Rococo, Neoclassical Art & Enlightenment Economic Thought

Rococo Art and Culture

Origins and Characteristics

• Origin: France
• Impact in Spain: Limited
• Features: Refined, courtly, aristocratic

Rococo art was primarily used to decorate private halls and small cabinets. Walls and ceilings were often covered in stucco and carved wood, featuring curved, undulating lines.

Notable Examples in Architecture and Decoration

• Gasperini Room in the Royal Palace, Madrid
• Selected rooms in the Palacio Real de La Granja, Segovia
• Façade of the Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas, Valencia

Rococo Painting

Rococo painting is characterized by faded drawings, delicate colors, and diverse subjects, including:

• Court mythology
• Portraits
• Exotic scenes
• Individual motifs of ideal and relaxed situations
• Love scenes

Key Rococo Painters and Works

• Jean-Honoré Fragonard: The Swing
• Luis Paret y Alcázar: Charles III Eating in Front of His Court

Neoclassical Art

Origins and Defining Features

• Origin: France
• Features:
  • Rational: Followed a strict set of rules, leading to the creation of academies like the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid.
  • Austere: Absence of heavy and dense decoration.
  • Classical Influence: Heavily inspired by ancient Greece and Rome.

Neoclassical Architecture

Inspired by classical models, Neoclassical architecture emphasized straight lines and flat surfaces to create harmony, balance, and an austere look with minimal ornamentation.

Main Neoclassical Buildings

• Pantheon in Paris
• British Museum in London
• Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
• Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid
• Prado Museum, Madrid
• Royal Astronomical Observatory, Madrid
• Santa Bárbara Church, Madrid

Neoclassical Sculpture

Neoclassical sculpture adhered to the ideal of beauty, showcasing harmony, quietness, simplicity, and serenity.

Main Motifs and Sculptors

• Motifs: Mythological scenes, classical history, portraits.
• Key Sculptors:
  • Antonio Canova (Italian): Pauline Bonaparte
  • Antonio Gutiérrez: La Cibeles (Fountain of Cybele)
  • Antonio Cubero: Monument to the Defense of Zaragoza

Neoclassical Painting

Neoclassical painting focused its work on drawing over color, emphasizing precision and form.

Main Motifs and Painters

• Motifs: Mythological and historical subjects.
• Key Painters:
  • Jacques-Louis David (French): The Oath of the Horatii, The Rape of the Sabine Women
  • Anton Raphael Mengs (German): Known for ceilings in several halls in the Royal Palace in Madrid; served as the principal of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.

Economic Doctrines of the Enlightenment

Physiocracy

• Proponent: François Quesnay
• Core Belief: Defended that the wealth of a nation originates from the land (mining, agriculture). Food and raw materials obtained from the land can be transformed into manufactured products and sold by merchants for profit.
• Famous Maxim: "Laissez-faire, laissez-passer" (let do, let pass).

Economic Liberalism

• Proponent: Adam Smith
• Key Work: The Wealth of Nations
• Core Belief: The origin of wealth is the individual effort to obtain maximum profit. State intervention is deemed unnecessary as the economy operates under its own rules. Prices are set by the law of supply and demand. A country prospers when individuals are permitted to seek profit with minimal regulation.