Baroque Architecture: The Palace of Versailles

 

The Palace of Versailles

Jules Hardouin Mansart

Building Phases: Three and Four

Versailles, France 1678 – 1697

The Baroque era left a HUGE impression on the arts for decades, and inspired artists and architects for years to come. For me, the most impressionable of the arts from this period was not the visual arts, or theater, or even music. The architecture of the Baroque era has left the biggest impression me, for obvious reason… its utter magnificence and grandeur.  I have always wanted to travel through Europe to take in the majestic architecture of France and Italy. The majority of Rome’s famous architecture is the product of this era, as well as many Palaces throughout Europe.

In my opinion, the Palace of Versailles is the mo st stunning representation of Baroque architecture. While it’s original architecture began in 1661 by architect Louis Le Vau, the Baroque style architecture of the current Palace is credited to Baroque architect Jules Hardouin Mansart, during the third and fourth phase of the building campaign.

King Louis XIV commissioned the Palace to be built, with the intent to move the French Royal Court to Versailles. Versailles soon became the center of French Government, and King Louis XIV, as well as his successors King Louis XV and King Louis XVI, would maintain the French Governmental reign from Versailles for the next century. During the French Revolution in the late 18^th Century, The French Monarchy began to crumble, and March on Versailles would ultimately force the Royal family out of Versailles, and back to Paris. King Louis XVI was executed in 1793,ending their French Control.

Resources:

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/52.184

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution

Renaissance

Anonymous, Satire on the Popery, Germany 1555

This etching is a great representation of criticism of the Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation.  Thanks to the newly designed printing press, artwork such as this one could be mass produced and dispersed throughout Europe and used as a tool of propaganda to help spread the Reformation.  The figure on the left represents the highest earthly authority of the Catholic Church, The Pope. He appears as a three-headed fictitious character, buying protection from the Roman Army, represented by the Soldier on the right. During the Reformation of the 16^th Century, leaders such as John Calvin and Martin Luther, and their reformist followers, had many doubts of the validity and integrity of the Catholic Church. There was much corruption within the church, and the Reformists didn’t feel the Doctrines of the Church were valid, but mostly, they felt as though a relationship with God is a personal relationship; not a relationship that needed to be mediated through an authority such as the Pope.

I was raised Catholic and at an early age (probably right around the time of my First Communion) I began to have my own doubts about the Church. Even as a child, it seemed silly to me give an 8 year old a piece of bread and then wash it down with a swig of wine, and call it the body and blood of Christ. But hey, who was I to turn down wine?

As an adult, I’m somewhat of a critic of religion, not just Catholicism but Religion in general. I have my own doubts about the stories of an Almighty creator; the Universe seems much bigger than one being could create. So I think I was initially drawn to this picture because it’s fairly similar to my own opinions of God; a bolstered, if not fictitious, character who is used by mankind to generate fear and gain authority over the masses.

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/53.677.5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reformation