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Baroque Art and Architecture in an Absolutist Age: Louis XIV makes Versailles the centre of political power in France
The Baroque period describes European art and architecture of the 17th and early 18th century - spreading to monumental creations such as the Palace of Versailles. It was the Baroque style that embodied the expression of absolutism. It was active and dynamic - highlighting military valour, dynastic power, and the majesty of figures of authority such as Louis XIV. This is a painting of Versailles by Pierre Patel in 1668, obtained from the "1643-1945: L'histoire par l'image" website. -
The Ubiquitous Presence of the Enlightenment: Voltaire's play, "l'Orphelin de la Chine", is presented in the drawing room of Madame Geoffrin
The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement in France, spreading throughout Europe, that emphasized the importance of reason, progress, and liberty. A social attribute of this period was how people would sit together in drawing rooms for the purpose of discussing the works and ideas of prominent thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke, etc. This is a painting of one of those instances, by Charles Gabriel Lemonnier, in 1755, obtained from the "1643-1945: L'histoire par l'image" website. -
The pre-eminence of Romanticism across Europe: Victor Hugo's play "Hernani" opens in Paris
Beginning near the end of the 18th century, Romanticism was a literary and artistic movement that reacted against the Enlightenment. French romantics reacted from a state of disarray after the horrors of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Amongst them, Victor Hugo is a figure noted for his contributions to the genre. This painting, obtained from the "1643-1945: L'histoire par l'image" website, is Albert Besnard's depiction of the opening of Hugo's "romantic" play "Hernani" in 1830. -
The Rise of the Victorian/Industrial Novel: Charles Dickens's tenth novel "Hard Times" is published
Victorianism decribes the period of English history between the passage of the first Reform Bill (1832) and the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. The period also saw prolific literary activity and significant social reform and criticism. Charles Dickens, one of the great novelists of the era, wrote many novels castigating the social conditions of the time. This is an illustration, by Frederick Walker, for the first edition of "Hard Times" in 1854. It can be found in many editions of the novel. -
The Midst of 20th Century Modernism: Legendary war poet Wilfred Owen releases a final recording of "The Sentry"
Modernism was a literary and artistic movement that provided a radical breaks with traditional modes of Western art, thought, religion, social conventions, and morality. Modernists, like Wilfred Owen, had a much bleaker view of society after the Great War and the dissolution of empires. This primary source, obtained from the BBC History website, is Owen's recording of his poem "The Sentry" in 1917. He sends it to Sassoon, who ensures its publication, before his demise. -
The transition into High Moderism in the "Jazz Age": Henri Lesbasque paints "La Cigarette"
High modernism is a movement prevalent during the excesses of the 1920s, when society is transforming under the pressures of modernity. In literature and arts, it is considered the "golden-age'. This is a painting, by Henri Lesbasque in 1921, emblematic of the extravagance of the time that would've induced High Modernism. It was obtained from the "1643-1945: L'histoire par l'image" website.
