VERSAILLES: FROM ABSOLUTISM TO ENGLIGHTENMENT (AH3043)

This course examines the cultural and artistic history of Versailles in the 17th and 18th centuries. It traces the development of the palace, garden and city as a total artwork and an expression of changing ideas around the court, the monarchy and the state. From its origins as a hunting retreat and setting for ephemeral courtly entertainments, through to its apogee as the seat of the absolutist state at the end of the 17th century, and then its decline and collapse less than a century later, we will see how architecture, painting and decorative arts articulated evolving ideas around the divinity of the monarch, and the opposition between the private, courtly and public spheres. We will see how artists and architects such as Mansart, LeBrun, Le Nôtre, Gabriel, Mique and Robert created artworks and settings for the amusement and glorification of the king. In addition to class lectures there will be visits to the Louvre, Versailles, and Vaux-le-Vicomte.