The Rococo period

Question 1

The Rococo period has often been reduced to stereotypes of the feminine through such gendered visual qualities and attributes. This is an appropriate characterization mainly because Rococo ladies wear was a beautiful and adorning fashion that ladies in the period between the 17^th and 16^th century loved to wear. The ladies fashion stayed for longer periods compared to the men’s fashion. In other words rococo fashion was more identified with ladies as compared to men.

Rococo fashion began in France during that particular period and it was a fashion that demonstrated romance and elegance especially with the ladies. Everyone in the Europe and in America adopted the fashion because France was the leading fashion house in the world then. Each and every prominent person in the Europe and America had to be seen with the rococo fashion cloths and further more for a man to please a woman by buying her cloths, he had to get the finest rococo garments made from Lyonnais silk. The fashion industry of the time was mainly being influenced by the noble.

Ladies wore what is known as the manteau. This was a gown that was loose also known as a dressing gown. The manner in which the dress was pleated allowed the front part of it to be open and the back was nicely shaped. There were no shaping seams and this created more room for adjustment later own to change the fashion style. The down front part of the dress had edges that were gathered up where as the back part was fixed with a loop to create a circular elegant look that seems like a water fall train.

Question 2

Neoclassical culture was response against Rococo fashion and culture. It was believed that Rococo was more of shallow and over the top. The new culture was like a movement that changed the way people decorate things. It also changed music, drama theatre, architecture and literature. The culture began immediately after Rococo was gradually being faced out. This was the period between the late 18^th century and early 19^th century. It lasts until the end of 19^th century. According to Joshua Reynolds, neoclassical style was congruous to the ideals and values witnessed during the age of enlightenment. Art was mainly done to emphasize on the idea of morality and reason. This statement by Reynolds reflected the true picture of art in both periods in history. For instance during the neoclassical culture artists were mainly people who think and reason and achieved the canonical status. Art was synthesized with a lot of traditionally new work.

There was a high standard that was set from among the.............