French Baroque Style - Review

Kiera- Kiera did a great job explaining the history of this time period as well as what makes this design different from other French design periods. She also talked about the important pieces of architecture and had great photos to show what she discussed.

Savannah- Savannah summarized this period very well. She touched on all of the important buildings as well as the furniture. I really liked how she chose images that were examples of this style used in different parts of a home. Overall a great blog post.

French Baroque Style

During this time period, Louis XIV was five years old and proclaimed King. Louis XIV created a national style of art. He established a school for 60 children under his protection. An iconic piece of architecture during this time was the Vaux-le-Vicomte. It included 105 lavish rooms, 170 acres of gardens, Persian carpets, crystal chandeliers, gold clocks, silver vases and it entertained up to 6,000 guests at a time. The architect of this building was Louis Le Vau, the garden designer was Andre Le Norte, the interior decorator was Charles LeBrun and the sculptor was Puget. Another building during this time was the Palais de Versailles. This was originally a hunting lodge for Louis XIII. The construction started in 1668 and lasted for almost a century. It takes up 12 miles of southwest Paris and housed 10,000 people. The architect of this building was also Louis Le Vau, along with the same garden designer, interior decorator and sculptor as the Vaux-le-Vicomte. This building was also famous for one of its public rooms, the Hall of Mirrors. It included Classical architecture and decoration with classic orders and rectangular shapes that were symmetrical. Another aspect of the Palais de Versailles' interiors that was unique was its royal monogram "L" that was always doubled. Something that was also very unique compared to any other building was that the furniture was against the walls. A unique process cabinetmakers used to make furniture was the Marquetry Process. During this process everything was cut out of paper then carved into wood to make lavish designs in their furniture. Louis XIV chairs included high back, a sense of greatness, a wide seat for wide dressed and bergere, which was newly introduced during this time. Bergere is an enclosed upholstered French arm chair with an upholstered back and armrests on upholstered frames.  This furniture was made out of materials that were imported from China and Japan. These materials were used to make porcelain figures, vases, lacquer work and screens.

Images:

Vaux-le-Vicomte


Palais de Versailles


Bergere style chair


Current Applications:




Extra Credit: How to upholster a Bergere chair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmhiONio9kg

French Period Part 1 - Review

Katie- Katie's blog touched on everything we went over in class on the first part of the French period. She also did a great job choosing images that represented this period and current application photos.

Holli- Holli's blog was filled with so much information and split it up very well within paragraphs. I also like the past and present images she chose. Overall a great blog post.

French Period - Part 1

Instead of design being determined by religious and political history, France had rulers that influenced the most pervasive design in the Renaissance France. They used Royal "taste" to determine design styles. France was the central to Romanesque and Gothic style. During this time, an occupation people could have was being a decorator. They designed luxurious rooms with consistent and harmonious design that was a complex job during this time. One monarch during this time was Francois I who was a famous patron of the arts. He used a transitional style that used Gothic forms with Italian Renaissance ornament. He designed the Loire Valley in Paris. In France, there was no need for new religious structures. They were more focused on building palaces and chateaux. Exteriors became more important for their architecture. The weather in France required steep roofs, many chimneys and many large windows. They were famous for their mansard roof. Francois I also constructed the Chateau Chambord. At this same time, he also constructed the Chateau de Blois which he made his hunting lodge. The motif they widely used was the fleur de lis that we still see a lot today with a lot of decor. Another hunting lodge built during this time was the Chateau de Fontainbleau. It was a large structure that included formal gardens, lakes, fountains, and elaborate interiors. Withing this structure, there was the Galerie Francois that was filled with paintings, sculptures, carved wall paneling and coffered ceilings in geometric patterns. During this period, they started the use of the monogram. The Chateau de Blois used Italian prototypes, depressed arches, low-relief ornamentation and asymmetrical organization of openings. Some current applications of this time period is the use of logos from the development of the monogram and very detail carved and oriented furniture.

Images:

Loire Valley


Chateau Chambord


Chateau de Blois


Current Applications:




Extra Credit: Highlights of Franch Chateaus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEkdjyRdZdo

Spanish Period - Review

Savannah- I really liked the images she chose. She also explained the period very well.

Becca- Becca focused on the different phases during this time period. I think she did a really good job contrasting the two phases.

Spanish Period

This period was influenced by the Moorish, Early Christian, Medieval and the Italian Renaissance. The Alhambra was the last of the Spanish Palaces completely before expulsion of the moors. The Alhambra included numerous courtyards with gardens, fountains and reflecting pools. A castle during this period that was build by noble Christian families was the La Mota Castle. It was build of concrete walls faced with brick. Spain has more castles that any other European country. Famous Cathedrals in Spain are the Granada Cathedral which included Gothic vaulting and the Cathedral of Seville that also used the Gothic style and was the largest cathedral in the world during the 15th century. During this time, there were two different phases. The Plateresco Phase and the Desornamentado Phase. The Plateresco Phase was also known as the silversmith's style that used Gothic and Renaissance in its construction. It incorporated the "silversmith's style" by the delicate ornament that resembled the work of a silversmith. This phase was used on exteriors, patios, churches, public buildings, furniture and accessories. The Desornamentado Phase was a reaction to the Plateresco style. They used very defined proportions and was ornamented. They applied this to courts, ecclesiastical and public buildings. There was also another style during this time called the Baroque style, also known as Churrigueresco. The Spanish wanted to replace the Desornamento with something more passionate. This was promoted by a family of craftsmen named Churriguera who were sculptures, wood carvers and architects.This was the style of surface decoration. This style was applied to exterior doorways, interior decoration and churches. In Spain's residential design, they gained inspiration by Moorish design. This included elaborate decorations in patios, galleries, doorways and windows in contrast to plain walls. The most artistic features in interiors were suburb iron grilles that were used on windows, openings, and wrought-iron handrails. Interiors also included colored tiles, pine-paneled, painted and carved ceilings and plasterwork with a white decorative border or frame around doors or windows. Furniture during the Spanish period was made by cabinetmakers that used inlay work, carvings, painting and gilding. Inlay work was one of Spain's finest artistic achievements. Their inlay included minute pieces of bone, ivory, exotic woods, mother of pearl, and metal work. Also, there were many geometric designs and highly stylized leaf and floral designs. Some famous furniture is the Sillon de Franilero, the Wooden Bench, the walnut benched with Hinged back and Walnut Vargueno Puente Stand.

Images:

Alhambra


La Mota Castle


Sillon de Franilero

Current Applications:






Extra Credit: A video on the elements of Spanish interior design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM27UShCs7s

Review - Italian Renaissance

Rachel- Rachel's blog posted focused on everything we went over in class on this topic. I really liked how she used bullet points while touching on each topic of this time period. She also included many images that represented this period perfectly. You were able to see what made this design period unique from her images.

Holli- Holli's blog was a great summary of everything we touched on in class. What I liked the most about her post was the current application images. They represent this design period perfectly while also being able to clearly see that they were designed in modern day.