17th-century French art

17th-century French artis generally referred to asBaroque,but from the mid- to late 17th century, the style of French art shows aclassicaladherence to certain rules of proportion and sobriety uncharacteristic of the Baroque as it was practiced in most of the rest of Europe during the same period.

Louis XIII style

In the early part of the 17th century, latemanneristand earlyBaroquetendencies continued to flourish in the court ofMarie de' MediciandLouis XIII.Art from this period shows influences from both the north of Europe (Dutch and Flemish schools) and from Roman painters of theCounter-Reformation.Artists in France frequently debated the merits betweenPeter Paul Rubens(the Flemish Baroque, voluptuous lines and colors) andNicolas Poussin(rational control, proportion, Roman classicism).

There was also a strongCaravaggioschool represented in the period by the candle-lit paintings ofGeorges de La Tour.The wretched and the poor were featured in an almost Dutch manner in the paintings by the threeLe Nainbrothers. In the paintings ofPhilippe de Champaignethere are both propagandistic portraits ofLouis XIII' s ministerCardinal Richelieuand other more contemplative portraits of people in theJansenistsect.

Residential architecture

However, underLouis XIV,the Baroque as it was practiced in Italy was not in French taste (Bernini's famous proposal for redesigning the Louvre was rejected by Louis XIV.) Throughpropaganda,wars and great architectural works,Louis XIVlaunched a vast program designed for the glorification of France and his name. ThePalace of Versailles,initially a tiny hunting lodge built by his father, was transformed by Louis XIV into a marvelous palace for fêtes and parties. ArchitectLouis Le Vau,painter and designerCharles Le Brunand the landscape architectAndré Le Nôtrecreated marvels: fountains danced; wandering revelers discovered hidden grottos in the gardens.

The initial impetus for this transformation of Versailles is generally linked to the private châteauVaux-le-Vicomtebuilt for Louis XIV's minister of FinanceNicolas Fouquet.Having offered a lavish festival for the king in the newly finished residence in 1661 (Le Brun, Le Vau, Le Nôtre, the poetLa Fontaine,the playwrightMolièrewere all under Fouquet's patronage), the minister was accused of misappropriation of funds and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The architects and artists under his patronage were all put to work on Versailles.

The court of Louis XIV

In this period, Louis' ministerJean-Baptiste Colbertestablished royal control overartisanalproduction in France; henceforth France would no longer purchase luxury goods from abroad, but would, herself, set the standard for quality. This control was also seen in the creation of an academy of painting and sculpture, which maintained ahierarchy of genresin painting (the "noblest," according toAndré Félibienin 1667, beinghistory painting), a strong use of pictorialrhetoric,and a strict sense of decorum in subject matter.^[1]

Furnishings andinterior designsfrom this period are referred to as "Louis XIV style"; the style is characterized by weightybrocadesof red and gold, thicklygilded plaster molding,large sculptedsideboards,and heavymarbling.^{[citation needed]}

In 1682, Versailles was transformed into the official residence of the king; eventually theHall of Mirrorswas built; other smallerchâteaux,like theGrand Trianon,were built on the grounds, and a hugecanalfeaturinggondolasand gondoliers fromVenicewas created.

Through his wars and the glory of Versailles, Louis became, to a certain degree, the arbiter of taste and power in Europe and both hischâteauand the etiquette in Versailles were copied by the other European courts. Yet the difficult wars at the end of his long reign and the religious problems created by therevocation of the Edict of Nantesmade his last years dark ones.^{[citation needed]}

References

^Brzyski, Anna (2007-10-08).Partisan Canons.Duke University Press.ISBN 978-0-8223-9037-4.

17th-century French art

Louis XIII style

Residential architecture

The court of Louis XIV

See also

References

Further reading