Introduction to Art in France

In France, monarchical authority had been increasing for centuries, culminating the the reign of Louis XIV (r. 1661-1715), who sought to determine the direction of French society and culture. Although its economy was not as expansive as the Dutch Republic’s, France became Europe’s largest and most powerful nation in the seventeenth century. Against this backdrop, the arts flourished.

The preeminent French art patron of the seventeenth century was King Louis XIV himself. Determined to consolidate and expand his power, Louis was a master of political strategy and propaganda. He established a carefully crafted and nuanced relationship with the nobility, granting them sufficient benefits to keep them pacified but simultaneously maintaining rigorous control to avoid insurrection or rebellion. He also ensured subservience by anchoring his rule in divine right (belief in a king’s absolute power as God’s will), rendering Louis’ authority incontestable. So convinced was Louis of his importance and centrality to the French kingdom that he eagerly adopted the title “the Sun King.” Like the planets and the sun, all of France revolved around Louis XIV. He sought to regulate taste and establish the classical style as the preferred French manner. The founding of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1648 served to advance this goal.^[1]