Rococo

ococo was a style in architecture which was born in France in the 18th century. The style received its name in the 19th century from French émigrés to designate the noble elegance and aristocracy of the Old French Architecture as opposite to the succeeding more simple new styles. The style name was probably derived from the French words rocaille and coquille (rock and shell) – natural forms prominent in the Italian Baroque decorations of interiors and gardens. The name fits a life without worry, refined and gallant, closely related to nature. In fact this style was an inheritor of the French baroque (French Classicism) and was regarded either as an evolution or a degeneration of the Baroque. The first expression of the Rococo was the transitional régence style which began towards the end of the reign of Louis XIV and was interrupted by the 1789 French Revolution. However, it was widely spread in Europe and reaching Germany and Austria found a most favorable ground. It was less popular in Italy and England. It is believed that the engravings of Juste Aurèle Meissonier and Nicolas Pineau contributed to the spreading of the style throughout Europe. 

In contrast to the heavy Baroque plasticity and grandiloquence, straight and stiff lines, Rococo created a dream world using reflections and mirrors to blur limits and fitting harmoniously in the landscape. The stern geometrical lines and forms were substituted or completely superseded by curves or counter curves and interruptions reminding the irregular and undulated shape of the shells and sea stones. All the simple laws and rules had been set aside in favor of free and enchanting imaginativeness.

As its effect was less pronounced on architectural construction than elsewhere, some believe that Rococo is not so much a real style, as a new kind of decoration. Indeed, most influenced by this style were the interior arrangements and the decorative arts. That is the reason why Rococo is less associated with garden art than with sculpture, painting, tapestry or any other fine art. 

Nevertheless, there are still existing marvelous examples of the Rococo garden art created in different parts of Europe. They were designed using a combination between the formality of long vistas and geometric patterns with informal winding paths, off-centered design thus reaching a “regular irregularity”, elegance and freedom. 

Probably due to the relatively short duration of this period many of the Rococo gardens did not survive till now. Others were restored or are undergoing restoration with guidance from the archeological excavations and preserved paintings with the aid of heritage institutions. Remarkable examples of Rococo gardens represent the Painswick Rococo garden in Britain, the Boboli gardens in France, Charlottenburg and Potsdam gardens in Germany, Schönbrunn gardens in Austria, etc.