Constructing the Sublime: The Discourse on Architecture and Louis XIV's Sublimity in Seventeenth-Century Paris (2024)

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Constructing the Sublime: The Discourse on Architecture and Louis XIV's Sublimity in Seventeenth-Century Paris (2024)

FAQs

What is the sublime in architecture? ›

The sublime refers to immense ideas like space, time, death, and the divine. In 20th century architecture, any mention of the sublime and the beautiful seems to have been deliberately repressed by theorists and designers anxious to distance themselves from the recent past.

What was the architecture of the 17th century Paris? ›

The emerging Baroque style in architecture provided an ideal way in which to express the enhanced power of France's royal government, and for much of the seventeenth century it was the city of Paris that benefited architecturally from the wealth and resources that France's new stability afforded.

What was the concept of the sublime? ›

The theory of sublime art was put forward by Edmund Burke in A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful published in 1757. He defined the sublime as an artistic effect productive of the strongest emotion the mind is capable of feeling.

What is the explanation of sublime? ›

Definitions of sublime. adjective. of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style. synonyms: elevated, exalted, grand, high-flown, high-minded, idealistic, lofty, noble-minded, rarefied, rarified noble. having or showing or indicative of high or elevated character.

What did Louis XIV build in Paris? ›

Louis XIV, a great lover of the arts

The King was a patron and protector of artists such as Molière, Lully and Racine, and was responsible for the creation of La Comédie française, the Gobelins Royal Manufactory and the Royal Academy of Dance which evolved over the years to become the Paris Opera that we know today.

What was happening in Paris in the 17th century? ›

Paris had suffered greatly during the wars of religion; a third of the Parisians had fled; the population was estimated to be 300,000 in 1600. Many houses were destroyed, and the grand projects of the Louvre, the Hôtel de Ville, and the Tuileries Palace were unfinished.

What is unique about Paris architecture? ›

The most dramatic new feature of Paris religious architecture in the 17th century was the dome, which was first imported from Italy in about 1630, and began to change the Paris skyline, which hitherto had been entirely dominated by church spires and bell towers.

What does sublime style mean? ›

In aesthetics, the sublime (from the Latin sublīmis) is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual, or artistic. The term especially refers to a greatness beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement, or imitation.

What is an example of the sublime? ›

sublime
  • He composed some of the most sublime symphonies in existence.
  • Seen in the metal, the 330 GTC is a thing of sublime beauty. ...
  • The setup may have been well-worn, but the punch line was sublime. ...
  • The fit of the earbuds is comfortable and the sound is sublime.
Jul 17, 2024

What is the sublime in landscape architecture? ›

'Sublime' meant wild and frightening, like a rough sea or the views that might be obtained while crossing the Alps on a rocky track in a horsedrawn coach. 'Picturesque' was an intermediate term, introduced after Burke, to describe a scene with elements of the Beautiful and the Sublime.

What are the elements of on the sublime? ›

Finally, Longinus sets out five sources of sublimity: "great thoughts, strong emotions, certain figures of thought and speech, noble diction, and dignified word arrangement".

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