Architecture in France of the 17th century. The problem of defining style. The main stages of French architecture Architecture of France 17th - 19th centuries

L.S. Aleshina

If the 17th century in French architecture was marked by grandiose construction work for the king, the main result of which was the creation of the monumental ensemble of Versailles, where the very style of classicism in its impressive pomp reveals elements of internal connection with Baroque architecture, then the 18th century brings with it new trends.

Construction moved to cities. The new needs of the era posed the problem of creating a type of urban residential mansion house. The development of bourgeois relations, the growth of trade and industry, the strengthening of the role of the third estate in public life put forward the task of constructing new public buildings - exchanges, trading premises, public theaters. The increasing role of cities in the economic and political life of the country, the emergence of new types of private and public buildings pose new requirements for architects in creating an urban ensemble.

Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Robert de Cotte. Chapel in the Palace of Versailles. 1699-1710 Internal view

The architectural style of the era is also undergoing changes. Characteristic of the classicism of the last century, the great unity of figurative solutions of the external appearance and internal space by the beginning of the 18th century. disintegrates. This process of disintegration is accompanied by a separation of construction practice and theoretical teachings, a difference in the principles of interior and facade design. Leading architects in their theoretical works still worship antiquity and the rules of the three orders, but in direct architectural practice they move away from the strict requirements of logical clarity and rationalism, subordination of the particular to the whole, and clear constructiveness. The work of Robert de Cotte (1656-1735), the successor of Jules Hardouin-Mansart as royal architect (he completed the construction of the chapel of the Versailles Palace, beautiful in its strict, noble architecture), provides a convincing example of this. In those built by him in the 1710s. In Parisian mansions (Hotel de Toulouse and Hotel d'Estrée), a lighter architectural form and free development of decor are noticeable.

The new style, called Rococo or Rocaille, cannot be viewed from only one side, seeing in it only a reactionary and unpromising product of a decadent class. This style reflected not only the hedonistic aspirations of the aristocracy. Some progressive trends of the era were also refracted in a unique way in Rococo; hence the demands for a freer layout that corresponds to real life, a more natural and lively development, and internal space. The dynamics and lightness of architectural masses and decor contrasted with the ponderous pomp of interior design in the era of the supreme power of French absolutism.

At the beginning of the 18th century. the main construction is still carried out by the aristocracy, but its character is changing significantly. The place of manor castles is taken by city mansions, the so-called hotels. The weakening of absolutism was also reflected in the fact that the nobility left Versailles and settled in the capital. In the green suburbs of Paris - Saint Germain and Saint Opor - one after another, during the first half of the century, luxurious mansion-hotels with extensive gardens and services were built (Fig. on page 258). Unlike the palace buildings of the previous century, which pursued the goals of impressive representativeness and solemn grandeur, in the mansions being created now, much attention is paid to the actual convenience of life. Architects abandon the chain of large halls, stretching out in a solemn enfilade, in favor of smaller rooms, arranged more casually in accordance with the needs of private life and the public representation of the owners. Many tall windows illuminate the interior well.

According to their location in the city, hotels of the first half of the 18th century. represented to a large extent a transitional phenomenon from a country estate to a city house. This is a closed architectural complex, a kind of estate inside a city block, connected to the street only by the front gate. The house itself stands in the back of the plot, facing a vast courtyard lined with low service premises. The opposite facade faces the garden, which maintains a regular layout.

In hotels of the first half of the 18th century. The characteristic contradiction of French architecture of this era was most clearly manifested - the discrepancy between the external architecture and the interior decor. The facade of the building, as a rule, retains traditional order elements, interpreted, however, more freely and lightly. Decor

However, interior spaces often completely break with the laws of tectonics, merging the wall with the ceiling into a complete shell of internal space that has no definite boundaries. It is no coincidence that decorative artists, who were able to decorate the interior with amazing subtlety and perfection, acquired such a large role at this time. The period of early and mature Rococo knows a whole galaxy of masters who created exquisite masterpieces of interior decoration (Gilles Marie Oppenor, 1672-1742; Just Aurèle Meissonnier, 1693-1750, and others). Often a building was built by one architect and designed by another. But even when all the work was carried out by one master, his approach to solving the external appearance of the hotel and its interior was fundamentally different. One of the most prominent Rococo architects, Germain Beaufran (1667-1754), in his treatise “Livre d'Architecture” (1745), directly said that currently interior decor is a completely separate part of architecture, which does not take into account the decor of the exterior of the building. In his practice, he consistently pursued this thesis. In the architecture of the Lunéville castle, in the hotels in Naisy, built in the 1720s, one can feel the adherence to the traditions of classicism - the central part, emphasized by a portico with columns or pilasters, clearly stands out. Only a few speak about the Rococo style here molded details and comparative lightness of order elements.

Jean Courton. Hotel Matignon in Paris. Plan.

Pierre Delamere. Hotel Soubise in Paris. 1705-1709 Facade.

Beaufran decides his interiors completely differently. A brilliant example of this is the interior decor of the Soubise Hotel (1735-1740). Regardless of the external appearance of the mansion, which was completed by Delamere in 1705-1709. In the classical tradition, Beaufran gives the hotel rooms the character of graceful bonbonnieres. Carved panels, stucco ornaments, and picturesque panels cover the walls and ceiling like a continuous carpet. The effect of these exquisitely elegant, whimsically light forms should be especially impressive in contrast to the more restrained architecture of the facade.

Religious construction during this period was of incomparably less importance than secular construction. The buildings of the previous century were mostly completed.

Such is the church of Saint Roch in Paris, begun by Robert de Cotte at the end of the 17th century. and completed after the death of this architect by his son J.-R. de Cottom.

Jean Nicola Servandoni. Church of Saint Sulpice in Paris. 1733-1745 Facade.

The more interesting Parisian church of Saint-Sulpice, also begun in the 17th century. By the 20s. 18th century The main façade remained unfinished. It was designed by several architects. The project of the famous decorator Meissonnier (1726), who tried to transfer the principles of Rocaille to outdoor architecture, was rejected. In 1732, another decorator, Jean Nicolas Servandoni (1695-1766), won the competition announced for the design of the facade, turning to classical forms in his decision. His idea formed the basis for further construction. The façade of the church is divided into two tiers, each of which has its own order. Towers rise on both sides of the façade.

From the second quarter of the 18th century. The rich trading cities of the province began to play an increasingly prominent role in French construction. The matter was not limited to the construction of individual buildings. The entire system of the old feudal city with its chaotic buildings, with an intricate grid of streets included in the tight confines of the city fortifications, came into conflict with the new needs of the growing commercial and industrial centers. The retention of many key positions by absolutism led, however, at first to a rather compromise solution to urban planning problems. In many cities, the reconstruction of certain parts of the old city is carried out through the construction of royal squares. The tradition of such squares dates back to the 17th century, when they were created not with the goal of bringing order to the chaos of the medieval city, but as an open place for the installation of a statue of the king. Now the reason remained, as it were, the same - all that arose in the 18th century. During the period of the monarchy, the squares were intended to serve for the installation of a monument to the monarch, but the architects themselves pursued much broader urban planning goals.

One of the first squares of a new type associated with the redevelopment and development of entire city blocks was the square in Bordeaux. Its designer and builder was Jacques Gabriel (1667-1742), a representative of the famous building from the 16th century. dynasty of architects, father of the famous architect Jacques Ange Gabriel.

Work on the planning and development of the square began in 1731. The site for it was allocated on the banks of the wide Garonne. The architect widely and diversifiedly developed the possibilities of creating a new ensemble, covering a significant part of the city and connecting it with the natural environment.

Jacques Gabriel began his work in Bordeaux with the demolition of old, nondescript buildings on the river bank and the construction of a magnificent embankment. The city turned its face to the Garonne - its main decoration. This turn was intended to consolidate both the square, wide open to the river, and the layout of the two streets flowing into the square. Using the planning principle of Versailles, the architect applied it to a new social and artistic organism - the city, solving it on a broader basis. The buildings located on the sides of the square were intended for the trade and economic needs of the city: on the right is the stock exchange, on the left is the tax office building. Their architecture is distinguished by restraint and elegant simplicity. The construction of the exchange and the central pavilion between the two streets was completed after the death of Jacques Gabriel by his son. A number of innovative principles of the Place de Bordeaux - its open character, its facing the river, the connection with the city quarters with the help of ray-streets - Jacques Ange Gabriel soon brilliantly developed in his work on the Place Louis XV in Paris.

Emmanuel Here de Corney. The ensemble of Place Stanislas, Place Carriere and Place de la Government in Nancy. 1752-1755 Aerial photography.

If the ensemble of the square in Bordeaux provided a solution that anticipated many planning principles of subsequent times, then another remarkable ensemble of the mid-18th century - a complex of three squares in Nancy, more closely associated with the past - seems to summarize the methods of organizing space of the Baroque Era.

Emmanuel Here de Corney. Government Square in Nancy. 1752-1755 General form.

Three squares of different shapes - the rectangular Stanislaus Square, the long Carrière Square and the oval Government Square - form a closely united and internally closed organism that exists only in a very relative connection with the city. The oval cour d'honneur of the Government Palace is separated by an arcade from the surrounding city and park. Active movement from it can, in essence, only develop forward through the boulevard-shaped Carrière Square and the triumphal arch, so that, upon entering Stanislav Square, it will immediately be blocked by the monumental building of the town hall. One gets the impression of two monumental court d'honneurs, spread out in front of magnificent palaces and connected by a straight alley. It is characteristic that the streets facing Stanislav Square are separated from it by bars. The charm of the ensemble is created by the festive architecture of the palaces, amazing craftsmanship of forged and gilded grilles, fountains on two corners of the square, designed in a single elegant and elegant rococo tone. The planner of the area and the architect of the main buildings was Beaufran's student Emmanuel Eray de Corney (1705-1763), who worked mainly in Lorraine. Built in 1752-1755, this complex in its forms and planning principles already looked somewhat anachronistic in comparison with the new movement in architecture that began at the end of the first half of the 18th century.

This movement, the influence of which had already marked the design of the square in Bordeaux, was expressed in the rejection of the extremes and quirks of Rococo in favor of a more reasonable, ordered architecture, in an increased interest in antiquity. The connection of this movement with the strengthening of the positions of the bourgeoisie is undeniable.

Just at the turn of the first and second half of the century, the speech of the encyclopedists, who put forward the criterion of reason as the only measure of all things, dates back. From these positions, the entire feudal society and its offspring - the Rococo style - are criticized as devoid of logic, rationality, and naturalness. And vice versa, all these qualities are seen in the architecture of the ancients. During these years, exhibitions dedicated to monuments of ancient architecture appeared. In 1752, the famous amateur and philanthropist Count de Caylus began publishing the work “Collection of Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek and Roman Antiquities.” Two years later, the architect David Leroy travels to Greece and then releases the book “Ruins of the Most Beautiful Structures of Greece.” Among the theorists of architecture, Abbé Laugier stands out, whose “Studies on Architecture”, published in 1753, evoked a lively response in wide circles of French society. Speaking from the standpoint of rationalism, he advocates for reasonable, that is, natural architecture. The pressure of educational, ultimately democratic ideas was so great that it also had an impact on official artistic circles. The leaders of the artistic policy of absolutism felt the need to contrast something with the positive program of the encyclopedists, their convincing criticism of the illogicality and unnaturalness of Rococo art. The royal power and the Academy are taking certain steps to wrest the initiative from the hands of the third estate and themselves lead the nascent movement. In 1749, a kind of artistic mission was sent to Italy, led by the brother of the all-powerful favorite of Louis XV, Madame Pompadour, the future Marquis of Marigny, who served as director of royal buildings. He was accompanied by the engraver Cochin and the architect Jacques Germain Soufflot, the future builder of the Parisian Pantheon. The purpose of the trip was to get acquainted with Italian art - this cradle of beauty. They visited the excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii that had recently begun. Soufflot, in addition, studied the ancient monuments of Paestum. This whole trip was a sign of new phenomena in art, and its consequence was a further turn to classicism and a more acute struggle with the principles of rocaille even in various types of decorative art. At the same time, this journey provides clear evidence of how differently the appeal to the ancient heritage was understood and what different conclusions were drawn from this by representatives of the ruling class and the artists themselves. The results of Italian impressions and reflections were expressed by Marigny in the words: “I don’t want either the current excesses or the severity of the ancients - a little of this, a little of that.” He subsequently adhered to this compromise artistic policy throughout his many years of activity as a director of fine arts.

His travel companions, Cochin and Soufflot, took a much more progressive and active position. The first published upon his return the treatise “Review of the Antiquities of Herculaneum with Several Reflections on the Painting and Sculpture of the Ancients” and then led a very sharp struggle in print against the principles of rocaille art, for the rigor, purity and clarity of architectural and decorative forms. As for Souflo, his very additional trip to Paestum and the on-site study of two remarkable monuments of Greek architecture testify to his deep interest in antiquity. In his construction practice upon his return from Italy, the principles of classicism triumphed completely and uncompromisingly.

During this transitional era, the work of the most captivating master of French architecture, Jacques Ange Gabriel (1699-1782), took shape and flourished. Gabriel's style seems to meet the requirements of Marigny, but this is an extremely original and organic phenomenon generated by the natural, “deep” development of French architecture. The master had never been to Italy, much less Greece. Gabriel's work seemed to continue and develop the line of French architecture that emerged in the later buildings of Jules Hardouin-Mansart (Grand Trianon and the chapel at Versailles), in the eastern facade of the Louvre. At the same time, he also assimilated those progressive trends that were contained in Rococo architecture: its closeness to people, intimacy, as well as the exquisite subtlety of decorative details.

Gabriel's participation in his father's urban planning work in Bordeaux prepared him well for solving ensemble problems that occupied him by the mid-18th century. an increasingly prominent role in architectural practice. Just at this time, the press was intensifying attention to Paris, to the problem of turning it into a city worthy of the name of capital.

Paris had beautiful architectural monuments, a number of squares created in the previous century, but all of these were separate, self-contained, isolated islands of organized development. In the mid-18th century, a square appeared that played a huge role in the formation of the ensemble of the Parisian center - the current Place de la Concorde. It owes its appearance to a whole team of French architects, but its main creator was Jacques Ange Gabriel.

In 1748, on the initiative of the capital's merchants, the idea of ​​erecting a monument to Louis XV was put forward. The Academy announced a competition to create a square for this monument. As you can see, the beginning was completely traditional, in the spirit of the 17th century - the area was intended for a statue of the monarch.

As a result of the first competition, none of the projects were selected, but the location for the square was finally established. After a second competition, held in 1753 only among members of the Academy, the design and construction were entrusted to Gabriel, so that he would take into account other proposals.

The site chosen for the square was a vast wasteland on the banks of the Seine on what was then the outskirts of Paris, between the garden of the Tuileries Palace and the beginning of the road leading to Versailles. Gabriel took unusually fruitful and promising advantage of this open and coastal location. Its area became the axis of further development of Paris. This was possible thanks to her versatile orientation. On the one hand, the square is thought of as the threshold of the palace complexes of the Tuileries and the Louvre: it is not without reason that three rays envisaged by Gabriel lead to it from outside the city - the alleys of the Champs Elysees, the mental intersection of which is located at the entrance gates of the Tuileries Park. The equestrian monument of Louis XV is oriented in the same direction - facing the palace. At the same time, only one side of the square is architecturally accentuated - parallel to the Seine. The construction of two majestic administrative buildings is planned here, and between them Royal Street is being designed, the axis of which is perpendicular to the Champs-Elysees - Tuileries axis. At the end of it, very soon, the Madeleine Church by the architect Contan d'Ivry begins to be built, closing the perspective with its portico and dome. On the sides of its buildings, Gabriel designs two more streets, parallel to the Royal. This gives another possible direction of movement, connecting the square with other quarters growing city.

Gabriel solves the boundaries of the square in a very witty and completely new way. By building up only one of its northern sides, putting forward the principle of free development of space, its connection with the natural environment, he at the same time strives to avoid the impression of its amorphousness and uncertainty. On all four sides he designs shallow dry ditches, covered with green lawns, bordered by stone balustrades. The gaps between them give an additional clear emphasis to the rays of the Champs Elysees and the axis of the Royal Street.

Jacques Ange Gabriel. Development of the northern side of the Place de la Concorde (formerly Place Louis XV) in Paris. 1753-1765

The appearance of the two buildings that close the northern side of the Place de la Concorde clearly expresses the characteristic features of Gabriel’s work: a clear, calm harmony of the whole and details, the logic of architectural forms easily perceived by the eye. The lower tier of the building is heavier and more massive, which is emphasized by the large rustication of the wall; it carries two other tiers united by Corinthian columns, a motif that goes back to the classical eastern façade of the Louvre.

But Gabriel’s main merit lies not so much in the masterful design of the facades with their slender fluted columns rising above the powerful arcades of the lower floor, but in the specific ensemble sound of these buildings. Both of these buildings are unthinkable without each other, and without the space of the square, and without a structure located at a considerable distance - without the Church of the Madeleine. It is towards this that both buildings of the Place de la Concorde are oriented - it is no coincidence that each of them does not have an accentuated center and is, as it were, just one of the wings of the whole. Thus, in these buildings, designed in 1753 and began construction in 1757 -1758, Gabriel outlined the principles of volumetric-spatial solutions that would be developed during the period of mature classicism.

Gabriel. Petit Trianon in Versailles. Plan.

Jacques Ange Gabrirl. Petit Trianon in Versailles. 1762-1768

The pearl of French architecture of the 18th century is the Petit Trianon, created by Gabriel at Versailles in 1762-1768. The traditional theme of a country castle is solved here in a completely new way. The small building, square in plan, faces space with all four of its facades. There is no predominant emphasis on the two main facades, which was until recently so characteristic of palaces and estates. Each of the parties has an independent meaning, which is expressed in their different decisions. And at the same time, this difference is not cardinal - these are, as it were, variations of the same theme. The facade facing the open space of the ground floor, perceived from the farthest distance, is interpreted in the most plastic way. Four attached columns connecting both floors form a kind of slightly protruding portico. A similar motif, however in a modified form - the columns are replaced by pilasters - sounds in two adjacent sides, but each time differently, since due to the difference in levels, in one case the building has two floors, in the other - three. The fourth facade, facing the thickets of the landscape park, is completely simple - the wall is dissected only by rectangular windows of different sizes in each of the three tiers. Thus, with meager means, Gabriel achieves amazing richness and richness of impressions. Beauty is derived from the harmony of simple, easily perceived forms, from the clarity of proportional relationships.

The interior layout is also designed with great simplicity and clarity. The palace consists of a number of small rectangular rooms, the decorative decoration of which, built on the use of straight lines, light cold colors, and the parsimony of plastic materials, corresponds to the elegant restraint and noble grace of the external appearance.

Gabriel's work was a transitional link between the architecture of the first and second half of the 18th century.

In buildings of the 1760-1780s. The younger generation of architects is already forming a new stage of classicism. It is characterized by a decisive turn to antiquity, which became not only an inspiration for artists, but also a treasury of the forms they used. The requirements for the reasonableness of an architectural work go as far as the rejection of decorative embellishments. The principle of utilitarianism is put forward, which is linked together with the principle of the naturalness of the building, an example of which are ancient buildings, as natural as utilitarian, all forms of which are dictated by reasonable necessity. The column, entablature, and pediment, which have become the main means of expressing the architectural image, are returned to their constructive, functional meaning. Accordingly, the scale of order divisions is enlarged. Park construction is characterized by the same desire for naturalness. Associated with this is the abandonment of the regular, “artificial” park and the flourishing of the landscape garden.

Soufflo. Pantheon in Paris. Plan.

Jacques Germain Soufflot. Pantheon (formerly the Church of St. Genevieve) in Paris. Started in 1755. General view.

A characteristic phenomenon of the architecture of these pre-revolutionary decades was the predominance in the construction of public buildings. It is in public buildings that the principles of new architecture are most clearly expressed. And it is very significant that one of the outstanding architectural works of this period - the Pantheon - very soon turned from a building of religious significance into a public monument. Its construction was conceived by Louis XV as the church of the patroness of Paris - St. Genevieve, the place where her relics are kept. The development of the project was entrusted in 1755 to Jacques Germain Soufflot (1713-1780), who had only recently returned from a trip to Italy. The architect understood his task much more broadly than his client. He presented a plan that, in addition to the church, included a vast area with two public buildings - the faculties of law and theology. In his further work, Souflot had to abandon this plan and limit his task to the construction of a church, the whole appearance of which testifies, however, that the architect conceived it as a building of great social significance. The building, cruciform in plan, is topped with a grandiose dome on a drum surrounded by columns. The main facade is emphasized by a powerful, deep six-column portico with a pediment. All other parts of the wall are left completely blank, without openings. The clear logic of architectural forms is clearly perceived at first glance. Nothing mystical or irrational - everything is reasonable, strict and simple. The same clarity and strict consistency are characteristic of the spatial design of the temple interior. The rationalism of the artistic image, expressed so solemnly and monumentally, turned out to be extremely close to the worldview of the revolutionary years, and the newly completed church was turned in 1791 into a monument to the great people of France.

Of the public buildings built in Paris in the pre-revolutionary decades, the Surgical School of Jacques Gondoin (1737-1818) stands out. The project, which he began working on in 1769, was distinguished by its great breadth of concept, which is generally a characteristic feature of the architecture of these years. Along with this building, Gondoin planned to rebuild the entire quarter. And although Gondoin’s plan was not fully implemented, the building of the Surgical School itself, completed in 1786, was completed on a grand scale. This is an extensive two-story structure with a large courtyard. The center of the building is marked by an impressive yurtik. The most interesting part of the interior is the large semicircular hall of the anatomical theater with raised amphitheater-style benches and a capped vault - a peculiar combination of half of the Roman Pantheon with the Colosseum.

The theater became a new widespread type of public building during this period. Both in the capital and in many provincial cities, theater buildings are rising one after another, designed in their appearance as an important part in the architectural ensemble of the city public center. One of the most beautiful and significant buildings of this kind is the theater in Bordeaux, built in 1775-1780. architect Victor Louis (1731-1807). A massive volume of rectangular outlines is placed on an open area of ​​the square. A twelve-column portico adorns one of the narrow sides of the theater building, imparting a solemn presence to its main entrance façade. The entablature of the portico contains statues of muses and goddesses, defining the purpose of the building. The main staircase of the theatre, at first single-flight, then divided into two arms leading in opposite directions, served as a model for many later French theater buildings. The simple, clear and solemn architecture of the theater in Bordeaux, the clear functional solution of its internal space make this building one of the most valuable monuments of French classicism.

In the years under review, the activities of a number of architects began, whose work as a whole already belongs to the next period of French Architecture, inspired by the ideas of the revolution. In some projects and buildings, those techniques and forms are already outlined that will become characteristic features of the new stage of classicism associated with the revolutionary era.

MAIN STAGES OF THE NEW ART

Let us return to French architecture at the end of the 16th century, at the time of the end of the religious wars. Architecture experiences all the vicissitudes of the period of return to peace and prosperity: it is modest and prudent after the wars of the League, wasteful under Richelieu, majestic and solemn to the point of excess under Louis XIV, cold and strict on the eve of the revolution. Let us consider sequentially the means that she used either separately or simultaneously.

FRENCH ARCHITECTURE OF THE 17TH CENTURY

Architecture of stone and brick and its forms

A combination of brick and stone.- Under Henry IV, decorative effects were often achieved by such constructive techniques in which color contrasts give, at little expense, facades a lively and varied appearance; This is the construction of the walls in the form of a frame of cut stones filled with rough masonry.

The infill surface is covered with colored plaster: according to tradition dating back to the early Renaissance, the frame of the openings is connected through all floors ( rice. 437), forming long white stripes from the foundation to the lucarnes, standing out against the red background of the walls and against the blue background of the slate roofs.

Always using simple means, this architecture strives simultaneously for color contrasts and clear contours, for the patterned outlines of roofs and hatches; she uses little profiling and completely avoids small details: there are only contours and a play of colors.

The earliest monuments of this style include Palais Mayenne on Rue Saint-Antoine, dating back to the era of Henry III.

Then follow: under Henry IV Palace of Cardinal Bourbon in the Abbey of Saint-Germain des Pres, buildings on Place Dauphine and Place des Vosges ( rice. 437); under Louis XIII - the main core of the Palace of Versailles; one of the latest examples of this style is Mazarin Palace(National Library), built by François Mansart during the minority of Louis XIV. The same architecture belongs to Rambouillet Palace.

The use in stone architecture of forms arising from a combination of stone and brick.- The previous group, as a derivative of it, includes a whole series of buildings built entirely of stone, but borrowing decoration from the mixed structure we have just described.

As examples of this peculiar transfer of forms, we give: under Louis XIII - Palais Sully on Rue Saint-Antoine, built J. Ducerseau, Sorbonne And Cardinal's Palace, built Lemercier; at the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV - Palace d'Aumont on Rue Jouy, built Fr. Mansar.

Decoration with orders

The architecture of brick and stone, clearly imbued with a desire for economy, is best suited to buildings from which nothing more than graceful simplicity is required. For monumental buildings, they resort to order decorations, and in France, as in Italy, they hesitate between two decisions: whether to make these decorations in accordance with the scale of the entire facade, or on the scale of only the floor they decorate. Hence, there are two trends in order architecture, which we will trace below.

Decoration linked to the scale of the floors.- When decoration is linked to the scale of floors, then usually different orders are placed on each floor; These are the buildings of Tanlais (department of Ionna), erected at the end of the reign of Henry IV.

Under Louis XIII, the tradition of using small orders was continued by S. de Brosses in Luxembourg Palace and on the facade Saint Gervais.

The same method is used to build Lemercier central pavilion in Louvre courtyard and in the palace Liancourt(rice, 438) - his main work, from which only some drawings have reached us.

At the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV Lepautre applies the same method of decoration in Beauvais Palace(François Miron Street); we meet in the same way in the castle Bussy Rabutin(Côte d'Or); the last representative of this system was Fr. Mansar (Chateau de Maison, Pavilion of Gaston d'Orléans in Blois).

The system of small orders enjoyed the least success at the beginning of the 17th century. At Thorpann Palace, an attempt was made to find a compromise solution: to preserve the entablature and destroy the pilasters or replace them with pillars.

During the entire reign of Henry IV, we encounter only one overt application of the traditional system - the Louvre gallery ( rice. 439). This beautiful composition gives us an idea of ​​the flexibility that art still retained. The lower floor was built earlier (it dates back to the era of Catherine de Medici), and it was necessary to coordinate it with the wing of the palace, the cornice of which was at level M; this transition is provided by the mezzanine MN.

Now let's look at the opposite system.

Decoration with a colossal order.- Among the first buildings where several floors were combined into one large order of pilasters, we already called the wing Chantilly Castle, dating from the era of Henry II.

We present a fragment of the facade ( rice. 440, C). It clearly shows the difficulties associated with this system. The entablatures reach an exorbitant size in order to maintain proportionality with the pilasters; the windows are lost and seem to fade away. For the sake of the entablature, they make concessions to classical proportions, but in order not to deprive the windows of their significance, they capture part of the roof with them, turning them into a kind of lucarnes, not connected with either the facade or the roof; sometimes they even try to cover the windows of two floors with one frame, as if simulating one common opening.

Thanks to all these compromises, the colossal order becomes one of the common elements of French architecture. We meet him under Henry III in Palace of Diane de France(Rue Pave, in the Marais); under Henry IV it was used in the gallery connecting the Louvre with the Tuileries (Fig. 440, L); built during the time of Louis XIII Palace of the Duchess of Savoy(rue Garencière) provides an example of Ionian pilasters decidedly out of scale. Dorian pilasters of more modest sizes adorn the Palace of Versailles.

By the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV, the tendency towards large orders became more and more decisive. They find in them that greatness that meets the new claims of the monarchy. Left And Dorbe they are used in the old southern facade of the Louvre, in the castle of Vaux, in the College of the Four Nations (Institute); Lemuet uses this solemn form to Palace d'Avo(Temple Street); Fr. Mansart uses it on the main façade Minim monastery in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine.

Subsequently, Perrault, in 1670, borrowed the colossal order as a theme for his Louvre colonnade, and in the 18th century. Gabriel will repeat this order in the palaces of the Place de la Concorde.

Treatment of facades with rustications and panels

Rustic processing.- We have already pointed out the consequences that follow from the use of a colossal order: the need for huge cornices and the need to excessively enlarge the openings. It is possible to preserve to some extent the grandeur that the order, rising from the very foundation of the building, gives to the architectural composition, if the pilasters are replaced with rusticated blades. At the same time, costs are reduced, and at the same time, since the forms of the order become, as it were, only implied, the requirements of proportions become less imperative, which makes it possible to limit both the meaning of the entablatures and the size of the windows.

The division of facades with rusticated blades instead of pilasters was used by Lemercier during the reign of Louis XIII century Richelieu castle and in the Cardinal's Palace; under Louis XIV these techniques were used L. Bruant- for processing facades Homes for the disabled, Fr. Mansar - for Val de Grae, Perrault - for the northern ledge of the Louvre.

Decoration through panels.- Architecture does not stop on this path to simplification. In the end, these rusticated blades are also destroyed; the entablature that crowns the facade rests on bare walls, barely decorated with frames that outline the boundaries of the intervening panels.

The courtyard of the House of Invalids is an excellent example of such facades, where only the profiles of the cornices and blades remain from the orders. In the same spirit, Perrault decorates Observatory, Fr. Blondel - the gate of Saint-Denis, Bullet - the gate of Saint-Martin.

FRENCH ARCHITECTURE OF THE END OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES

Official style.- In the last third of the 17th century. the impoverishment of taste begins, the onset of decline is felt. To prevent this, Colbert established the Academy of Architecture in 1671 and charged it with teaching theory to fill the gaps in craft apprenticeship. He sends architects to Rome to draw inspiration there, orders the publication of works on the monuments of classical antiquity, and tries to revive art by elevating the position of its masters. But decrepit art is powerless to revive and become younger. Generation Lemercier and Fr. Mansara is dying out; the generation that follows still creates several works worthy of the previous period, but in general the style becomes flabby and the execution mediocre.

Striving for a false ideal of nobility, they stop, following the example of the Italians, on monotonous facades that repeat the same motifs throughout - and this cold symmetry hides the arrangement of parts of the building so much that behind the same facade there are both chapels and stairs, and even baths; Even the roofs are camouflaged. The main desire is not to reveal anything from the outside that would remind one of the material needs of everyday life.

It is this kind of architecture, as if not created for mere mortals, that the king likes. Jules Hardouin-Mansart fully applied it to the Palace of Versailles ( rice. 441, A); The facade, in which all these trends are clearly visible, dates back to 1675. Traditions of high art and the decline of the 18th century. - The last years of the 17th century. marked by a return to more varied forms; then the style of Hardouin-Mansart acquires greater flexibility; this, perhaps, should be attributed to the collaboration with him of other architects, among whom Saint-Simon names Lassurance.

Be that as it may, before the death of Hardouin-Mansart (1708), there seems to be some revival: he ends his work with two masterpieces - the House of Ing.
Valides and the Versailles Chapel. The calamities of the end of the reign of Louis XIV checked this revival, and it was decisively resumed only after the establishment of the Regency. From this point on, there are, so to speak, two architectures: one continues the strict traditions of the previous period, the other takes the path of refined grace, which very truthfully reflects the sophistication of its contemporary society.

The style of the new school, the “Rococo” genre, was established only by 1730 and found its main exponent in the person of Boffrand; The style of the classical school has its representatives successively Gabriel, Soufflot, and finally Louis and Antoine.

Throughout the second half of the reign of Louis XV, both schools exist completely independently: while the palaces of Nancy are overloaded with Rococo decorations, the Place de la Concorde is distinguished by the majestic dignity and grandeur of its magnificent outlines ( rice. 441, V, 1750) Chaotic school of the mid-18th century. fizzles out by the time of Louis XVI: the philosophical movement directs minds towards antiquity. Tastes change completely, and in purity of form they try to surpass even the school of Gabriel and Soufflot. With the approach of the revolution they fall into dryness, and with the revolution a crisis of art begins, a way out of which is barely visible only in our era.

GENERAL STATE OF ARCHITECTURE IN EUROPE IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES

In the 17th and 18th centuries. Europe is influenced partly by modern Italy, partly by France. In general, French influences predominate; Thus, French architects erected most of their palaces for the German princes: in Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, and Mannheim.

Inigo Jones, with whom classical architecture began in England, apparently developed his own style through direct study of the monuments of Italy and founded a school, which was continued in the 18th century. Chambers, the builder of Somerset Palace, appeared.

Wren (S. Wren), architect of St. Paul's in London, adjacent to the school that created the Invalides in France; The Cathedral of St. Paul, in turn, served as the main model for America in the construction of the Capitol in Washington.

In Russia in the 18th century. Italian influence is manifested mainly in the palaces of St. Petersburg.

As for Italian art, the echo of which is represented by all modern architectural schools, its latest creations were: Bernini's colonnade in St. Petra, a majestic, but not strict facade, given by the architect Al. The Galilee of the church of San Giovanni in Laterano, and the cold buildings of Vanvitelli in Caserta.

Auguste Choisy. History of architecture. Auguste Choisy. Histoire De L'Architecture

Details Category: Fine arts and architecture of the late 16th-18th centuries Published 04/20/2017 18:22 Views: 2821

Absolutism in France in the 17th century. considered devotion to the monarch the height of patriotism. The famous phrase of King Louis XIV: “I am the state.”

But it is also known that at this time a new philosophical direction took hold in France - rationalism, which considered the human mind to be the basis of knowledge. One of the founders of the new doctrine, Rene Descartes, argued: “I think, therefore I exist.”
On the basis of this philosophy, a new style in art began to form - classicism. It was built on the models of antiquity and the Renaissance.

Architecture

Architecture changed its priorities and moved away from fortified cities to residential cities.

Maison-Laffite

Maison-Laffite- the famous castle (palace) in the suburb of Paris of the same name, one of the few surviving creations of the architect Francois Mansart.

Francois Mansart(1598-1666) - French architect, considered not only the greatest master of the French Baroque, but also the founder of classicism in France.
The Maisons-Laffite Palace differs, for example, from the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, which resembles a castle fenced off from the outside world. Maison-Laffite has a U-shape, there is no longer a closed space.
A park was usually built around the palace, characterized by an ideal order: the plants were trimmed, the alleys intersected at right angles, and the flower beds were of regular geometric shape. It was the so-called regular (French) park.

Palace and park ensemble of Versailles

The ensemble of Versailles is considered the pinnacle of a new direction in architecture. This is a huge ceremonial residence of the French kings, built near Paris.
Versailles was built under the leadership of Louis XIV from 1661. It became an artistic and architectural expression of the idea of ​​absolutism. Architects: Louis Levo and Jules Hardouin-Mansart.
The creator of the park is Andre Le Nôtre.

Carlo Maratta. Portrait of André Le Nôtre (c. 1680)

The Versailles ensemble is the largest in Europe. It is distinguished by the unique integrity of its design, the harmony of architectural forms and landscape. Before the French Revolution, Versailles was the official royal residence. In 1801 it received the status of a museum and is open to the public. In 1979, the Palace of Versailles and the park were included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

Parterre in front of the greenhouse

Versailles is an example of a synthesis of arts: architecture, sculpture and landscape art. In 1678-1689 The ensemble of Versailles was rebuilt under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart. All buildings were decorated in the same style, the facades of the buildings were divided into three tiers. The lower one, modeled on an Italian Renaissance palazzo, is decorated with rustication, the middle one is filled with high arched windows, between which there are columns and pilasters. The upper tier is shortened and ends with a balustrade (a fence consisting of a series of figured columns connected by railings) and sculptural groups.
The park of the ensemble, designed by Andre Le Nôtre, has a clear layout: geometric swimming pools with a mirror-smooth surface. Each major alley ends with a reservoir: the main staircase from the terrace of the Grand Palace leads to the Latona fountain; At the end of the Royal Avenue there is the Apollo Fountain and the canal. The main idea of ​​the park is to create a unique place where everything is subject to strict laws.

Fountains of Versailles

Latona Fountain

At the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries. art in France gradually began to turn into a means of ideology. In the Place Vendôme in Paris, the subordination of art to politics is already visible.

Place Vendôme. Architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart

In the center of Place Vendôme there is a 44-meter Vendôme Column with a statue of Napoleon on top, modeled after the Roman Column of Trajan.

Vendôme Column

The closed quadrangle of the square with cut corners is surrounded by administrative buildings with a single decoration system.
One of the most significant monumental buildings of the 17th century. in France - the Cathedral of the Invalides (1680-1706).

Bird's eye view of the Invalides' Home

The Palais des Invalides (State House of the Invalids) began to be built by order of Louis XIV in 1670 as a home for elderly soldiers (“invalids of war”). Today it still accepts people with disabilities, but it also houses several museums and a military necropolis.
The Cathedral of the Invalides Palace was created by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The cathedral with its powerful dome changed the panorama of the city.

Cathedral

Cathedral dome

East façade of the Louvre

Louvre. Eastern façade. Architect K. Perrault. Length 173 m

The eastern façade of the Louvre (Colonnade) is a striking example of French classicism. The project was chosen through a competition. Among the participants were famous masters, but the victory was won by an unknown architect Claude Perrault(1613-1688), since it was his work that embodied the main ideas of the French: severity and solemnity, scale and simplicity.

Sculpture

In the second half of the 17th century. French classicism already served to glorify the monarchy, therefore, from the sculpture that decorated the palaces, what was required was not so much classical severity and harmony, but solemnity and splendor. Effectiveness, expressiveness, monumentality - these are the main features of French sculpture of the 17th century. The traditions of the Italian Baroque, especially the work of Lorenzo Bernini, helped in this.

Sculptor François Girardon (1628-1715)

G. Rigo. Portrait of Francois Girardon

He studied in Rome with Bernini. Girardon completed the sculptural part of the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre. Since 1666, he has been working in Versailles - creating the sculptural group “The Abduction of Proserpina by Pluto”, the sculptural group “Apollo and the Nymphs” (1666-1673), the relief of the reservoir “Bathing Nymphs” (1675), “The Abduction of Persephone” (1677-1699) , “Victory of France over Spain”, sculpture “Winter” (1675-1683), etc.

F. Girardon “Victory of France over Spain” (1680-1682), Palace of Versailles

Among the sculptor’s best works is the equestrian statue of King Louis XIV (1683), which adorned the Place Vendôme in Paris and was destroyed during the French Revolution of 1789-1799.

F. Girardon. Equestrian statue of Louis XIV (c. 1699). Bronze. Louvre (Paris)

This is a smaller copy of the equestrian monument of Louis XIV, which adorned Place Vendôme. The model was an ancient Roman statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The monument fit perfectly into the architectural ensemble of the square. Girardon's work throughout the 18th century. served as a model for equestrian monuments of European sovereigns. A hundred years later, the monument - a symbol of royal power - was destroyed.

Antoine Coyzevox (1640-1720)

French Baroque sculptor. He worked a lot in Versailles: he designed the War Hall and the Gallery of Mirrors.

Mirror Gallery at Versailles

Coyzevox also created sculptural portraits, which were distinguished by their accuracy and psychological characteristics. He used Baroque techniques: unexpected poses, free movements, lush attire.

Pierre Puget (1620-1694)

Pierre Puget. Self-Portrait (Louvre)

Pierre Pugene was the most talented master of that time: French painter, sculptor, architect and engineer. His work shows the influence of Bernini and classical theater.

Pierre Puget "Milon of Croton with a lion" (Louvre)

Puget's sculptures are distinguished by their vital convincingness in conveying tension and suffering, combining expression with clarity of composition. Sometimes he gets carried away with exaggeration and theatricality of poses and movements. But his style was very consistent with the tastes of his era. His compatriots even nicknamed him the French Michelangelo and Rubens.

Painting

In the 17th century The Royal Academy of Paris was established, it became the center of artistic activity and maintained this path throughout the long reign of Louis XIV. All branches of art were centralized.
Charles Lebrun was appointed the first painter of the court.

Charles Lebrun (1619-1690)

Nicola Largilliere. Portrait of the artist Charles Lebrun

He personally led the Academy, influenced the tastes and worldview of an entire generation of artists, becoming the most important figure in the “style of Louis XIV.” In 1661, the king ordered Le Brun a series of paintings from the history of Alexander the Great; the first of them brought the artist nobility and the title of “First Royal Painter” and a lifelong pension.

C. Lebrun “The Entry of Alexander into Babylon” (1664)

Since 1662, Lebrun controlled all artistic orders of the court. He personally painted the halls of the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre, the interiors of the Castle of Saint-Germain and Versailles (War Hall and Peace Hall). But the artist died before finishing the painting of Versailles, which was completed according to his sketches by Noel Coypel.

Ch. Lebrun “Equestrian portrait of Louis XIV” (1668). Chartreuse Museum (Douai)

Pierre Mignard (1612-1695)

Pierre Mignard. Self-portrait

Famous French artist. He competed with Lebrun. Became head of the Academy of St. Luke in Paris, opposed to the Royal Academy. In 1690, after Lebrun's death, he became the chief court artist, director of the royal art museums and manufactories, member and professor of the Paris Academy of Painting and Sculpture, and then its rector and chancellor. At almost 80 years of age, he created designs for paintings in the Cathedral of the Invalides, which are still kept in the Louvre, painted two lampshades in the small apartments of the king in the Palace of Versailles, painted a series of delicately colored religious paintings: “Christ and the Samaritan Woman,” 1690 (Louvre) ; "Saint Cecilia", 1691 (Louvre); "Faith" and "Hope", 1692.
The main advantage of his works is the harmonious color. But in general, he paid tribute to his time in art: external brilliance, theatrical composition, graceful, but affected figures.

P. Mignard “Virgin with grapes”

These shortcomings are least noticeable in his portraits. He owns numerous portraits of courtiers, the king's favorites and Louis XIV himself, whom he painted about ten times.

P. Mignard. Equestrian portrait of Louis XIV

Of Mignard's fresco works, the most important were the painting in the dome of Val-de-Grâce, which soon deteriorated due to the poor quality of the paints, and the mythological wall paintings in the great hall of the Saint-Cloud palace, which perished along with this building in 1870.

Pierre Mignard. Fresco of the dome of Val-de-Grâce "The Glory of God"

Classicism is an artistic style in European art of the 17th-19th centuries, one of the foundations of which was an appeal to ancient art as the highest example and reliance on the traditions of the High Renaissance. The artistic forms of classicism are characterized by strict organization, logic, balance, clarity and harmony of images. There are two stages in the development of classicism: “French classicism of the 17th century” and “neoclassicism of the 18th century”. This message is devoted to the first stage of the development of classicism.

In the art of Western Europe in the 17th century. The Baroque style dominated (translated from Italian it means “strange”, “bizarre” - this name appeared later as a definition of the wild imagination of the masters of this style). The Baroque was based on the religious ideas of the Counter-Reformation. According to the plan of the Catholic Church, which fought against the strengthening of the Reformation, works of art should awaken in the souls of viewers and listeners a devout faith in God - such art was called ARTE SACRA, sacred art. The main features of Baroque works - emotional expressiveness, richness of movement, complexity of compositional solutions - created in the viewer a special spiritual mood that promoted unity with God.

In the 17th century, a new and different style emerged in France - classicism. Just like the contemporary Baroque, it became a natural result of the development of Renaissance architecture and its transformation in different cultural, historical and geographical conditions. Baroque was closely associated with the Catholic Church. Classicism, as well as the more restrained forms of the Baroque, turned out to be more acceptable in Protestant countries such as England, the Netherlands, Northern Germany, and also, oddly enough, Catholic absolutist France.

The second half of the 17th century is the era of the highest prosperity of the French monarchy. For Louis XIV, the “Sun King,” of course, classicism seemed to be the only style capable of expressing the ideas of the wisdom and power of the sovereign, the rationality of the government, peace and stability in society. The key idea of ​​classicism is service to France and the king (“The State is I,” Louis XIV) and the triumph of reason over feelings (“I think, therefore I am,” Descartes). The philosophy of the new era required art that would instill in a person equal parts patriotism and rational thinking, for which the principles of the Baroque were of course not suitable. The internal struggle, agitation, and clashes so obvious in Baroque art did not in any way correspond to the ideals of clarity and logic of French absolutism.

From the point of view of classicism, a work of art is built in accordance with certain canons (established rules), thereby revealing the harmony and logic of the universe itself. Many rules were taken by the ideologists and artists of classicism from antiquity - an era that was perceived as the golden time of the development of civilization (order in architecture, the ideas of Aristotle, Horace).

To implement the ideas of classicism, Louis XIV established the Academy of Arts (active since 1661), the Small Academy (Academy of Inscriptions, 1663), the Academy of Architecture (1666), the French Academy in Rome (1666), and the Academy of Music. , Poetry and Dance (1672).

Academic doctrine was built on a rationalistic basis. Art had to obey the laws of reason. Everything random, low, ordinary, which did not correspond to ideas of beauty, was expelled from the sphere of artistic creativity and teaching. A strict hierarchy of genres was established in each art form, and mixing of genres was not allowed. Only historical painting was recognized as high art. Its concept included religious, mythological, allegorical and historical subjects. The interpretation of these subjects had to correspond to the ideas of the “grand style” of the era and be based on the study of classical examples of ancient art, Raphael, the masters of Bolognese academicism and Poussin. Strict principles and complex rules developed at the Academy and turned into official doctrine determined the stylistic unity of French art. However, they fettered the creative initiative of artists and deprived their art of individual originality

In the field of decorative and applied arts and interior design, the style of the era was established by the Royal Tapestry Manufactory, which created tapestries (woven paintings), furniture, metal, glass and earthenware.

Architecture assumed leading importance in French art of the second half of the 17th century; all other forms of art turn out to be closely connected with it. Large structures are being created throughout the country to glorify the king as the head of a prosperous state. The participation of teams of leading masters in them, the joint work of architects with sculptors, painters, masters of applied art, and the bold and inventive solution of engineering and constructive problems led to the creation of remarkable examples of French architecture.

Louis XIV made a choice between two styles - Baroque and Classicism - during a competition for the project Eastern facade of the Louvre. He rejected the project of the most outstanding Baroque architect Lorenzo Bernini, despite all his merits and world fame (which greatly offended the great master), preferring the simple and restrained project of Claude Perrault, designed in a strict classical spirit.

The eastern facade of the Louvre (1667-1678), which is often called the Colonnade of the Louvre, forms part of the ensemble of two palaces united in the 17th century - the Tuileries and the Louvre (the total length of the facade is 173 m). Its compositional structure is quite characteristic - it features a central and two side risalits (protruding parts of the facade), between which on a high smooth base there are powerful double Corinthian columns supporting a high entablature.

The side projections do not have columns, but are divided by pilasters, creating a logical transition to the side facades. Thus, it is possible to achieve great expressiveness of the order, rhythmically maintaining the unity of a very extended and monotonous façade.

Thus, the Eastern façade of the Louvre displays characteristic features inspired by antiquity and the Renaissance - the use of an order system, clear and geometric correctness of volumes and layout, porticoes, columns, statues and reliefs that stand out on the surface of the walls.

The most grandiose building of the era of Louis XIV and the main monument of French classicism of the 17th century. became Versailles (1668-1689) - a magnificent royal residence, designed, in accordance with the principles of classicism, to glorify the monarch, the triumph of reason and nature. This complex, which has become a standard for palace and park ensembles in Europe, combines stylistic features of both classicism and baroque.

The ensemble of Versailles, located 22 kilometers southwest of Paris, covers a huge territory, including vast parks with various structures, swimming pools, canals, fountains and the main building - the building of the palace itself. The construction of the Versailles ensemble (the main work was carried out from 1661 to 1700) cost enormous amounts of money and required the hard work of a huge number of craftsmen and artists of various specialties. The entire territory of the park was leveled, and the villages located there were demolished. With the help of special hydraulic devices, a complex system of fountains was created in this area, to feed which very large pools and canals for that time were built. The palace was decorated with great luxury, using valuable materials, richly decorated with sculptural works, paintings, etc. Versailles became a household name for a magnificent palace residence.

The main works at Versailles were carried out by the architect Louis Leveau, the horticultural planner André Le Nôtre and the painter Charles Lebrun.
The work to expand Versailles constituted the final stage of Levo's activity. Back in the 1620s, a small hunting castle was built in Versailles. Louis XIV planned to create a large palace on the basis of this building, surrounded by a vast beautiful park. The new royal residence had to match the grandeur of the “Sun King” in its size and its architecture.
Levo rebuilt the old castle of Louis XIII on three external sides with new buildings, which formed the main core of the palace. As a result of the reconstruction, the palace increased several times.

The facade of the palace from the side of Levo Park was decorated with Ionic columns and pilasters located on the second - main floor. The wall of the first floor, covered with rustication (imitation of rough stonework), was interpreted in the form of a pedestal serving as the basis for the order. Levo considered the third floor as an attic crowning the same order. The facade ended with a parapet with fittings. The roofs, usually very high in French architecture, were made low here and completely hidden behind the parapet.

The next period in the history of Versailles is associated with the name of the largest architect of the second half of the 17th century - Jules Hardouin Mansart (1646-1708), who led the further expansion of the palace from 1678. J. Hardouin Mansart the Younger significantly changes the park facade of the palace by constructing the famous “Mirror Gallery”.

The main room of the palace - the Mirror Gallery - occupies almost the entire width of the central part of the structure (length 73 m, width - 10.3 m, height - 12.8 m). 7 large arched windows on the outer wall correspond to 7 similar shaped mirrors on the opposite wall.

The walls, columns, pilasters are decorated with multi-colored marble, the capitals and bases of the pilasters and numerous reliefs on the walls are made of gilded bronze. The vaulted ceiling is completely covered with paintings in a magnificent gilded stucco frame by Charles Lebrun. The subjects of these pictorial compositions are dedicated to the allegorical glorification of the French monarchy and its head, the king.

To form a concept of “classicism” as an ideological and artistic direction and style in European art of the 17th century. To substantiate the position that the principles of classicism were associated with antiquity, which was considered as an ethical and artistic norm. Using specific examples, identify the characteristic features of classicism: citizenship, heroic pathos, plastic harmony and clarity. Using the example of the Versailles ensemble (the king's palace, landscape gardens) to show the main features of the new direction in architecture. Note that the main idea of ​​the park is to create a special world where everything is subject to strict laws, and, above all, the laws of beauty.

Independent work: reports on the Louvre as an art museum, on Place Vendôme as an example of a change in the content of classicism, when art turns into a means of ideological propaganda. Repeat the meaning of the terms: facade, colonnade, order, order system, religious architecture, ensemble, perspective, building exterior, interior, pilasters, regular park.

6.5. Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain

To develop an understanding of the principles of classicism embodied in painting.

Consider the paintings of Poussin, note that they were dominated by ancient themes, even his landscapes are populated by mythological heroes who act as a symbol of the spirituality of the world. It should be noted that the principles of classicism are also evident in the composition of the artist’s works: it is simple, logical, and orderly. Spatial plans are clearly separated, and this separation is emphasized by color. “Landscape tricolor” in Poussin’s paintings. The artist talks about the role of color in a painting. Poussin's school of painting. A comparison of the works of two French classicist artists. The originality of Lorrain's landscapes: subtlety of color, masterfully constructed perspective, play of tones, depiction of air and light on canvas. Lorrain as the founder of the traditions of French landscape.

The negative impact of norms and rules in artistic creativity on the development of French art. The plot should only be from history, the Bible or mythology; dividing the composition into clear plans; orientation when choosing proportions and volumes of a figure only to the sculptures of ancient masters; education was supposed to take place only within the walls of the academy.

Independent work: compare fragments of Ovid’s epic “Metamorphoses” and Poussin’s painting “The Kingdom of Flora”.

6.6. "Small" Dutch

To form an idea of ​​the democratization of Dutch culture in the first half of the 17th century; reveal the leading role of easel realistic painting in Dutch art.

Introduce the recreation of reality in landscapes and still lifes of Dutch painters, combined with a keen sense of beauty. The desire to embody the poetry of everyday life, the beauty of human everyday life in works of the everyday genre. "Little Dutchmen" The significance of the work of F. Hals in the formation of the Dutch art school. Characterize the work of Jan Wermeer of Delft, Pieter de Hooch, J. and S. Ruisdael, Terborch, J. Steen and others.

Independent work: analysis of the works of Wermeer of Delft and F. Hals.

6.7. Rembrandt

To form an idea of ​​the work of Rembrandt van Rijn - the pinnacle of realistic art.

Introduce the life and creative path of Rembrandt. To reveal the enormous spiritual significance and philosophical depth of Rembrandt’s art; the role of light as a means of enhancing emotional expressiveness in his paintings. Introduce the picturesque texture of his paintings. To reveal the depth of psychological characteristics, a reflection of a person’s entire life path, his spiritual purity in later portraits. Pay attention to the high skill of execution and depth of content in Rembrandt's etchings.

Independent work: determining a person’s character from portraits by Rembrandt, identifying the artistic features of individual works.

6.8. Flemish art of the 17th century. Rubens.

To form ideas about the Flemish school of painting of the 17th century; about the realistic basis and enormous life-affirming power of the work of P. Rubens, about the work of A. Van Eyck, J. Jordaens, F. Snyders.

Reveal Rubens’s versatile talents, his painting skills (contrast, tension, dynamism of images); personality traits. P. Rubens. “Landscape with stone carriers” (morning, afternoon, evening in one work). Rhythmic organization of the image. Rhythm is a means of ensuring the spatio-temporal unity of a work of art, while the rhythm simultaneously dictates the principle of its perception.

A. Van Dyck’s desire to embody in portraits the ideal of a spiritually refined personality. Realistic traditions, love of life in the painting of J. Jordaens. Still lifes by F. Snyders.

Independent work: analysis of one of Rubens’ works.

6.9. Art of France of the 18th century. Rococo

To form an idea of ​​the crisis of absolutism in France; the fundamental influence of the philosophy of the Enlightenment; about the formation of the Rococo style as an offshoot of the fading Baroque.

To introduce realistic observation and the transmission of the psychological complexity of feelings in the works of A. Watteau. Reveal the tenderness of the brushstroke, the richness of the finest colors in Watteau’s paintings. Pastoral genre in the works of Boucher.

Independent work: preparing reports on paintings by J. B. Chardin.

6.10. Painting and sculpture of French sentimentalism and classicism of the 18th century

To form an idea of ​​French sentimentalism and the emergence of a new wave of classicism.

To introduce the philosopher Diderot’s belief that art is intended to correct morals; paintings by Jean Baptiste Greuze (1725 - 1805), which are of a moralizing nature. J. B. Greuze “The Paralytic” (1763). A feeling of dynamics and celebration of life in the work of O. Fragonard - a master of drawing and a subtle colorist. Connection with Rococo in pointedly piquant and at the same time ironic situations. O. Fragonard “Swing” (1767), “Stolen Kiss” (1870s). Passion of feelings, emotional excitement, creative impulsiveness of portraits. O. Fragonard “Portrait of Diderot”, “Inspiration” (1769).

Talk about changes in sculpture in the middle of the 18th century: a turn to realism, accompanied by a search for heroic images, and a turn to antiquity. High achievements of monumental sculpture of the 18th century in the work of Etienne Maurice Falconet (1716 - 1791). The image of an ideal personality, a legislator of the country, which the enlighteners of the 18th century dreamed of. "The Bronze Horseman" in St. Petersburg (1766 - 1782). The versatility of characteristics, psychologism, harsh truth and faith in man in the sculptural portraits of Antoine Houdon (1741 - 1828). Marble statue of eighty-four-year-old Voltaire (1781).

Independent work: make notes in a notebook; prepare a message about the creation of the “Bronze Horseman”.

6.11. English school of painting of the 18th century

To form an idea of ​​the influence of the English Enlightenment on the culture of England in the 18th century.

Reveal the accusatory nature of W. Hogarth's art, combined with bourgeois moralizing. The creation of a high heroic ideal of a man of his time in the work of Joshua Reynolds, a painter and art theorist. Poetry, dreaminess. The spirituality of images and virtuosity of execution in the portraits of Thomas Gainsborough.

Independent work: vocabulary work; write down the title of the paintings and the names of the artists.

6.12. Baroque and classicism ornament

To form an idea of ​​the ornament of two opposing systems - Baroque and Classicism as the heirs of the Renaissance, dividing among themselves all its acquisitions: Baroque inherited the acquisition of the soul, the emotional conclusions of the Renaissance, and Classicism - the rational side of the great era.

Tell us that the style of Baroque ornaments corresponded to its time and reflected the greatness of royalty and aristocratic power. The antique style is the parent of the baroque and classicism styles. The difference is that in the Baroque style it is refracted more dynamically and curvilinearly, while the classicism ornament is characterized by immobility of symmetry, a tendency towards geometrization without symbols. White combined with gold are the most popular baroque interior colors. Fashion for floral patterns. The calm classical forms of circles and ovals are replaced by winding spirals. Convex-concave surface of walls and interior parts. Fabric decoration. Large decorative flowers of fancy shapes, ornamental curls, acanthus leaves, pomegranate fruits and grape bunches, a diamond-shaped mesh with rosettes are the main designs of fabrics of this time. The composition of the pattern also included crowns, vases, and baskets. Details of landscape architecture. Large sizes of patterns.

Independent work: copying samples of baroque and classicism ornaments.

SECTION 7. RUSSIAN ART OF THE 18TH CENTURY