Palace of Versailles - Outside
The Palace of Versailles, located in Versailles, France was built and finished in 1634. It was originally constructed when King Louis XIII came to Versailles frequently to hunt game, and he decided to have a small hunting pavilion and country residence constructed there. Later, King Louis XIV decided to have a majestic palace constructed from it which became a symbol of his reign there.
The Palace of Versailles has been described as one of the greatest pieces of Baroque architecture, and a magnificent building in the French region. I would love to visit the Palace of Versailles one day, and explore it. Some of the elements which are components of Baroque art include the grandeur of this magnificent palace and the drama involved. It also includes the repetition of some of the architecture and the layout of the Palace and surrounding gardens. The gardens are very organized and symmetrical, but also quite beautiful.
Palace of Versailles - Inside
The inside of the Palace of Versailles is also a place of grandeur and magnificence. The French Baroque architecture is often characterized by the large curved forms and high domes as shown in the picture above.
Much of this is also known as the King Louis XIV style which involves the rich red, and gold fabrics, as well as the marbling which is present throughout the palace.
Influence of Royalty
This palace shows the influence of royalty because as the King of France, King Louis XIV was meant to be shown as the "embodiment of France" and it's values and this palace shows his wealth and power and therefore helps display the wealth and power of the French nation. Through the large size of the this palace, it helps demonstrate the power that King Louis XIV was wanting to demonstrate. King Louis XIV ruled through a style called absolutism, which basically was that he, as the monarch, was unlimited and had absolute power over France. King Louis XIV moved the French government to Versailles as well, forcing the nobles to travel to Versailles and stay in the palace which disabled them from building up strong regional bases to threaten the ultimate power of the Sun King, King Louis XIV. According to Gudek Snajder, an art historian, "the formality and grandeur of the gardens symbolized Louis XIV's absolute power, even over nature" (Jarus, 2017). This Palace was ultimately a symbol of Louis XIV's absolute power over France and what he wanted France to symbolize throughout all of Europe.
References
Jarus, Owen. “Palace of Versailles: Facts & History.” LiveScience, Purch, 5 Oct. 2017, https://www.livescience.com/38903-palace-of-versailles-facts-history.html.
“Palace of Versailles, France (C.1624-98).” Palace of Versailles: History, Architecture, Interior Design, http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/versailles-palace.htm.
I would have to agree, the Palace of Versailles is one of the greatest pieces of this era. The architecture was way beyond it time! I would also like to visit the Palace of Versailles one day, and see the details in person. This will be one great adventure to have one day! I noticed some of the techniques used were components of Baroque art, such as the drama involved, and it had a lot of repetitions. Overall, great piece! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteFaith, I really enjoyed reading your post and was glad to see you chose the Palace of Versailles to write about. I agree that its large size demonstrates the power of the King but I also think the grand and dramatic details add to displaying his royalty status. Did you know that the famous Hall of Mirrors in the palace has a total of 357 mirrors? I can't wait to see them for myself one day!
ReplyDeleteI also agree it really is impressive and a very artistic piece of architecture. I was going to say there could be some emotional intensity when it comes to just the jaw dropping size and the attention to detail that was put for the whole palace.
ReplyDeleteHello Faith,
ReplyDeleteI liked the pictures that you showed of the Palace of Versailles. It looks like such a huge, expensive, luxurious palace. It is cool that there is such a big grassy area of land outside of the palace, with a bunch of cool, intertwined paths, that people can walk around on. The picture that you shared of the inside of the palace was really cool. It is such a big, spacious room, with tall, curved windows, letting a bunch of light into the room. I would definitely agree with you, on the fact that the palace is an influence of royalty, because it shows how rich and powerful the king is. You had some good points about the palace, but I would like to add on by explaining some of the ways in which the palace was designed, in order to show strength and power. There are a bunch of vertical lines that can be found to show height and strength. There are a bunch of thick, vertical pillars, as well as a number of vertical candles that are used to show that the king is strong, because he can order his soldiers to do whatever he wants them to do. The windows are curved on the tops, which is used to show comfort and ease. This is to show that the king lives a comfortable life, where he, once again, can control his soldiers to do whatever he wants, which goes on to show that the king is powerful.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI also find this architectural masterpiece is beautiful in many ways. The rich and bold colors bring so much life to the room when you walk in, instantly being surrounded by beauty. In a way seeing the individuals in the piece can have a sentimental impact on viewers as they can watch a story take place in the walls and ceiling of the palace of Versailles. The attention to detail on a piece of this size and magnitude is just astounding.