Politics, Art & Architecture

One thing I tried to pay close attention to on this trip was any correlation between politics and art or architecture. Whether it was used to advance a political agenda, document a political act, or to spin actual events that occurred due to political actions. I ended up gaining a lot of insight by doing this.

The first painting I thought of, which I actually got to see in the Louvre, was "Liberty Leading the People" by Eugene Delacroix. This was painted during the French Revolution. In this painting Liberty is represented by a woman holding the French flag and a bayoneted musket. She leading the people over the bodies of those already killed. I thought it was interesting that the people she was leading were made up of different social classes. In the painting in a man with a top hat representing the upper class. The boy holding the pistols represent the middle class. I read that some speculate that this little boy may have been the inspiration for the character Gavroche in "Les Miserables".
This painting shows the determination the people had to make changes for themselves and overthrow their unjust and overburdening government. Just as a side note, I hadn't noticed before but you can see Notre Dame in the right corner of this painting.

To go along with this, while I was in London I saw the musical "Les Miserables" which was set during the French Revolution and demonstrates the enthusiasm and determination the "rebels" had. Plus it has amazing music. The whole time I was at the Palace of Versailles I thought about Les Mis and I could help but think, no wonder the people rebelled. They were starving and their rulers were redecorating with gold embroidered fabrics. That would be infuriating; not being able to feed your family but your leaders are indulging in unnecessary, materialistic things.