Marie Antoinette

 

Marie Antoinette was the Queen of France and wife to Louis XVI. She was a frivolous and selfish individual that escaped her mundane life at the Versailles court by building expensive havens like 'The Petite Triannon', a mile from Versailles, where she would engage in gambling and drinking with her friends. It was even believed she had her secret love affair with Count Axel Fersen in the Triannon. With her extravagence came the regular people's poverty. Taxes were too high and there was a shortage of food and everyone looked to Marie Antoinette, or 'The Austrian Bitch' as to blame for their suffering. Like her husband, she was imprisoned and beheaded in 1793.

Louis XVI

 

Louis XVI was the fifth monarch of the Bourbon dynasty. He was a curious, enigmatic man and quite unlike his predecessors. From his childhood, he lacked in self-esteem and was percieved to be quite a mild person. Perhaps these personal traits were to blame for the indecision in his reign which led to famine in France and eventually a revolution. After years of imprisonment in a mediavel fortress called the Temple, Louis XVI was beheaded in 1793.

 

I would like to use key elements of Louis' reign and encorporate them into a drawing(or maybe a series of drawings), establishing a kind of simple narrative.

Versailles

This summer I spent a week in Paris and I thought it would be the perfect opputunity to visit Versailles, the old palace of the French monarchy. French history has always been one of my favourite parts of history so I thought this would be a good starting point for me. Here are some photos I took whilst walking round Versailles:

CROSS CURRICULAR

I am a big History obsessive and so this project brief was perfect for me to encorporate my interests from history into my final year of art a level.

Particular areas in history that I find interesting include:

• The Norman Conquest
• Henri IV of France and the French religious wars
• Henry VIII's reign
• "The Golden Age" of Queen Elizabeth
• Prince Rupert, his life and contribution in the English Civil War
• The French Revolution, particularly how this affected the Royal Family

MY PROJECT BRIEF

 

I intend to begin this unit by incorporating interests and influences from another subject through the title of “Cross Curricular.” Therefore, I have taken my love of History to experiment with the theme: “Stories in History.” I will begin by collecting and developing primary research which I intend to carry out over the summer holidays. I will visit History museums such as: Versailles and the Tower of London and photograph any important features. Using this primary research, I will then create a series of initial drawings and paintings from which I will try and create a narrative. For example, I will produce drawings of Louis-Charles XVI, the son of Louis XVI during the French Revolution, who was imprisoned, beaten and oppressed until his death at the age of eight. I might express this through my choice of materials, colour and line. Then, I will begin to develop my ideas and delve deeper into my topic, producing paintings that are captivating and have a story behind them. I would also like to write a short story for each painting, with my own illustrations and book cover design, briefly underling the key events so the viewer can fully comprehend the meaning behind the painting.