Art As Ego Trip Essay Examples

The style of Baroque appeared in 17th century to support the Counter-Reformation movement. The 16th centuries brought a new ideological phenomenon to the Catholic world: the Protestant Reformation. It was started by Martin Luther, who was author of the first statements to this movement. The idea of Protestantism contradicted to the line of the Catholic Church. According to Protestants, the language of church should be clear, and the architecture should continue its the clearness and simplicity. The counter-Reformation appeared to proclaim the greatness of God and His worship with the help of grandiose buildings and moving active paintings. The style used the motion and lots of details for creating the tension, drama and grandeur. This style developed to provide the understanding of church and its glory. Moreover, the Baroque arts express the triumph of the absolute state. Therefore, the artistic style is famous not only by the religious paintings and architecture but also because of Versailles Palace and the paintings by Paul Peter Rubens.
The picture titled “The Apotheosis of Henry IV and Proclamation of the Regency of Marie de’Medici” describes the key moment in the life of Maria de Medici. It is her ascent to power (Rubens). The painting is divided into two parts. On the left, the visitor can see the deification of Henry IV after his assassination, and on the right the new Queen Maria Medici is observed. The whole painting serves to the understanding of prestige and power. The bright cloth of the participants of the event shows the wealth of court as well the architecture of the place. Besides, the painting is full of the mythological symbols, which underline the divine nature of the monarchy. Henry IV is taken away to heaven by Jupiter and Saturn, who can be recognized according to their symbolic animals next to them. In turn, Maria de Medici is surrounded by Minerva and Prudence, which symbolize the wisdom of the queen. The painting was inspired by the ancient myths and shows the glorification of the French absolutism. This artwork is very pompous and dramatic. All the characters are moving and invite to participation and active perception of the event depicted in the painting. This is the main characteristic of the Baroque dramatic arts. The prestige of this painting is showed by the participation of the Roman gods and goddess in the deification and proclamation of the regency. This action means that the monarchy is supported by the ancient gods.
The palace of Versailles celebrates the French absolutism with every wealthy decorated room of the building. It was constructed as the residence of the French kings and queens. Yet, it seems that it was comfortable for boasting of the power than for living there. The Hall of Mirrors or the Grand Gallery is only a tiny part of the palace. It served as a passageway and a waiting room for the visitors. The luxury of this room should create the impression of the absolute power of the king. Besides, the place also contains mythological and symbolical details to highlight the French success in the political, economic and artistic areas (The hall of Mirrors). The history of Louis XIV is depicted in the 30 compositions by Le Brun and proclaims the political strength of France. Other military and diplomatic achievements are showed with the help of sculptures. The economic success is underlined with more than three hundred mirrors, which were the luxurious objects of that time. The triumph of arts is shown in the decoration of the room with pilasters and other objects. The dramatic effect of Baroque was achieved by the mirror images and the play of light and shadow visible to the visitors of the palace.

References

The hall of Mirrors. Retrieved from http://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover-estate/the-palace/the-palace/the-hall-of-mirrors
Rubens, P. P. (1621-1625 ). In The Apotheosis of Henry IV and Proclamation of the Regency of Marie de’Medici. Retrieved from http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/apotheosis-henri-iv-and-proclamation-regency-marie-de-medicis