Analyse typologique des gravures d’ornements floraux entre naturalisme, exotisme et imaginaire durant le XVIIIe siècle en France

Details

Supervisors

Heering, Caroline

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en histoire de l'art et archéologie, orientation générale, à finalité spécialisée: iconologie et études des cultures visuelles

Abstract

enThe study focuses on engravings whose subject presents floral ornaments as the main aesthetic figuration. The flower in the ornament has been particularly present in all cultures for centuries. Thus, a history of the use of the flower allows to put in context the floral ornamentation from the distant history until the eighteenth century. The interest in flowers and their presence in art found a great real craze from the end of the Middle Ages.Ornamental prints are studied, analyzed and classified for a typological purpose. The latter highlights the nuances between naturalistic and imaginary prints in the rococo. We focus on the formal analysis of a series of ornamentals collections chosen according to defined criteria. We concentrate on 18th century French engravings. France, at that time, radiated throughout Europe, but it also had ties to the Far East like China. Asian art has influenced French and European artists. The analysis of floral engravings shows that the artists have juggled between different notions: naturalism, fantasy, and exoticism.