¹     Rococo art was fanciful and fun. It started in France in the 18th century. Rococo paintings showed fancy ladies and gentlemen outside. They were playing games and taking walks in their fine, ruffled clothes.
 
²     Before Rococo, artists followed many rules. The style before the Rococo was called Baroque. The Baroque artists used dark colors. They painted serious people, like heroes or saints. The king of France, Louis XIV, wanted artists to follow the rules. He liked to have many portraits of himself. He was called the Sun King. After he died, artists relaxed. They wanted a change!
 
³     Rococo artists used light, pastel colors. They used many round shapes. They put fat cherubs in their pictures. They painted rich people in nature. These people were called aristocrats. They always looked like they were having fun. They looked elegant in their fancy clothing.

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