How does King Louis XIV's History Reflect Through Buildings, Arches, and Statues in Paris - Research Paper Example

? [Supervisor’s King Louis XIV History The paper attempts to discuss the history of the King of France King Louis XIV in reflection with his interest in buildings, arches, and statues in Paris. It should be mentioned that Paris is usually seen as an architectural pearl due to the styles of buildings and statues that were built according to the old styles. French Baroque is a style in architecture which was evolved under the reign of Louis XIV and then spread out into all the European countries. Classicism dominated in the design of buildings in Paris and was the preferred style in the seventeenth century (Blomfield). The king’s approach to architecture reflected his political clout. Initially, Louis XIV disliked Paris because of his rugged childhood in the city with which he had bad recollections associated. Nevertheless, the king recognized the importance of the city as it represented the power of the king. Artistic productivity was one of the defining characteristics of Louis XIV’s reign as he led the country to its cultural greatness through the patronage of the architectural development. Before his reign, Rome was considered as the artistic capital of Europe, but closer to the end of his rule, Paris had superseded Rome and became the European centre of art (Blomfield). King Louis XVI was a monarch who ruled France and Navarre form 1661 till 1715. He became the King of France at the age of five when his father passed away. His reign is the longest in the French and European history. King Louis XVI wanted to be called the “Sun King” and “Louis the Great” because he considered himself the god of peace and a benefactor for having brought patrons of art in the country. Louis XVI was admired for promoting the French culture, literature, art and a new approach to architecture (Weddle). In the eighteenth century, the architecture of France was moving ahead, even in comparison to all the other countries that were investing into mastering the new trends of architecture. During his reign, new architecture laws were to be followed, which expanded and formed wider latitude. The buildings were designed with extreme luxury and ornate rococo, which gave rise to the new school of thought in construction (Hanser). The changes introduced by King Louis XIV in building were to replace the current styles in architecture: ornate rococo dominated in the design of market buildings, hospitals and hotels. He adopted the modern floor plans, and a well planned logic was behind all those changes. The exteriors of buildings were composed of large, regularly shaped blocks, and the walls of buildings were plain, with no architectural extravagancies. The Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture was also established under his rule, and the king took measures to promote the work of art and architecture (Blunt). The Louvre and the palace of Versailles were the projects that were supervised by the king himself. They were considered to be the most glamorous building, and even today the architecture of Paris is largely defined by the period of the Sun King’s rule. The king brought the concept of absolute monarchy in the country, which also reflected in his way of life. In contrast with the aristocratic mindset, he was fond of making portraits and statues of his own and had a great taste for making arches in Paris. The King reconstructed the Louvre in 1663 and created the Apollo Temples, the name of which resonated with the Louis XVI’s nickname: Appollo means ‘the god of sun,’ and hence his alias ‘the Sun King’ (Blunt). In spite of all the money that was spent on wars and winning those wars, the art under the rule of Louis flourished like it had never flourished before. He sponsored many great architects, artists and sculptures and promoted the French Classicism. Classicism was the style in architecture in which more focus was put on logic and the order of patterns. It focused more on the right use of colors than on adorning the building with painting (Shennan). The king was popular among people because he had won wars, which had been the greatest interest among the people of the country. He had developed the taste of architecture in order to make an impression on the people and many countries. He wanted to show the people that France was an amazing country, and people would accomplish their dreams in their homeland (Sanger and Warmoes). The king was always threatened by the nobility class in France, and he wanted to do something different to become more popular than the nobility. The reason why the king constructed many buildings and arches is his desire to achieve popularity amongst the peasants and the general public. When the palace of Versailles became the center of the French government, the King was relieved, realizing that he had managed to create a distance between the crown and the nobility (Blomfield). The underpinnings of the absolute monarchy are the idea that the country is governed by the God alone, but his power is bestowed on to the king, making the latter the God’s earthly representative. Everyone served the King Louis XIV for his thoughts and monarchy theory, and everything was in control of his power. He wanted to demonstrate his power through making different buildings that could reflect his style of governing the state. He had developed ways of establishing his power through the promotion of various French traditions in other countries. Louis XIV took pride in the glorification of France but mostly Paris because he thought that Paris was considered as the centre of power in France, and many countries regarded Paris as their capital state. The King took the authority of converting the buildings that were built previously by the preceding rulers and restructuring them with more organized patterns. He renovated many ancient lodges and palaces and developed them into extraordinary building which reflected the culture of France through their restructuring. The palace of Tuileries, the Louvre and other architecture masterpieces are the merit of Louis XVI, who devoted his life to making an impression on others with his work (Blunt). Another art symbolism in Paris, the Palace of Tuileries is one of the most widely known architecture piece that reflects the life and time of Louis XIV. It should be noted that the tourists who would visit the palace will actually be able to understand the lifestyle of Louis XIV. The legacy is easier to note through the courtyards of the palace. The defining details of the palace are an eye opening stance of the fact that Louis XIV has been a very powerful yet sophisticated person (Shennan). He made use of the finest decor to provide an insight into the power and the lifestyle of monarchs. The castle, which is a still famous and the most visited place of interest, gives a clear picture of the times when the Hall of Mirrors was used as the place for court sessions. The sophisticated touch in the carving of the walls points out the fact that Louis XIV was the upholder of the monarchy in France (Needham). The decor and detailing of the Palace of Tuileries defines the achievements of Louis XIV in the War of Devolution. A person who is not very familiar with the history of France would not be able to guess when looking at the Palace that the French lost. Louis XIV ordained his architects to decorate the palace in such a manner that it only highlighted and spoke for the French victors. However, one thing cannot be overshadowed in the pieces of art – the period of Isolation, which the French were in for a long period of time. The art does not interline any modern or mix-cultured attribute, which gives an evidence of Louis XIV self-indulgence. When concluding the efforts of King Louis, it should be mentioned that he had to demonstrate his power to other countries, which motivated to develop interest in fostering the creation of buildings that are still considered to be the greatest achievement of his reign. These glamorous buildings, arches and statues will remain the center of attraction in Paris for many centuries to come. Works Cited Blomfield, Reginald. A history of French architecture, Volumes 3-4. Paris: Hacker Art Books, 1973. Blunt, Anthony. Art and architecture in France, 1500-1700. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999. Hanser, D. Architecture of France. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. Needham, Maureen. "Louis XIV and the Acade?mie royale de danse, 1661 : a commentary and translation." Dance chronicle 20.2 (1997): 173-190. Sanger, Victoria and Isabelle Warmoes. "The City Gates of Louis XIV." Journal of Urban History 30.1 (2003): 1638-1715. Shennan, J. Louis XIV. Paris: Taylor & Francis, 1995. Weddle, Saundra. "Architecture as Performance in Seventeenth-Century Europe: Court Ritual in Modena, Rome and Paris." Sixteenth Century Journal 36.1 (2005): 207-208. Read More