Baroque Art Essay

1953 Words4 Pages

After the death of Louis XIV in 1715 a new king arose, Louis XV. With this change brought a new zeitgeist and a fresh taste of art. The French had been setting the trends, and while Baroque art originated in Rome, Rococo art originated in France in the 1720s, and then spread across Europe where there was a fascination with French art and culture. The French set the standards for what’s en vogue and in a total monopoly made France the centre of fashion in the 18th century . But it went out of control in this very fashion conscious society where they braved discomfort and sometimes pain pursuing absurdly flamboyant fashion. Consumption of luxury was booming and the nobility sought status symbols in their ludicrous styles. Despite all the efforts of critics and caricaturists of the Rococo era, these ridiculous fashions prevailed. Rococo art had an aristocratic artistic taste, which is why it was embraced by citizens of other countries who had been imitating French aristocrats. The growing upper middle-class also started imitating the French aristocracy in fashion and lifestyle, whose …show more content…

There are four Cardinal Virtues who are kneeling in tribute at Truth 's feet. Fortitude rests by a lion which symbolizes her courage, while Justice carries a sword and scales which refer to her power and impartiality. Further back, Temperance carries a pitcher of water which signifies abstinence, and Prudence carries a snake, an allusion to her wisdom. In the top right-hand corner is a building which recalls the Pantheon in Rome. The symbols they are holding, such as the sword and lion represent power and ambition while the serpent is deception and the intellect . Troy here suggests that all vain acts of humanity are a performance in themselves and that the only reality is age and death,

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