THE HISTORY OF CHINOISERIE

The word Chinoiserie comes from the French word "Chinoise," which means Chinese, and refers to a Western style of decorative art inspired by Asian art and cultures.

European interest in the Far East and China began in the 14th century, when the Italian explorer Marco Polo returned from his adventures along the Silk Road, bringing with him tales of exotic cultures as well as beautifully decorated goods.

Trade between China and Europe grew during the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Chinoiserie style emerged in the mid-17th century in Europe, when local designers and artisans began to imitate the style and use it in everyday life on household products such as textiles, furniture, ceramics, porcelain, walls, and paintings.

However, Chinoiserie was not just a European phenomenon. The fashion associated with this style spread so quickly that versions of the Chinoiserie style even existed in Latin America, where it also inspired local artists and craftsmen.

Despite the reference to the name, the stylistic influences are not only Chinese, but also from a wider region, often called the Far East in the 18th century, which includes China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, and also Persia.

The Trianon de Porcelaine (French for Porcelain Trianon) was a short-lived structure built near the Palace of Versailles and is considered the first Chinoiserie building in Europe. It was built in 1670 on the former site of the village of Trianon, which Louis XIV of France had acquired in the 1660s to expand the grounds of his expanding palace. The structure consists of five timber-framed pavilions decorated with blue and white ceramic tiles and surrounded by formal gardens with extravagant displays of perfumed flowers.

To Europeans, everything about Chinese culture, people, and environment seemed extremely exotic and mysterious.

Chinoiserie design styles are often associated with relaxation and pleasure, with scenes of lush gardens and greenery, nature, and vivid landscapes showing Chinese figures, luxurious pavilions, and pagodas.

The popularity of the Chinoiserie style in interior design reached its peak around the mid-18th century, and while Chinoiserie never completely went out of fashion, its influence in Europe gradually waned in the 19th century, when the appeal of China and East Asia had to compete with other exotic tastes, such as "Turkish", Egyptian, Gothic and Greek. 

TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CHINOISERIE PATTERN

There are three main sub-styles in the Chinoiserie pattern:

– Blue and white porcelain style

– Chinoiserie Toile de Jouy – or landscape style

– The style of the flowering tree

These styles can often be combined.

FEATURES OF THE "BLUE AND WHITE" VARIANT

The blue and white porcelain style was, of course, inspired by the designs found on imported Chinese porcelain and ceramics, such as plates, bowls, pots, vases, and large ginger jars.

In today's interior design concepts, any Asian monochromatic blue and white design is often categorized as Chinoiserie. For example, Indian floral, damask, and ikat-style designs.

Focusing on the blue and white porcelain inspiration, besides the monochromatic color scheme, there are some characteristics that we can consider and use when creating a design or pattern in this style:

Curving branches with leaves and flowers either in a scattered design or as evenly repeated throughout the background. Often in combination with geometric maze like lines and shapes intended to imitate Chinese letters and symbols.

Apart from these, we can see designs featuring small scenes of buildings such as pavilions, pagodas and trees, people playing or walking, or nature with animals such as birds and insects. Birds are common motifs, carrying their own symbolic meaning.

TOILE DE JOUY CHINOISERIE CHARACTERISTICS

This type can be either single-colored, often in blue and white, inspired by the porcelain style, or have two, three or more colors.

Typical motifs for Chinoiserie Toile de Jouy are scenes including:

Nature with mountains, hills, fields, forests, lakes, streams or rivers, clouds, buildings such as pavilions, pagodas and bridges, often surrounded by lush gardens and parks with trees, greenery, shrubs and grass, Chinese figures playing, working or walking, as well as birds and bird cages.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BLOSSOMING TREE CHINOISERIE STYLE

This type can be made as a seamless repeating pattern, but is often in a mural pattern for wall coverings, stencils, and floor-to-ceiling murals, where it is repeated only horizontally, but not vertically. This type is characterized by slender, spreading trees or branches, with leaves and blooming flowers, fruits, birds, and insects.

Despite some ups and downs, the Chinoiserie pattern style experienced a revival in the 30s and is still often associated with high-end interior design, as well as in the fashion industry.

 

Author: tinablend

Photos: Pixabay & www.goblenda.com