French Baroque | Reviews

1) Kiera: I like how she went into detail about the architecture and the furniture. She provided great examples for each, such as the Palais de Versailles and the Louis XIV chair.

2) Savannah: Her images, both past and current, were beautiful. The demonstrated the exuberant fabrics and colors of this time. They also captured the subtlety that was also provided through the design elements.

French Baroque

          In 1643, Louis XIII ended up dying off. With that, Louis XIV was proclaimed King at the young age of five years old. Throughout Louis XIV's reign, he created a national style of art. The Jean Baptiste Colbert was a French statesman. This included Venetian glassmakers and Flemish weavers. French workmen could not emigrate at this time, and they enforced textile regulations. With that being said, the Academy of Painting and Sculpture was organized tor the new style of art. This was a school that was established for 60 children under the King's protection. They were said to become "Masters" of their craft throughout their schooling.

          Another important figure during this time was Nicolas Fouquet. He was the superintendent of finances in 1655-1661. He was the owner of the Vaux-leVictomte. Within this large structure was 105 lavish rooms, 170 acres of gardens, Persian carpets, crystal chandeliers, gold clocks, and silver vases. The structure entertained roughly 6,000 guests due to its massive area. Due to the Vaux-leVicomte being so rich in materials and structure, Nicolas Fouquet was imprisoned for life. The King was essentially envious of what he had owned, so he took care of it by making sure he wouldn't enjoy it for the rest of his life. On another note, Louis Le Vau was the architect, Andre Le Notre was the garden designer, Charles LeBrun was the painter for the interiors, decorator, and architect, and Puget was the sculptor.

          Palais de Versailles was another structure that had great meaning. It was originally a hunting lodge for Louis XIII. It started in 1668 and continued for almost a century. It was 12 miles southwest of Paris and housed 10,000 people; much larger than Vaux-leVictomte. Le Vau designed the central block around the original Louis XIII building. Louis Le Vau was the architect, Andre Le Notre was the garden designer, Charles LeBrun was the painter for the interiors, Puget was the sculptor, and Jean Berain was in charge of the decorative engravings. These names are repeated several times in several other structures; just like the Vaux-leVictomte as stated earlier.

Images | Past

Images | Present

Extra Credit | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsQK6F7hmJk

French Renaissance #1 | Reviews

Katie: I enjoyed the grand windows in her current application images. In the first current image, the drapery really shows off the design of this period. It is dramatic yet elegant all at the same time.

Claire: She did a good job providing examples of how this period took its time on their exteriors.The chateau examples were great to include to back up her findings. Her second image is nice because it shows the large drapery on the canopy bed.

French Renaissance #1

          The French Style was determined by religious and political history of the eras and led by their leaders. It was a time where a ruler's influence was the most pervasive in Renaissance France. The Royal "taste" determined the design styles used at this time. With that being said, France was central to Romanesque and Gothic style. Gothic was a period that gave birth to many masterpieces than any other country before. Between the Gothic and French Renaissance, they suffered difficult times. The Black Death hit hard in France in the middle of the 14th Century. Also at this time was the Hundred Year's War. This led to almost destroying France's feudal nobility in 1337 to 1453 AD.

          The decorator became prevalent during this period. Before this came about, designing a luxurious room that provided consistency and harmony was a very complex job. In order to accomplish these tasks, a new type of profession had to come about. This sparked the ornamaniste or decorator profession. The decorator's position required conceiving a great interior as well as explaining the design to a client. Part of their job was to supervise the artisans to produce the highest quality of design.

          The architecture in France was very different than Italy. There was no need for a new religious structure because they built palaces and chateaux. Exteriors became important, and there were sprawling plans on the chateaux. Their climate required that the roofs be steep. They also had many chimneys and large windows. Roofs often had two slopes with dormer windows. A roof of this time was the mansard roof. This was created by Francois Mansart, a French Baroque architect. A lot of the times the interiors did not reflect the exterior style; this is very different than today's design.

          An example of a chateau that was built during this period was the Chateau de Chambord. It was partly designed by Leonard Da Vinci. The building had magnificent chimneys, dormer windows, a double staircase, and used the fleur-de-lis. The double staircase started at opposite sides and would never meet. Fleur-de-lis was a design motif that is still used in design today.

Images | Past







Images | Present





Extra Credit | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mViV9N-1Doo

Spanish Period | Reviews

Madelyn: I really liked how she broke down the furniture and interiors during this time. She provided great examples as well. Her first current application image is very intricate.

Krista: She provided a lot of great current applications. I really loved how they showed off the pools and courtyards that were evident during this period. Good job overall.

Spanish Period

The Spanish Period was influenced greatly by the Moorish, Early Christian, Medieval, and the Italian Renaissance. The 16th century was known as the most brilliant era in Spanish history. The reasoning for this was due to the voyages of Columbus. This reigned the time where he acquired title to the New World. Successful navigators and traders resulted in fabulous amounts of gold and silver bullion. The century was ended abruptly due to bankruptcy.

This was a time where more castles were in Spain rather than any other European country. They were built of concrete walls faced with brick. Castles were typically built by noble Christian families. An example of this would be the La Mota Castle. Another example of a castle inspired building is the Granada Cathedral. This consisted of the traditional five-aisle building. The columns were Gothic in proportion and classical in its detail. It also provided Gothic vaulting within the interior.

The interiors of this time had the most artistic features. The features included superb iron grilles on windows, openings, and wrought-iron handrails. They provided colored tiles, and ceilings were pine-paneled, painted, and carved. Plasterwork was utilized as white decorative border or frame around doors and windows. The tile pictures resembled wall tapestries. Floors were covered in tile, stone, brick, or wood on the upper floors. During this time, Spain was the leading center in fine leather work. An example of this kind of work is the Cordoba leather.

Furniture was also an important feature throughout the Spanish period. The furniture provided simplicity and boldness. Heavy proportions were greatly expressed. Crude carvings and rectangular shapes were preferred. Panels were used repetitively to create a pattern. Walnut wood was the most commonly used feature; such as mahogany. Silver was also used extensively for ornamentation. Some examples of furniture include: Sillon de Frailero, wooden bench, walnut vargueno puente stand, and taquillion.

Images | Past







Images | Present





Extra Credit | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zHkAowMKrU
Video clip on Alhambra - Granada, Andalusia, Spain

Italian Renaissance | Reviews

Rachael: She did a great job providing a sufficient amount of information. Her current applications were awesome. They were very rich and detailed; showing off the time period perfectly.

Emma: I liked how she focused on one specific item: the Palazzo Davanzati. It shows that she was interested in this particular building. I also enjoyed the images she provided after her statements.