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Mark20Jiang20 20Unit20320Monumenental20Architecture2020Art20and20Relig
Mark20Jiang20 20Unit20320Monumenental20Architecture2020Art20and20Relig
Unit 3: Topic 3.2 Religious Sites, Art, and Monumental Architecture (1450 - 1750CE)
Location, Historical Significance & Other Notes
Time Period,
& Empire Think PIECES - find ways to connect information to what you see in your
“Topics” for Unit 3, especially Topic 3.2
Versailles Location: Notes: The site used to be a small hunting lodge until Louis XIV decided
Versailles, to build the palace on it. It is a major example of the over-the-top
France excesses of the French nobles that led to the French Revolution. The
architect team had Louis le Vau, André le Nôtre, and Charles le Brun.
Time Period: The palace was completed 21 years after it was begun in 1661, allowing
Louis and his closest friends, family, courtiers, servants, and soldiers
(1661-1710) (20,000 people), to set up a court there. The French government was
thus shifted away from the feuding, gossiping, trouble-making noble
Early Modern families in Paris. The most important room, the Hall of Mirrors, caught
Period the sun's rays to remind us again of Louis XIV’s power. After Louis XIV,
the room has been used for parties and military agreements (Treaty of
Empire: France Versailles). The outside of the palace had more classical elements, and
was ‘repetitive’ in comparison to the inside. This ancient past was seen
as the root of the intellectual and aesthetic superiority that people
believed had descended to France. Louis linked himself to the Sun God,
Apollo, a lot (hence the name Sun King).
How was this palace used to legitimize the rule of the French king?
The enormous, grand palace legitimized the rule of the French king as it
clearly demonstrated his wealth and glory; the classicism of the palace
showed his intellectual and cultural stature. Showing your power and
money legitimizes your rule as those are two favored aspects of a
leader; the people would’ve thought that the king was a powerful,
wealthy, and thus good ruler.
This palace illustrated absolutism as it symbolized how the king had all
of the power. Also, Louis XIV made sure the nobles were in the palace
so that he could keep an eye on them at all times; he did not want any
possibilities of the nobles being able to work on their own/secretly plot
against him. This showed absolutism as he did not let any other
government officials have power.
Sistine Chapel, ceiling & altar wall Location: Notes: Michelangelo had been the major artist of the ceiling of the
frescoes Sistine Chapel. He proposed to paint scenes of the Old Testament, which
Vatican City, is now what is on the ceiling today. The narrative begins at the altar and
Rome is divided into three sections. In the first three paintings, Michelangelo
tells the story of The Creation of the Heavens and Earth; then The
Time Period: Creation of Adam and Eve and the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden;
and lastly the story of Noah and the Great Flood. In 1510, Michelangelo
Renaissance
took a yearlong break from the chapel, and the frescoes after this break
Early Modern were different from before; they now showed the essential figures on a
monumental scale. The sibyls and prophets showed this monumentality
Period
greatly. (The Libyan Sibyl was especially important.) The chapel was
Empire: completed in 1512 by Michelangelo, and it would turn into a veritable
Rome academy for young painters. The chapel itself has great importance to
Catholicism, and in it the Pope will lead mass; the college of cardinals
also use a room in the chapel to decide the next pope.
How was this palace used to legitimize the rule of the Ming and Qing
Emperors?
The palaces were used to legitimize the rule of the Ming and Qing
emperors as they showed the imperial family’s supreme status, such as
their power and wealth. It also appealed to Confucian and Chinese
philosophy with its types of buildings and layout. This legitimized their
rule as having power and wealth as a ruler gained the favor of the
people, and the Confucian elements gained the favor of the scholars.
Qing Imperial Portraits Location: Notes: Ceremonies during the Qing Dynasty included using art.
Beijing, China Portraits of emperors decorated many palaces in the Forbidden City,
(inside and they were important in funeral rituals for when an emperor died.
Forbidden City) Remnants of ancestor veneration are seen in how some emperors had
performed ceremonies before portraits of previous rulers of their
Time Period:
dynasty, even kowtowing to them. The emperor’s legitimacy was
Early Modern
enhanced with these portraits, and legitimacy was crucial for Emperor
Period
Kangxi.
Empire: China
How did imperial portraits legitimize the rule of Qing Emperors?
(Qing Dynasty)
Imperial portraits were able to portray the emperors with qualities
favored in China and in imperial Confucian ideology. For example,
portraits of Kangxi showed him surrounded by books or holding a book.
In imperial Confucian ideology, scholarship and being knowledgeable
merit legitimacy for the emperor, and the books symbolized that.
Emperor Kangxi, a Manchu, also needed to get respect from ethnic
Chinese. Promoting himself as an accomplished scholar helped give
him the favor of the scholar bureaucrats and gain the Mandate of
Heaven in the people’s eyes.
Ryoan-ji Location: Notes: A temple affiliated with a branch of Zen Buddhism. The
Kyoto, Japan rock garden and architecture of Ryoanji demonstrate the
quintessence and aesthetics of Zen. It thrived as a major Zen
Time Period: center for the cultural activities of the elite from the late 16th
Edo Period through the first half of the 17th century under the patronage of
the Hosokawa family. Today, the location is regarded as an
Early Modern expression of Zen art and a symbol of Zen Buddhism and
Period Japanese culture. It is one of the most famous examples of a
rock garden, which consists of rocks and pebbles rather than
Empire: Japan
plants and water. They were primarily made on the grounds of
temples to encourage contemplation. The garden itself may have
been inspired by aspects of both Japanese and Chinese culture.
There are 15 rocks of different sizes in the garden, and they are
carefully placed so that one can only possibly see 14 of the 15 at
once from any angle. The date and creator of the garden are
debated. The creators may have been either Mastumoto, the
chief patron of Ryoanji, or Soami, the connoisseur, painter, and
garden designer attending the Ashikaga shogunate. There are
also several theories about what the garden means, but either
way, its rustic austerity and minimalist rock garden have played a
major role in art and architecture from medieval times to today
in Japan. There had been a radical shift in the interior program of
the Zen monastery during the late Momoyama and early Edo
periods, led by the rise of samurai warlords as important patrons
of art and formidable political entities. Today, scholars have
criticized the romanticized notion of Zen art and culture as a
symbol of Japanese aesthetic, and say that this view came from
growing nationalism in Japan during the 20th century. Also, Zen
Buddhism was spread in the west and filtered through modernist
artists.
The Hagia Sophia was like a model for this mosque. Sinan sought
to improve upon it, and take the Byzantine legacy.
Taj Mahal Location: Notes: Shah Jahan was the fifth ruler of the Mughal Dynasty, and his
Agra, India wife (Mumtaz Mahal) died during his third regnal year (due to issues
with birthing their 14th child). The emperor almost immediately began
Time Period: constructing a suitable, permanent resting place for her. He would then
Early create the Luminous Tomb, as it was called in contemporary Mughal
Modern
texts, which is known today as the Taj Mahal. Its dome shape was not
Period
unique, but it was, however, exceptional for its massive scale, stunning
Empire: gardens, lavish ornamentation, and its overt use of white marble. Agra,
Mughal where Shah Jahan had taken the throne in 1628, had been located on
Empire the banks of the Yamuna River. It quickly earned the reputation as a
“riverfront garden city”, as it had meticulously planned gardens. The
first impression when entering is of grand splendor and symmetry.
There are two identical buildings flanking on either side of the
mausoleum; one is a mosque, while the other’s purpose is unknown,
but provides architectural balance. Minarets being used ornamentally
rather than functionally (like in mosques) shows the Mughal focus on
structural balance and harmony. The Taj Mahal uses the hasht bishisht
(8 levels) principle, alluding to the eight levels of paradise. The center
of the main chamber holds the intricately decorated marble cenotaph
of Mumtaz Mahal on a raised platform. The emperor’s cenotaph was
laid beside hers after his death three decades later. Their remains are in
a coffin in the spaces directly beneath the cenotaphs. Viewing from the
moon gardens across the river makes the complex seem grander, which
shows the brilliance of the architect. The gardens incorporated
waterways and fountains, a new type of gardening that was introduced
to India by Babur. The best material and skills were employed, with the
finest marble coming from quarries 250 miles away in Makrarna,
Rajasthan. There are many theories for what the Taj Mahal was, like it
being an architectural symbol of love in popular literature, a Divine
Throne on the Day of Judgment, a replica of a house of paradise, or a
vanity project built to legitimize Mughal rule. Shah Jahan would die as a
prisoner.
How does this work of art legitimize and glorify the Mughal Emperor?