the combination with the Rococo art style, the treatment of light and shadow insisted on in Boucher paintings, the plump posture of the European style, and various fantasy imaginations based on China. It makes French chinoiserie a new style, a European fantasy of China, and a cross-cultural aesthetic experience.
The shimmering crane brooch
In the mid-20th century, the "Shuimmering Crane" brooch of Chucui Palace, a high jewelry brand formerly known as an Italian jewelry family, can be seen that this French-style chinoiserie jewelry emphasizes the characteristics of curves and curved surfaces derived from the rococo style, and the whole work shows a strong sense of movement brought by the curves. The work presents the asymmetrical composition of the classic chinoiserie, and the color is also chosen as the main color in the soft pastel blue derived from the Rococo style. In addition to these characteristics derived from the Rococo style, the work also draws inspiration from the traditional Chinese ink painting method of separation and dyeing, carefully paved with blue gemstones of different shades, showing the purity and blending effect of ink, and the whole work also highlights the deep connection between the French chinoiserie and the Rococo style and traditional Chinese elements.
A gilded bronze ornament from the Louis XV period with German "Chinese family" porcelain
Among Sotheby's lots are gilded bronze ornaments from the Louis XV period set with German "Chinese family" porcelain. This French-style chinoiserie work depicts a Chinese-style pavilion with a spire and three groups of Chinese figures, but the figure's plump form, as well as the slender ornamentation with the leaves of the carrot and the gilded ornamentation, are still European and Rococo. The work introduces elements of porcelain, but collides with it with European-style sculptural thinking, and the whole work is full of the dramatic tension of cross-cultural tension brought about by materials, elements and expressions in the French Chinese style, and the whole is of great artistic value.
At the intersection of aesthetics, Baroque, Rococo and French Chinese style each bloom with its own unique fragrance, presenting a rich and colorful artistic time and space. The Baroque with its grandiose and solemn atmosphere, the Rococo with its lightness and elegance, and the French Chinese style with its wonderful fusion of exotic cultures constitute a wonderful artistic picture. These three styles not only reflect the cultural essence of their respective eras, but also give rise to new aesthetic possibilities where they meet. In the integration of art, we see the inheritance of history and the integration of culture, which is not only a feast of art, but also a dialogue across time and space, awakening the audience's sensitivity and exploration of multiculturalism, people feel the tolerance and innovation of aesthetics, and witness the eternal charm of art.