Chateau de Versailles

            This quarter, I really enjoyed the brief lecture on the artwork at the Chateau de Versailles in France. During the summer of 2010, I was fortunate to spend three weeks traveling throughout France with a group of classmates. On one of our day trips we visited the Palace of Versailles. Although it was a very humid summer day, the chateau was incredibly crowded. The enormity of the palace and the vastness of the gardens are truly astounding to see in person. The grand estate and lavish artwork epitomize the extravagant lifestyle of Louis XIV and his aristocratic followers. 

            From 1643 to 1715, the extravagant king Louis XIV reigned over France. During this period, he heightened the status of the monarchy and built the amazing Chateau de Versailles. Originally, Versailles was a court hunting lodge which Louis decided to rebuild into an immense palace. In the early 1660s, Louis funded a massive restoration of the parks and gardens surrounding the lodge. Then, in 1668, he hired the famous French architect Louis le Vau to build the “the grand apartments of the king and queen as well as the stone façade of the Château facing the garden” (Louis le Vau). Le Vau included various elements of Baroque architecture such as movement, theatricality, and projecting sculptures. Although there is some Baroque influence, the architecture at Versailles is still very classical. Louis XVI hired other talented individuals to complete his palace including the gardener Andre Le Nôtre and the painter Charles Le Brun. These incredible artists worked for years to further expand and embellish the palace of Versailles. Today the Versailles estate covers over 19,000 acres. The enormous palace includes more than 700 rooms, which can occupy thousands of visitors. The vast gardens contain about 50 fountains, 200,000 trees, and 210,000 flowers.

            One of the most extravagant rooms in the palace is the Hall of Mirrors, renovated by Le Vau’s successor, Jules Hardouin-Mansart. In addition to adding the long wings onto the central palace, Hardouin-Mansart redesigned the palaces main hall. One side of the hall is lined with windows while the opposite wall is covered in mirrors. During the 17^th century, windows and mirrors were incredibly expensive. However, Louis XVI would spare no expense to build the palace of his dreams. During the day, the Hall of Mirrors fills with sunlight causing the room to appear even larger. Huge, shining chandeliers hang from the ceiling to light the hall at night. The ceiling is also covered in dramatic paintings and the room is filled with decadent gold sculptures. The Hall of Mirrors typifies the lavish lifestyle of Louis XIV and his court. 

            While Louis XIV reigned over France, he taxed his citizens to afford the extravagant Chateau de Versailles. Louis and other aristocrats were able to live an incredibly abundant lifestyle at the expensive of the French people. However, thanks to this opulent lifestyle, visitors are able to experience the extraordinarily lavish French artwork of the 16^th century.

           

"Louis Le Vau ." Palace of Versailles. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2012. <http://en.chateauversailles.fr/history/versailles-during-the-centuries/the-palace-construction/louis-le-vau-1612-1670>.

            

Quarter Reflection

            During this quarter, I really enjoyed expanding my knowledge of the Renaissance. It was very interesting learning about the progression of Renaissance art throughout Europe. Italian artists were inspired by the styles and ideas of the Classical Era, the Northern Renaissance, and other artistic periods. The realistic artwork of Italy was influenced by humanism, illusionism, and a rebirth of classical history. Artists celebrated human achievement and worked to create realistic paintings that correctly illustrated perception and depth. It was interesting to observe a refinement of styles throughout the Renaissance such as naturalism, idealism, and the depiction of anatomy.

            I was also very intrigued by the mannerist artwork of the 16^th century. Before this class, I had never heard of the mannerist style before. During this period, artists began creating chaotic, unnatural artwork that would disturb their viewers. This artwork was a response to the unease caused by the formation of Protestantism.  The naturalism and realism that was popular in the Renaissance shifted to an interest in creating artificial and stylized characters. This new artwork moved away from harmony and balance and instead focused on unrealistic body proportions and unstable compositions. My favorite painting from this period was Parmigiano’s oil painting known as Madonna with the Long Neck. In this painting, the Virgin Mary holds the Christ Child in her lap as a group of young girls gaze upon the sleeping child. This image is obviously mannerist because of the unnatural, elongation of all of the figures. Mary has an unusually small head, an incredibly long neck, abnormally large thighs, and her entire body is extraordinarily elongated. The Christ Child is also quite disproportioned and looks to be the size of a four year old, not a newborn baby. The shift from realistic, anatomically correct figures to these unnatural bodies is very fascinating. I was also interested that Parmigiano includes some references to earlier artistic styles. Although the figures have very strange proportions, the composition and scene within Madonna with the Long Neck are still very similar to previous Renaissance styles. There is somewhat of a triangular composition and the background has some classical references, such as a large granite pillar.

            My favorite piece of artwork from the quarter was The Arnolfini Portrait produced by Jan Van Eyck in 1434 during the Northern Renaissance. This portrait is a full-length image, depicting a man and a woman holding hands within a lavishly decorated room. The man stands solemnly with one hand raised while the woman, who appears to be pregnant, holds one hand over her stomach. Records show that this portrait was commissioned by the wealthy Arnolfini family however, it is unknown exactly who and what is represented in the painting. Although some historians believe the portrait represents a wedding, recent theories speculate that the painting illustrates a widowed husband and his deceased wife. On one side of the painting, where the husband stands, the candles above him are lit and the mirror is surrounded by images of Jesus’ life. On the side of the wife, the candles have burnt out and the mirror includes images from after Jesus’ death. The symbolism and mystery in this painting were incredibly fascinating. 

The Rococo Period: Jean-Antoine Watteau

            After the death of Louis XIV in 1715, a new artistic style known as Rococo emerged among the wealthy aristocrats of France. Nobles abandoned the lavish palace of Versailles for city life and the pleasures of Paris. During this period, France experienced a rise in aristocratic power. According to Henri See, Professor at the University of Rennes, “many members of the high nobility led a very pompous, ruinous life. (See 55)” This incredibly extravagant lifestyle can be depicted in the artwork of French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau. Although Watteau’s artistic style was not accepted by the French Academy, he was extremely popular among his aristocratic patrons. His paintings depicted and celebrated the aristocratic lifestyle, usually in organic, outdoor settings. His artwork often stressed natural landscapes unlike earlier artwork, which contained unnatural and controlled depictions of the outdoors. Watteau used loose brush strokes and a pastel color palette to create playful but elegant artwork.

            Jean-Antoine Watteau moved to Paris in 1702, where he student paintings by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens as well as the paintings and drawings of sixteenth century venetians. During his time in Paris, “Watteau perfected a graceful personal style informed by the fluent brushwork and rich colors of Rubens and the Venetians. (Stokstad 906)” Before gaining popularity with the aristocracy, Watteau supported himself by selling religious pictures and copying the works of popular Dutch artists. In 1719, Watteau painted The Champs-Elysees, which depicts a group of aristocrats in a beautiful fall landscape. In this painting, he portrays the gaiety and frivolity of the aristocratic lifestyle in France. The landscape was painted with loose brush strokes to appear very natural and organic. Although Watteau uses some pastels, his color palette illustrates the green, yellow, orange, and red tones of autumn. Watteau was influenced by the artwork of Ruben and believed that color was the most important aspect of a painting. He uses luminous colors that are very naturalistic and are intended to impact the viewer. Watteau’s depictions of the aristocracy and their outdoor entertainment eventually became known as the style fete galante.

            In 1721, Jean-Antoine Watteau painted an erotic scene of a nude woman bathing in a pond titled Diana Bathing. During the Rococo Period, sexual artwork was intended for private and intimate viewing. Unlike his fete galante paintings, this image displays a suggestive scene, which would have appealed to many aristocrats. This painting would have contributed to the aristocratic “atmosphere of sensuality and luxury. (Stokstad 906)” The nude woman depicted is probably an aristocrat because of the lavish clothing beside her.  Although the woman is the main focus of the painting, the natural landscape takes up a large portion of the scene. Watteau continues to use loose brushstrokes to realistically portray nature. He also uses pastel colors to better depict sensuality in this image.

            The artwork of Jean-Antoine Watteau was an important aspect in the development of the Rococo style. He depicts the extravagant lifestyle of the aristocracy within organic landscapes. Watteau gained popularity through the aristocrats and his artwork really typifies their lavish behavior and style. Although he was not fully appreciated in the 18^th century, more recent viewers adore Watteau’s depictions of the extravagant aristocratic lifestyle.

See, Henri. "Economic and Social Conditions in France During the Eighteenth Century." McMaster University. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2112. <http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/econ/ugcm/3ll3/see/18thCentury.pdf>

Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Watt Cothren. Art History: Portable Edition. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.