FranceEngland.pptThe Baroque in France
FRANCE UNDER THE REIGN OF LOUIS XIV—THE SUN KING
- France was ruled by the absolute power of the monarch, and one of the most powerful French monarchs was Louis XIV
- Louis XIV had total control over everything in France (1661-1715) and monarchists believed he was ordained by God to rule
- The economy was less expansive than the Dutch (smaller middle class and merchant class), but France was the most powerful nation in 17th century Europe
- Louis XIV understood the power of art as a propaganda tool, and the arts flourished in France during his reign
HYACINTHE RIGAUD, Louis XIV, 1701. Oil on canvas,
9’ 2” x 6’ 3”. Louvre, Paris
A generous art patron who understood how to use art as propaganda, Louis XIV sought to consolidate and expand his power and used art and architecture (as well as the military) to do so. When Rigaud painted this portrait of Louis XIV, he was 63 years old and at the height of his power. He believed in the idea of divine right, that he as the king was endowed by God to lead. He called himself “le roi soleil” or the Sun King, allying himself to the Sun God Apollo of ancient times. Here wears an ermine lined coronation robe embroidered with golden fleur-de-lis on blue silk or brocade. He deliberately shows off his legs because he was proud of his the fact that he had been a ballet dancer in his youth. He wears red heeled shoes, something only the aristocracy was allowed to wear, and the heels enhanced his 5’4” height. The portrait alludes symbolically to his power and allies him to symbols of ancient Rome reinforcing the idea of his absolute power. Enhancing that idea is the fact that he looks down at the viewer. Although this portrait was originally to be a gift to his grandson, the King of Spain King Louis XIV kept it for himself because he was so pleased with the portrait. The portrait was hung over the throne and acted as a symbolic emblem of the Kings presence when he was away. Rigaud was asked to make copies which were sent to aristocrats across Europe.
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CLAUDE PERRAULT, LOUIS LE VAU, and CHARLES LE BRUN, east facade of the Louvre, Paris, France, 1667–1670
The Louvre combines both French and Italian classical elements
Originally the palace for the French monarchy, Louis XIV wanted to have some changes made. The result is a perfect combination of French and Italian ideals. The horizontality of this building was a sharp departure from the pointy verticality of the Gothic era. This building style became the standard for official structures. Originally a fort in the 12th century and a royal home in the 16th century the Louvre was abandoned when Louis XIV moved the court to Versailles as a means of controlling the noblemen. It was taken over by artistic cultural groups but it was not until after the French revolution in 1793 that the Louvre became a museum.
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JULES HARDOUIN-MANSART, CHARLES LE BRUN AND ANDRE LE NOTRE, Aerial view (looking west) of the palace and gardens, Versailles, France, begun 1669
Upgrading the Louvre had just begun when Louis XIV decided to convert an old hunting lodge in Versailles, just outside of Paris, his palace. The vast park or grounds makes the scale seem less massive but it is an enormous complex with radial avenues that intersect in the king’s bedroom, a symbol of his power. The grounds were originally a forest transformed by the brilliant work of André Le Nôtre which offers beautiful vistas, formal and informal gardens, geometrically shaped hedges, terraces, pools and ponds, buildings for government officials, military headquarters, as well as hundreds of rooms for courtiers and servants. Overviews don’t do justice to the artfulness of the grounds-–one must walk through it to get a full sense of its beauty. Le Nôtre planned every detail so that the grounds have the maximum degree of light and shadow, and plants that change beautifully with the season.
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JULES HARDOUIN-MANSART and CHARLES LE BRUN, Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors), palace of Louis XIV, Versailles, France, ca. 1680
The interior of the palace was created by a huge staff of architects, decorators, sculptors and painters. It is a primary example of French Baroque style. The palace is more than a quarter of a mile long and the kings bedroom was massive and a place where he often granted audiences. There are more than 100 rooms in the palace alone and one of the grandest rooms is the Hall of Mirrors which has a view of the formal gardens. Located on the second floor, it is filled with mirrors and reflective surfaces that dazzled viewers when the king was present. The gallery is 240 feet long and was once filled with silver and gold chairs and jeweled trees. Additionally there was a satellite city adjacent which housed court and government offices, military stations, courtiers and servants housed where the king, who was worried about rebellion among the aristocrats, could keep an eye on everything and who had spies everywhere.
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The Gardens were designed by André Le Notre. The formality of the gardens exemplify the extension of the power of the king making it appear that he not only controlled his kingdom, but also nature.
FRANÇOIS GIRARDON and THOMAS REGNAUDIN, Apollo Attended by the Nymphs, Grotto of Thetis, Versailles, France, ca. 1666–1672. Marble, life-size
Original Apollo Belvedere, circa 120-140 CE
There are references in the forms of sculpture throughout the gardens of Versailles. This example is by Girardon and Regnaudin who were inspired by Greco-Roman sculpture and the paintings of Nicolas Poussin, a master of classicism whose work we will see shortly. This is one of the finest examples on the grounds and depicts of Apollo (the sun god) in homage to the King who thought of himself in divine terms. This sculpture was moved in the 18th century to an artificial waterfall above a dramatic waterfall. Here Apollo is catered to by a group of beautifully sculpted nymphs, no doubt a reference to King Louis many mistresses and the fact that he regarded himself as a deity who deserved such treatement. The Apollo is based on the famous Apollo Belvedere, an ancient statue now located in the Vatican.
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Robert, Baths of Apollo, Versailles, 1777-1781
All over the grounds of Versailles are symbolic references to Louis XIV with representations of the god Apollo or the Sun King. The work we saw by Girardon and Regnaudin was moved by Hubert Robert to an artificial grotto above a man made waterfall. Girardon studied in Rome and was inspired by Greco-Roman sculpture of antiquity. The Apollo Belvedere was the inspiration for the figure of the Apollo and the paintings of Nicolas Poussin whose work we will see, inspired the composition of the group.
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JULES HARDOUIN-MANSART, Royal Chapel, with ceiling decorations by Antoine Coypel, palace of Louis XIV, Versailles, France, 1698–1710
The architect/designers Hardouin and Mansart were responsible for the creation of the Royal Chapel in the Versailles complex. Louis XIV could reach the his royal pew in the chapel directly from his private apartments. The royal pew is at the rear portion of the chapel. The ceiling by Antoine Coypel is modeled after the Italian Baroque style but the chapel itself is less baroque due to the height of the clerestory windows which lets in lighting evenly rather than dramatically as is more common in Italian Baroque style. Despite the fact that King Louis XIV, like many absolute monarchs had a wife, multiple mistresses, and many illegitimate children, he was deeply puritanical especially at the end of his life. He believed that all Catholic priests and officials should answer to him, including the Pope. He revoked the Edict of Nantes forbidding any Calvinists (Protestant followers of Calvin) to worship freely in France.
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JULES HARDOUIN-MANSART, Église de Dôme, Church of the Invalides, Paris, France, 1676–1706.
Mansart’s Royal Chapel (previous slide) and the Eglise de Dôme demonstrate the rational, orderly principles of classicism, symbolizing mastery over the chaos of nature
Another example of the work of Hardouin and Mansart is this church called the Église du Dôme or Church of the Invalides in Paris. It perfectly combines Italian Baroque and French classical style. The church is attached to a veterans hospital that Louis XIV established to care for the injured from his many wars. The church is divided into two levels. The dome overpowers the building and can be seen on the Parisian skyline.
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Louis XIV embraced Classicism. This movement is exemplified by Nicolas Poussin who died in 1665, four years after Louis XIV ascended the throne. Poussin’s work reflects his many years of study in Rome and the influence of the classical style of
ancient Greece and Rome on his work
NICOLAS POUSSIN, Et in Arcadia Ego, ca. 1655. Oil on canvas, approx.
2’ 10” x 4’. Louvre, Paris
WATCH THE VIDEO (in iLearn under Sep 10 section)
Louis XIV and his court patronized the painting style of classicism, in other words painting and sculpture that was inspired by ancient Greek and Roman style. Nicolas Poussin exemplifies that style. Poussin won the Prix du Rome, an artistic award that gave him money to study in Rome. His ideas regarding subject matter and composition were formed by his time there. He was inspired by Titian and Raphael. His classical style contrasts with the drama, asymmetry and emotional power of the baroque in favor of sedate, balanced work that concentrates on ancient art and culture. He championed “the Grand Manner” work that focused on heroic actions and diving things. He followed the guidelines of the ancient Greek sculptor Polykleitos. Poussin’s work is rational and avoids action. His figures appear to be sculptural. In this work, three shepherd who live in Arcadia, an idyllic place, are studying an inscription on a tomb. A female figure touches one on the shoulder. She may be death, or perhaps is there to remind us that even in an idyllic setting death can be present. The pose of the female is modeled after draped ancient female statues and the youth is copied from a statue of Neptune. The painting features even light, and a restful quality.
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Et in Arcadia Ego:
- Static poses, statue-like
- Rational order, after Raphael
- Arcadia, a depiction of an idyllic land
- 3 shepherds study an inscription on a tomb
- The stately figure of a woman rests her hand on one of the young men’s shoulder. Perhaps she is the spirit of death, which demonstrates the moral that even in a blissful place, mortality is inevitable.
- The figures wear the robes of antiquity.
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NICOLAS POUSSIN Landscape with St. John on Patmos, oil on canvas, 3’3-1/2” x 4’ 5-5/8” Art Institute of Chicago
In this painting, the landscape is as important if not more important than the figure depicted in the front center of the picture plane. This was commissioned by the secretary to Pope Urban VIII. The subject is St. John who is composing a book of the Bible called Revelations which tells of the end of the world and the return of Christ according to Christian theology. However, the balanced, unrealistic landscape belies the violence of the subject matter. St. John is posed like a river god of the ancient world. This is not a landscape of a real place.
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CLAUDE LORRAIN, Landscape with Cattle and Peasants, 1629. Oil on canvas, 3’ 6” x 4’ 10 1/2”. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
Claude Lorrain was as famous as Poussin but his landscapes can be seen as a bit less idealized. In this painting Claude includes depictions of peasants.
Claude Lorrain, whose real name was Claude Gellée, was from Lorrain in France and is often referred to just as Claude. His landscape reflect a softer style than that of Poussin. Rather than incorporating figures from antiquity into his compositions, Claude includes peasants in the right foreground chatting together. Some say however, that his subjects seem additions to the landscape and reveal no narrative, certainly no heroics, morals, or saints. In the middle ground are cattle and in the distance the horizon is shrouded in mist. He used both linear and atmospheric perspective which presents a sense of infinite space to the viewer. Although this is less rigidly composed than Poussin’s classical rendition of landscape painting, it is romanticized. He carefully matched the light to the mood of his human subjects and usually set his landscapes in light that reflected breaking day or sunset.
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LOUIS LE NAIN, Family of Country People, ca. 1640. Oil on canvas, 3’ 8” x 5’ 2”. Louvre, Paris
Louis Le Nain also avoids the Grand Manner of Poussin in his work. In fact, it can be argued that it is more in style to the Dutch genre paintings which may have influenced him. However, where many of the Dutch genre paintings show laughter and revelry, the paintings of Le Nain are reflective and quiet. This painting entitled Family of Country People, 1640 reflects the ideas of French social theorists who believed in the natural virtues of peasants. Although he depicts the lower classes with dignity, he is also propagating a myth about the eternal stoicism of the lower classes and that their suffering was so serene. Question: Although this is a departure from the “grand style” of painting of the time, is Le Nain sympathetic to the peasants he depicts, or is he pleasing wealthy urban patrons by providing them a staged view of peasant life.
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JACQUES CALLOT, Hanging Tree, from the Miseries of War series, 1629–1633. Etching, 3 3/4” x 7 1/4”. Private collection
This etching reflects the misery of the Thirty Year’s War in Europe. It depicts a mass hanging
While the work of Louis Le Nain reflects the hard life of peasants after the Thirty Years war, this etching, one of a series called The Miseries of War, depicts in a forthright way the horrors of war. This is one of the first visual documentation showing how war debases people. The subject is a mass execution of thieves (identified by the caption at the bottom of the etching). A monk is climbing a ladder to offer last rites to the victims while on the ground men play with dice, gambling for the right to the belongings of the dead men. This may allude to the crucifixion of Christ when, according to the Bible, men gambled with each other for the right to take the garments of the dead Christ. In the right foreground a priest comforts a bound man. Callot’s work was well recognized and is thought to have influenced Rembrandt. It is one of the first known depictions of armed conflict and the consequences of war.
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A genre painting by the French artist George La Tour demonstrates that although there was an enormous amount of difference between the Dutch Republic and France in terms of government, class and socio-economic structure, as well as religion, certain painting styles were popular in both countries. Adoration of the Shepherds is a religious subject, but it is presented as a genre painting. The lighting is strongly reminiscent of Caravaggio.
GEORGES DE LA TOUR, Adoration of the Shepherds, 1645–1650. Oil on canvas, approx. 3’ 6” x 4’ 6”. Louvre, Paris.
Georges de la Tour, a French artist depicts a Biblical scene and draws upon the lighting of Caravaggio for inspiration. However, without the title the viewer might not be able to guess what this scene depicts. But this work is also inspired by Dutch art because the people here who represent the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the Christ Child are dressed as humble peasants shown without any of the traditional aspects of Counter Reformation art by avoiding the use of haloes or angles. This painting exemplifies a combination of stylistic elements including classical Renaissance painting, Dutch genre painting and the devout spirituality of religious painting. He uses light as an emotive device whereas his figures are still and avoid gesture. They seem to be caught in a moment of spiritual meditation.
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Caravaggio, The Calling of St. Matthew 1599-1600
GEORGES DE LA TOUR, Adoration of the Shepherds, 1645–1650.
The Baroque in ENGLAND
In the 17th century English architects borrowed from antiquity as had the French painter Poussin and others.
Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren used the architectural designs of Antonio Palladio, the 16th century architect who was inspired by classical design. Jones and Wren employed a fusion of Italian Baroque and French classical style to create their influential structures.
Inigo Jones, Banqueting House (looking northeast), Whitehall, London
1619-1622. Jones adopted motifs from Palladio’s villas and palaces.
Inigo Jones was an influential architect whose work would be quoted for two centuries following his death. Like the painter Poussin, he was influenced by the time he spent in Italy where he absorbed the design elements he encountered from the classical world, and was also inspired by the work of the 16th century architect Andrea Palladio whose aesthetic he admired and copied. In the interior of this building is a painting by Rubens on the subject of the death of King James I. Jones uses Ionic and Corinthian columns on the exterior. This was, as the name suggest, a house where banquets were held.
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Inerior of the Banqueting House with a ceiling painting by Peter Paul Rubens called The Apotheosis of James I includes 9 panels separated by gold gilded panels
Sir Christopher Wren, west façade of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London 1675-1710. The façade is inspired by Palladio and Borromini, and the dome resembles Saint Peter’s in Rome
Sir Christopher Wren, a skilled mathematician, was emulating Saint Peter’s dome in Rome for this cathedral in London. Wren was also inspired by the Italian Baroque architect Borromini and by Inigo Jones, the English architect you saw in the previous slide. His travels in France and his admiration of the Louvre also informed his work. He blended Palladian, French and Italian Baroque style. It took 30 years for this enormous cathedral to be built. The spires are an important part of the London skyline. This cathedral has been the site of many important state funerals including Lord Nelson and Winston Churchill. It was the site of the Queen Victoria jubilee in 1887 and the marriage of Prince Charles and the now deceased Princess Diana in 1981, and where the present Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her jubilee in 2017.
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- The Dutch Republic was governed by the leaders of seven provinces who each had a vote under the States General or central authority
- The Dutch merchant class were wealthy due to import/export trade and there was a developed middle class who participated in civic leadership.
- France, by contras, was ruled by the absolute authority of the King.
- The strength of the monarchy was at a peak under King Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King
- Monarchists believed that the King of France had divine right, in other words, was endowed by God with power over his people
- King Louis XIV was a master of propaganda and an enormous patron of the arts who understood the influence of visual imagery as important symbols of power.
CONTRASTS BETWEEN THE DUTCH REPUBLIC AND FRANCE
TERMS/PEOPLE TO REMEMBER:
CLASSICISM
GENRE PAINTING
NICOLAS POUSSIN
JULES HARDOUIN-MANSART
ANDREA PALLADIO
INIGO JONES
SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN
ENLIGHTENMENT
REMINDERS
- Have you read the syllabus?
- Do you have your textbook?
- Watch the brief video on Poussin’s painting Et in Arcadia Ego
- Make note of the fact that the first quiz of the semester opens Monday, Sep. 17 and will close on Sunday, Sep. 23rd @ 5:00 p.m.
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