330 Ch. 9 • Enlightened Thought And The Republic Of Letters
believed that classical rules preserved from antiquity had to be followed.
But David Hume, among other Enlightenment figures, emphasized the
aesthetic appreciation of art, rejecting formal rules or standards for art
imposed by royal academies or ecclesiastical influence.
The secularization of culture could be seen in the development of rococo,
a new and generally secular decorative style. It evolved from the highly
ornamental baroque style that had characterized the art and architecture
of the Catholic Reformation, particularly in Austria and Bavaria. Closely
tied to noble taste, rococo’s popularity in France reflected the fact that
many nobles now spent more time in elegant townhouses. However spa
cious, such urban residences afforded them less room than they enjoyed in
their countryside chateaux. They therefore lavished more attention on
decoration.
The rococo style—sometimes called Louis XV style—began in France
but also became quite popular in the German and Italian states. Like the
baroque, it featured flowing curves, thus suggesting rocks and shells
(rocailles and coquilles, thus its name). Rococo stressed smallness of scale,
reducing baroque forms to elegant decorative style. It utilized different
materials, including wood, metal, stucco, glass, and porcelain, brought for
the first time from China during the eighteenth century and reflecting the
growing interest in Asia. It combined texture and color with spirited and
even erotic subject matter. Elements drawn from nature, such as birds and
flowers, replaced religious objects as decorative elements.