Baroque vs. Rococo — What's the Difference?

"Baroque" refers to an ornate and dramatic style.

"Her living room had a rococo-inspired decor."

A rich, 17th-century artistic style.

Known for its intricate and charming designs.

Known for grand architectural designs.

A light and whimsical 18th-century style.

"The baroque paintings evoke powerful emotions."

"The rococo furniture was adorned with delicate carvings."

"The baroque cathedral featured intricate sculptures."

Rococo (, also US: ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colors, sculpted molding, and trompe-l'œil frescoes to create surprise and the illusion of motion and drama. It is often described as the final expression of the Baroque movement.The Rococo style began in France in the 1730s as a reaction against the more formal and geometric Style Louis XIV. It was known as the style rocaille, or rocaille style.

The Baroque (UK: , US: ; French: [baʁɔk]) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1740s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including the Iberian Peninsula it continued, together with new styles, until the first decade of the 1800s.

A style of art, especially architecture and decorative art, that originated in France in the early 1700s and is marked by elaborate ornamentation, as with a profusion of scrolls, foliage, and animal forms.

AlsoBaroqueOf, relating to, or characteristic of a style in art and architecture developed in Europe from the early 17th to mid-18th century, emphasizing dramatic, often strained effect and typified by bold, curving forms, elaborate ornamentation, and overall balance of disparate parts.

A very ornate style of speech or writing.

AlsoBaroque(Music)Of, relating to, or characteristic of a style of composition that flourished in Europe from about 1600 to 1750, marked by expressive dissonance and elaborate ornamentation.

(Music) A style of composition arising in the 1700s in France, often viewed as an extension of the baroque, and characterized by a high degree of ornamentation and lightness of expression.

Extravagant, complex, or bizarre, especially in ornamentation:"the baroque, encoded language of post-structural legal and literary theory"(Wendy Kaminer).

Also Rococo Of or relating to the rococo.

Irregular in shape:baroque pearls.

Immoderately elaborate or complicated.

The baroque style or period in art, architecture, or music.

(uncountable) A style of baroque architecture and decorative art, from 18th-century France, having elaborate ornamentation.

Ornate, intricate, decorated, laden with detail.

(countable) A piece of ornamentation in this style.

Complex and beautiful, despite an outward irregularity.

Of or relating to the rococo style.

Chiseled from stone, or shaped from wood, in a garish, crooked, twisted, or slanted sort of way, grotesque.

Over-elaborate or complicated; opulent.

Embellished with figures and forms such that every level of relief gives way to more details and contrasts.

Old-fashioned.

Characteristic of Western art music of about the same period.

A florid style of ornamentation which prevailed in Europe in the latter part of the eighteenth century.

(figuratively) Overly and needlessly complicated.

Of or pertaining to the style called rococo; like rococo; florid; fantastic.

An ornate, detailed style.

Fanciful but graceful asymmetric ornamentation in art and architecture that originated in France in the 18th century

Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of, an artistic style common in the 17th century, characterized by the use of complex and elaborate ornamentation, curved rather than straight lines, and, in music a high degree of embellishment.

Having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation;

Hence, overly complicated, or ornamented to excess; in bad taste; grotesque; odd.

"Rococo" is an elegant, playful artistic style.

Irregular in form; - said esp. of a pearl.

Elaborate an extensive ornamentation in decorative art and architecture that flourished in Europe in the 17th century

Having elaborate symmetrical ornamentation;

Baroque is an ornate and dramatic artistic style of the 17th century.

It emphasizes grandeur, complexity, and emotional intensity.

Caravaggio and Bernini are renowned Baroque artists.

It's often seen in churches and palaces.

Rococo was frequently used in interior design and furnishings.

Baroque is characterized by grandeur, while Rococo is more playful.

Rococo is an elegant and playful artistic style of the 18th century.

Watteau and Boucher are famous Rococo artists.

It features lightness, elegance, asymmetry, and intricate ornamentation.

Rococo is lighter and more whimsical, contrasting with Baroque's grandeur.