Renaissance to Neoclassicism - Baroque - French

Movement:	Renaissance to Neoclassicism - Baroque - French
Dates:	c. 1600 - c. 1700

Historical Context

France largely resisted the ornate Baroque style of Italy, Spain, Vienna and the rest of Europe. The French Baroque style (often termed Grand Classicism or simply Classicism in France) is closely associated with the works built for Louis XIV and Louis XV; it features more geometric order and measure than Baroque, and less elaborate decoration on the facades and in the interiors. Louis XIV invited the master of Baroque, Bernini, to submit a design for the new wing of the Louvre, but rejected it in favor of a more classical design by Claude Perrault and Louis Le Vau.

The principal architects of the style included Franois Mansart (Chateau de Balleroy, 1626-1636), Pierre Le Muet (Church of Val-de-Grace, 1645-1665), Louis Le Vau (Vaux-le-Vicomte, 1657-1661) and especially Jules Hardouin Mansart and Robert de Cotte, whose work included the Galerie des Glaces and the Grand Trianon at Versailles (16871688). Mansart was also responsible for the Baroque classicism of the Place Vendme (1686-1699).

External links

The baroque and rococo culture
Webmuseum Paris
barocke in Val di Noto Sizilien
Baroque in the "History of Art"
The Baroque style and Luis XIV influence
Melvyn Bragg's BBC Radio 4 program In Our Time: The Baroque
"Baroque Style Guide". British Galleries. Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 19 August 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2007.

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