Versailles and the Arts

Catalog description

Taught in French, this course examines the political, cultural, and artistic history of Versailles in the 17th and 18th centuries, emphasizing its role in the history of music. It analyzes the ways in which the Sun-King achieved the unification and centralization of the French nation through certain artistic politics which likewise set the scene for musical institutions. This seminar therefore seeks to investigate how these artists' creations articulated evolving ideas around the court, the monarchy, the State, and the private and public spheres, while exploring their resonances in present art and literature.