Reviews of English Periods

I first reviewed Kristina P.'s post on her ideas of the English Renaissance period.  She highlighted each different furniture designer and did some research on who designed which type of furniture and had a few informational videos on specific details.  She also included fabrics that could have been used as upholstery and found a few different modern applications that included different types of upholstered furniture with these fabric designs.

Next, I looked over Katie's post that focused on the late English Neoclassic renaissance era.  She picked one of her favorite designers, Robert Adams, and went into more detail about his background and his strengths in furniture and interior design.  I was able to learn a bit more about his approaches and she had many images to correlate with her research.  Very informative!

ENGLISH PERIODS

Early Renaissance 1550-1660

Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, United Kingdom

Middle Renaissance 1660-1750

St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England

Late Renaissance 1750-1850

Newby Hall, Yorkshire, England

English Middle Renaissance 1660-1750

Modern Queen Anne Chairs

Although there are countless amounts of architectural advances made during the English periods, a lot of the advances were largely towards furniture and interior design.  The 18th Century English Middle Renaissance was the golden age for English cabinet making, and each designer took a different approach to marketing their works to the population.   This was a prosperous time with the developmental shift towards a more social time that gave people the chance to enjoy the company of others.

William and Mary Chairs

THEN:

Mary Stuart and William III shifted the idea of furniture from decoration to comfort.  Upholstery was first introduced on the seats of each chair that had fabrics like velvet and leather.  Highly ornamented seat backs had an oriental influence.  "X" shaped stretchers attached each straight-formed leg.  This also was know as the age of walnut where oak was utilized less and less.

Windsor Chairs

The Windsor chair uses wood solely with a large seat that usually had a shallow-shaped, carved dish to provide comfort.  Rather than the William and Mary chairs being straight legged and very intricate, the Windsor chair had legs that were winged out on an angle with each one pushed into drill holes for a very simplistic style.  The backs of the seat had steam-bent pieces of wood rounded around to the sides of the chair to provide more comfort.

NOW:

Modern English design is traditionally used in residential and some eclectic restaurant applications.  These application photos were chosen for the chair design that is being highlighted in each dining room shot.

Review of French Periods

I first took a look at Samantha's blog, and she mainly focused on different interior design elements that stemmed from the French Rococo period.  Having it also be one of my favorite periods that we have studied as well, I appreciated her more extensive research approach to the time period.  Her modern day examples of the Rococo period were also great examples of such representation.

Next, I viewed Lindsay's blog in the French Baroque styles.  Knowing that she has visited the Palace of Versailles, I was eager to see what information she had to offer first hand.  She explained the structure of the palace itself, but also went into some interesting detail about the Hall of Mirrors and the gardens surrounding.   Her modern day examples of the Baroque period were very tasteful and depicted the modern simplicity of the very intricate and dramatic look of this time period.

FRENCH PERIODS

EARLY RENAISSANCE (1484-1547)

Chateau de Chambord

LATE RENAISSANCE (1589-1643)

Chateau de Blois

BAROQUE STYLE (1643-1700)

Vaux-le-Vicomte

REGENCY STYLE (1700-1730)

Italian Comedians - Jean Antoine Watteau

ROCOCO STYLE (1730-1760)

Bureau de Roi

NEOCLASSICAL STYLE (1760-1789)

Bibliotheque National de France

BAROQUE STYLE (1643-1700)

Palais de Versailles

Baroque style and elaboration are synonymous.  First understanding the Renaissance is important in understanding the Baroque style because it is generated and reacted upon that style.  In France, the major building were not churches like in previous periods, but actually were residences, and the shift towards comfort is more important than it was early on.  French artists and architects worked not towards an expression of religious sentiment, but  to express national power.  King Louis XIV was a leader who lived and ruled with the French national art and style as a pat of a political program. 

Architecture and Interiors

Vaux-le-Vicomte

THEN:

Vaux-le-Vicomte was a chateaux designed by architect Louis Le Vau for Nicholas Fouquet.  It was used as a forerunner for the Palace of Versailles to test the materials and design ideas.  The floor plan is completely symmetrical and its views from the exterior show a three-tiered system with a large center entrance.

NOW:

Symmetrical floor plans are still widely used in residential design to give both the on-lookers and owners a balanced and organized design mirrored with similar architectural elements and materials.

Gardens

Gardens of Palais de Versailles

THEN: 

Baroque gardens used nature as a natural architectural canvas and material.  Parts of pools, canals, and waterworks were even used to provide a viewing foreground of beauty.  The designers for the gardens at the Palace of Versailles produced the most artistically innovative and largest project ever created up to this time period.  Louis Le Vau used the existing chateau to create gardens that gave visitors an exquisite view.

NOW:

Lavish and intricate gardens are constructed in upscale residential applications as well as large community parks, zoos, and race tracks all over the world to instill natural beauty for those visiting.

More Information

Here is a link to a quick 5 minute video giving an overview of the different architectural feats that took place during this time period.  Very informative! 

French Baroque Style Architecture Overview