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Soft droplets with my most recent music composition (It was tomorrow it was yesterday)
"C'était demain, c'était Hier"
youtu.be/i_iOkwarlEI
This week's FlickrFriday theme is: #Dew
Le thème de ce FlickrFriday est: #Rosée
O tema desta FlickrFriday é: #Orvalho
本次 FlickrFriday 主題: #露
FlickrFriday-Thema der Woche: #Tau
El tema de FlickrFriday es: #Rocío
April's Explore Takeover: The Four Elements
www.flickr.com/groups/2684497@N24/discuss/72157721922627721/
P. 18
The Last Sunset of 2024
O Ultimo Pôr do Sol de 2024
HDR editing
Software: Snapseed
Ponte Honestino Guimarães
Lago Paranoá, Lago Sul
Brasília, Brasil
April's Explore Takeover: The Four Elements
www.flickr.com/groups/2684497@N24/discuss/72157721922627721/
P. 20
The Last Sunset of 2024
O Ultimo Pôr do Sol de 2024
HDR editing
Software: Snapseed
Ponte Honestino Guimarães
Lago Paranoá, Lago Sul
Brasília, Brasil
April's Explore Takeover: The Four Elements
www.flickr.com/groups/2684497@N24/discuss/72157721922627721/
p.15
Amanhecer - Sunrise
Lightweight HDR editing
Anta Lagoon, also known as Meditation Island
Cerrado Biome
Environmental Protection Area
Brasília National Park
Parque Nacional de Brasília
Água Mineral
Brasília, Brasil
The Sun Between the Clouds of Smoke
Tragedy in Brasilia, since yesterday the Brasilia National Park has been on fire.
A place where I always go to take pictures.
The situation is critical, the FIRES are CRIMINAL.
A large cloud of smoke covers the city of Brasilia
On 09/16/2024
Um dos focos de Incêndio visto á partir de minha casa.
Tragédia em Brasília, desde ontem o Parque Nacional de Brasília está em chamas.
Local onde sempre vou para fotografar.
A situação é critica, os INCENDIOS são CRIMINOSOS.
Uma extensa nuvem de fumaça cobre a cidade de Brasília
Em 16/09/2024
Brasília, Brasil
April's Explore Takeover: The Four Elements
www.flickr.com/groups/2684497@N24/discuss/72157721922627721/
25/04/12 p. 13
From the Rotonde d''Apollon Into the Galerie d'Apollon, in the Petite Galerie
The architect Louis Le Vau designed this huge circular room, today known as the Rotonde d''Apollon (Apollo Rotunda), in 1660. The painter Charles Errard supervised its decoration (only the stuccos were executed in 1659 by Francesco Caccia). Used as an audience chamber by Louis XIV, the "salon du Dôme" (Dome Room) became the "Cabinet des tableaux du Roi" (King's Cabinet of Paintings) in 1682. From 1692 to 1793 it was part of the premises of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which every August 25 used it to present works by pupils competing for the Grand Prix.
The unfinished decoration was completed during Louis XVIII's reign. The cupola illustrates the theme of the sun with Merry-Joseph Blondel's The Fall of Icarus. The arches are devoted to the four elements, symbolised by mythological scenes: Earth, Fire, and Water by Auguste Couder, and Air by Merry-Joseph Blondel. Each scene is separated from the next by a trompe-l'oeil bas-relief by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse. The stuccos were restored and completed by Francesco Belloni*.
The Petite Galerie itself is an iconic wing of the Louvre. This was created in the second half of the 16th century under the command of Charles IX as a single storey hall. But construction wasn’t completed as internal conflicts locked France up in more important matters. As the century came to a close, the Petite Galerie got its second storey — and this is where the Galerie d’Apollon would eventually go. Before then, however, there was the Galerie des Rois, which showed artwork owned by Henry IV. Anne of Austria enjoyed the bottom floor as a summer apartment, which is why it has been lavishly decorated since the 1650s (some of this still survives today).
[Louvre Guide]
On 6th February 1661, flames ripped through the splendid Petite Galerie dating from the reign of Henri IV. Henri’s grandson, Louis XIV, immediately set about constructing an even more beautiful gallery to replace it and entrusted its design to the architect Louis Le Vau. The young king, aged twenty-three, had recently chosen the sun as his emblem, and so this became the theme of his new gallery, named after Apollo, the Greek god of the sun and the arts.
Charles Le Brun, First Painter to the king, was commissioned to design the decoration. He called on the finest artists to create it. The Galerie d’Apollon – the first royal gallery in France – was a laboratory for aesthetic and architectural experimentation which, twenty years later, served as a model for an icon of French classicism: the Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles.
Le Brun decorated the gallery’s vaulted ceiling with paintings of Apollo driving his chariot across the sky. Those along the central axis show the sun god’s journey, marking the different times of the day from Dawn to Night. These are surrounded by a whole cosmos of images and symbols of everything that is influenced by variations in the sun’s light and heat (the hours, days, months, seasons, signs of the zodiac and continents). The ‘Gallery of Apollo’, with its lavish carved and painted decoration, gave visual form to the sun’s power over the whole universe, magnifying the glory of the Sun King.
However, it was not long before Louis XIV began to leave Paris and the Louvre behind in favour of Versailles, where he and his court eventually settled for good. The gallery’s decoration was not completed until two centuries later, in 1850, under the direction of architect Félix Duban. To decorate the centre of the ceiling, Delacroix was commissioned for a 12-metre wide painting; the result, Apollo Slaying the Serpent Python, is a manifesto of French Romanticism. The wall decoration was also completed, with portrait tapestries of 28 monarchs and artists who had built and embellished the Louvre palace over the centuries.
The royal collection also includes the Crown Jewels. The so-called ‘Côte de Bretagne’ spinel, which once belonged to Anne de Bretagne, is the oldest of the gems to have survived a tumultuous history involving theft, dispersal and sale. Three historical diamonds – the Regent, the Sancy and the Hortensia – formerly adorned royal crowns or garments. The spectacular 19th-century jewellery sets in the collection include emerald and diamond pieces that once belonged to Empress Marie Louise.
[Musee du Louvre]
Taken in the Louvre
The Musee du Louvre, in Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre)
Built over the Louvre fortress (itself founded by Philip II in 1190), the Louvre Palace was the chief residence of French kings from 1546, under Francis I until 1682, when Louis XIV moved to Versailles. Although Louis moved the household, the royal collection remained in the palace and in 1692 it was joined by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, remaining there for 100 years. The palace became a museum following the French Revolution, at the instruction of the National Assembly, and the Musee du Louvre opened 10 August 1793.
From the Rotonde d''Apollon Into the Galerie d'Apollon, in the Petite Galerie
The architect Louis Le Vau designed this huge circular room, today known as the Rotonde d''Apollon (Apollo Rotunda), in 1660. The painter Charles Errard supervised its decoration (only the stuccos were executed in 1659 by Francesco Caccia). Used as an audience chamber by Louis XIV, the "salon du Dôme" (Dome Room) became the "Cabinet des tableaux du Roi" (King's Cabinet of Paintings) in 1682. From 1692 to 1793 it was part of the premises of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which every August 25 used it to present works by pupils competing for the Grand Prix.
The unfinished decoration was completed during Louis XVIII's reign. The cupola illustrates the theme of the sun with Merry-Joseph Blondel's The Fall of Icarus. The arches are devoted to the four elements, symbolised by mythological scenes: Earth, Fire, and Water by Auguste Couder, and Air by Merry-Joseph Blondel. Each scene is separated from the next by a trompe-l'oeil bas-relief by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse. The stuccos were restored and completed by Francesco Belloni*.
The Petite Galerie itself is an iconic wing of the Louvre. This was created in the second half of the 16th century under the command of Charles IX as a single storey hall. But construction wasn’t completed as internal conflicts locked France up in more important matters. As the century came to a close, the Petite Galerie got its second storey — and this is where the Galerie d’Apollon would eventually go. Before then, however, there was the Galerie des Rois, which showed artwork owned by Henry IV. Anne of Austria enjoyed the bottom floor as a summer apartment, which is why it has been lavishly decorated since the 1650s (some of this still survives today).
[Louvre Guide]
On 6th February 1661, flames ripped through the splendid Petite Galerie dating from the reign of Henri IV. Henri’s grandson, Louis XIV, immediately set about constructing an even more beautiful gallery to replace it and entrusted its design to the architect Louis Le Vau. The young king, aged twenty-three, had recently chosen the sun as his emblem, and so this became the theme of his new gallery, named after Apollo, the Greek god of the sun and the arts.
Charles Le Brun, First Painter to the king, was commissioned to design the decoration. He called on the finest artists to create it. The Galerie d’Apollon – the first royal gallery in France – was a laboratory for aesthetic and architectural experimentation which, twenty years later, served as a model for an icon of French classicism: the Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles.
Le Brun decorated the gallery’s vaulted ceiling with paintings of Apollo driving his chariot across the sky. Those along the central axis show the sun god’s journey, marking the different times of the day from Dawn to Night. These are surrounded by a whole cosmos of images and symbols of everything that is influenced by variations in the sun’s light and heat (the hours, days, months, seasons, signs of the zodiac and continents). The ‘Gallery of Apollo’, with its lavish carved and painted decoration, gave visual form to the sun’s power over the whole universe, magnifying the glory of the Sun King.
However, it was not long before Louis XIV began to leave Paris and the Louvre behind in favour of Versailles, where he and his court eventually settled for good. The gallery’s decoration was not completed until two centuries later, in 1850, under the direction of architect Félix Duban. To decorate the centre of the ceiling, Delacroix was commissioned for a 12-metre wide painting; the result, Apollo Slaying the Serpent Python, is a manifesto of French Romanticism. The wall decoration was also completed, with portrait tapestries of 28 monarchs and artists who had built and embellished the Louvre palace over the centuries.
The royal collection also includes the Crown Jewels. The so-called ‘Côte de Bretagne’ spinel, which once belonged to Anne de Bretagne, is the oldest of the gems to have survived a tumultuous history involving theft, dispersal and sale. Three historical diamonds – the Regent, the Sancy and the Hortensia – formerly adorned royal crowns or garments. The spectacular 19th-century jewellery sets in the collection include emerald and diamond pieces that once belonged to Empress Marie Louise.
[Musee du Louvre]
Taken in the Louvre
The Musee du Louvre, in Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre)
Built over the Louvre fortress (itself founded by Philip II in 1190), the Louvre Palace was the chief residence of French kings from 1546, under Francis I until 1682, when Louis XIV moved to Versailles. Although Louis moved the household, the royal collection remained in the palace and in 1692 it was joined by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, remaining there for 100 years. The palace became a museum following the French Revolution, at the instruction of the National Assembly, and the Musee du Louvre opened 10 August 1793.
The vestibule to the Galerie d'Apollon
The Galerie d'Apollon is in the Petite Galerie, a wing of the Louvre; before the Galerie d'Apollon is the circular vestibule, both of which were initially completed in 1663. The ceiling of the vestibule holds Le Soleil. La chute d'Icare.(The Sun. The Fall of Icarus), 1819 by Merry-Joseph Blondel.
After spending three years at the Villa Medici in Rome to study Italian painting, Merry-Joseph Blondel (1781-1853) exhibited regularly at the Salon, where he was awarded a prize in 1817. Appreciated under the Restoration, he received numerous commissions. In 1818, he was commissioned to paint the central ceiling of the hallway of the ‘Galerie d’Apollon’ (Gallery of Apollo). He chose as his theme the fall of Icarus, strikingly lyrical in its realism. His painting reflects the unleashing of passions and natural elements. He is one of the best representatives of early 19th century history painting.
[The Explorers]
The architect Louis Le Vau designed this huge circular room, today known as the Rotonde d'Apollon (Apollo Rotunda), in 1660. The painter Charles Errard supervised decoration (only the stuccos were executed in 1659 by Francesco Caccia). Used as an audience chamber by Louis XIV, the "salon du Dôme" (Dome Room) became the "Cabinet des tableaux du Roi" (King's Cabinet of Paintings) in 1682. From 1692 to 1793 it was part of the premises of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which every August 25 used it to present works by pupils competing for the Grand Prix.
The unfinished decoration was completed during Louis XVIII's reign. The cupola illustrates the theme of the sun with Merry-Joseph Blondel's The Fall of Icarus. The arches are devoted to the four elements, symbolised by mythological scenes: Earth, Fire, and Water by Auguste Couder, and Air by Merry-Joseph Blondel. Each scene is separated from the next by a trompe-l'oeil bas-relief by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse. The stuccos were restored and completed by Francesco Belloni.
[Musee du Louvre]
The Petite Galerie itself is an iconic wing of the Louvre. This was created in the second half of the 16th century under the command of Charles IX as a single story hall. But construction wasn’t completed as internal conflicts locked France up in more important matters. As the century came to a close, the Petite Galerie got its second story — and this is where the Galerie d’Apollon would eventually go. Before then, however, there was the Galerie des Rois, which showed artwork owned by Henry IV. Anne of Austria enjoyed the bottom floor as a summer apartment, which is why it has been lavishly decorated since the 1650s (some of this still survives today). In 1661, a fire destroyed much of the Petite Galerie. And so the famous Louis Le Vau was ordered by King Louis XIV to restore the wing and raise it to even grander heights of magisterial excess.
Louis Le Vau was a leader of the French Classical style, famously overseeing massive building projects at Versailles. And it was here at the Gallery of Apollo that he would prove his worth for those larger ventures later on. Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, wanted to turn the Petite Galerie fire into an opportunity to rebuild it as something grander than ever imagined. The overwhelming beauty of this gallery would be a form of soft power — showing how refined and elegant the French King was, how indomitable his greatness. It was a move he made often, supporting the arts and sciences to improve his image across the continent.
The new space was called the Gallery of Apollo because Louis XIV closely identified himself with the god Apollo from antiquity. The theme for the room was the travel of the Sun through the sky, a fitting tribute to Louis the Sun King. As Apollo is often merged with the Greek god of the Sun Helios, the mythic symbolism became weighted with extra significance.
There is another historical component. It was only in the 16th century that Copernicus declared that the Earth revolved around the Sun, not the other way around. And Louis XIV, like many of the French kings that came before him, loved and so patronized astronomy. He even commissioned the Paris Observatory (which you can still visit), and he founded the French Academy of Sciences.
To pull off connecting his personality with the Sun itself, Louis XIV tapped the powers of the great Charles Le Brun (an artist who would later work at Versailles) to decorate the interior. It was here in the Gallery of Apollo that Le Brun’s commissions gave him the ability to experiment and push excess to its absolute limits. The innovations found in this room would go on to influence generations of French interior design and decorative arts.
When it was completed in 1663, the room was by far the most decorated in Europe — with at least 60% of its surfaces covered by gold leaf! The audacity of this space went on to inspire the famous Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.
Though great strides were made in his lifetime, Louis XIV never saw the gallery completed. And in fact, its continuous improvement lasted centuries. It wasn’t until the middle of the 19th century that the room would come to its completed state under the aegis of architect Félix Duban. He employed the services of well known painters of his generation, including Eugène Delacroix...It was Delacroix who was given the capstone achievement of the entire hall. It is his Apollo Slaying the Serpent Python (1851), a 12-meter wide ceiling mural, that serves as the culmination of centuries of construction and as one of the most shining achievements of French Romanticism.
[Louvre Guide]
Taken in the Louvre
The Musee du Louvre, in Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre)
Built over the Louvre fortress (itself founded by Philip II in 1190), the Louvre Palace was the chief residence of French kings from 1546, under Francis I until 1682, when Louis XIV moved to Versailles. Although Louis moved the household, the royal collection remained in the palace and in 1692 it was joined by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, remaining there for 100 years. The palace became a museum following the French Revolution, at the instruction of the National Assembly, and the Musee du Louvre opened 10 August 1793.
The vestibule to the Galerie d'Apollon
The Galerie d'Apollon is in the Petite Galerie, a wing of the Louvre; before the Galerie d'Apollon is the circular vestibule, both of which were initially completed in 1663. The ceiling of the vestibule holds Le Soleil. La chute d'Icare.(The Sun. The Fall of Icarus), 1819 by Merry-Joseph Blondel.
After spending three years at the Villa Medici in Rome to study Italian painting, Merry-Joseph Blondel (1781-1853) exhibited regularly at the Salon, where he was awarded a prize in 1817. Appreciated under the Restoration, he received numerous commissions. In 1818, he was commissioned to paint the central ceiling of the hallway of the ‘Galerie d’Apollon’ (Gallery of Apollo). He chose as his theme the fall of Icarus, strikingly lyrical in its realism. His painting reflects the unleashing of passions and natural elements. He is one of the best representatives of early 19th century history painting.
[The Explorers]
The architect Louis Le Vau designed this huge circular room, today known as the Rotonde d'Apollon (Apollo Rotunda), in 1660. The painter Charles Errard supervised decoration (only the stuccos were executed in 1659 by Francesco Caccia). Used as an audience chamber by Louis XIV, the "salon du Dôme" (Dome Room) became the "Cabinet des tableaux du Roi" (King's Cabinet of Paintings) in 1682. From 1692 to 1793 it was part of the premises of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which every August 25 used it to present works by pupils competing for the Grand Prix.
The unfinished decoration was completed during Louis XVIII's reign. The cupola illustrates the theme of the sun with Merry-Joseph Blondel's The Fall of Icarus. The arches are devoted to the four elements, symbolised by mythological scenes: Earth, Fire, and Water by Auguste Couder, and Air by Merry-Joseph Blondel. Each scene is separated from the next by a trompe-l'oeil bas-relief by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse. The stuccos were restored and completed by Francesco Belloni.
[Musee du Louvre]
The Petite Galerie itself is an iconic wing of the Louvre. This was created in the second half of the 16th century under the command of Charles IX as a single story hall. But construction wasn’t completed as internal conflicts locked France up in more important matters. As the century came to a close, the Petite Galerie got its second story — and this is where the Galerie d’Apollon would eventually go. Before then, however, there was the Galerie des Rois, which showed artwork owned by Henry IV. Anne of Austria enjoyed the bottom floor as a summer apartment, which is why it has been lavishly decorated since the 1650s (some of this still survives today). In 1661, a fire destroyed much of the Petite Galerie. And so the famous Louis Le Vau was ordered by King Louis XIV to restore the wing and raise it to even grander heights of magisterial excess.
Louis Le Vau was a leader of the French Classical style, famously overseeing massive building projects at Versailles. And it was here at the Gallery of Apollo that he would prove his worth for those larger ventures later on. Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, wanted to turn the Petite Galerie fire into an opportunity to rebuild it as something grander than ever imagined. The overwhelming beauty of this gallery would be a form of soft power — showing how refined and elegant the French King was, how indomitable his greatness. It was a move he made often, supporting the arts and sciences to improve his image across the continent.
The new space was called the Gallery of Apollo because Louis XIV closely identified himself with the god Apollo from antiquity. The theme for the room was the travel of the Sun through the sky, a fitting tribute to Louis the Sun King. As Apollo is often merged with the Greek god of the Sun Helios, the mythic symbolism became weighted with extra significance.
There is another historical component. It was only in the 16th century that Copernicus declared that the Earth revolved around the Sun, not the other way around. And Louis XIV, like many of the French kings that came before him, loved and so patronized astronomy. He even commissioned the Paris Observatory (which you can still visit), and he founded the French Academy of Sciences.
To pull off connecting his personality with the Sun itself, Louis XIV tapped the powers of the great Charles Le Brun (an artist who would later work at Versailles) to decorate the interior. It was here in the Gallery of Apollo that Le Brun’s commissions gave him the ability to experiment and push excess to its absolute limits. The innovations found in this room would go on to influence generations of French interior design and decorative arts.
When it was completed in 1663, the room was by far the most decorated in Europe — with at least 60% of its surfaces covered by gold leaf! The audacity of this space went on to inspire the famous Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.
Though great strides were made in his lifetime, Louis XIV never saw the gallery completed. And in fact, its continuous improvement lasted centuries. It wasn’t until the middle of the 19th century that the room would come to its completed state under the aegis of architect Félix Duban. He employed the services of well known painters of his generation, including Eugène Delacroix...It was Delacroix who was given the capstone achievement of the entire hall. It is his Apollo Slaying the Serpent Python (1851), a 12-meter wide ceiling mural, that serves as the culmination of centuries of construction and as one of the most shining achievements of French Romanticism.
[Louvre Guide]
Taken in the Louvre
The Musee du Louvre, in Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre)
Built over the Louvre fortress (itself founded by Philip II in 1190), the Louvre Palace was the chief residence of French kings from 1546, under Francis I until 1682, when Louis XIV moved to Versailles. Although Louis moved the household, the royal collection remained in the palace and in 1692 it was joined by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, remaining there for 100 years. The palace became a museum following the French Revolution, at the instruction of the National Assembly, and the Musee du Louvre opened 10 August 1793.
The vestibule to the Galerie d'Apollon
The Galerie d'Apollon is in the Petite Galerie, a wing of the Louvre; before the Galerie d'Apollon is the circular vestibule, both of which were initially completed in 1663. The ceiling of the vestibule holds Le Soleil. La chute d'Icare.(The Sun. The Fall of Icarus), 1819 by Merry-Joseph Blondel.
After spending three years at the Villa Medici in Rome to study Italian painting, Merry-Joseph Blondel (1781-1853) exhibited regularly at the Salon, where he was awarded a prize in 1817. Appreciated under the Restoration, he received numerous commissions. In 1818, he was commissioned to paint the central ceiling of the hallway of the ‘Galerie d’Apollon’ (Gallery of Apollo). He chose as his theme the fall of Icarus, strikingly lyrical in its realism. His painting reflects the unleashing of passions and natural elements. He is one of the best representatives of early 19th century history painting.
[The Explorers]
The architect Louis Le Vau designed this huge circular room, today known as the Rotonde d'Apollon (Apollo Rotunda), in 1660. The painter Charles Errard supervised decoration (only the stuccos were executed in 1659 by Francesco Caccia). Used as an audience chamber by Louis XIV, the "salon du Dôme" (Dome Room) became the "Cabinet des tableaux du Roi" (King's Cabinet of Paintings) in 1682. From 1692 to 1793 it was part of the premises of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which every August 25 used it to present works by pupils competing for the Grand Prix.
The unfinished decoration was completed during Louis XVIII's reign. The cupola illustrates the theme of the sun with Merry-Joseph Blondel's The Fall of Icarus. The arches are devoted to the four elements, symbolised by mythological scenes: Earth, Fire, and Water by Auguste Couder, and Air by Merry-Joseph Blondel. Each scene is separated from the next by a trompe-l'oeil bas-relief by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse. The stuccos were restored and completed by Francesco Belloni.
[Musee du Louvre]
The Petite Galerie itself is an iconic wing of the Louvre. This was created in the second half of the 16th century under the command of Charles IX as a single story hall. But construction wasn’t completed as internal conflicts locked France up in more important matters. As the century came to a close, the Petite Galerie got its second story — and this is where the Galerie d’Apollon would eventually go. Before then, however, there was the Galerie des Rois, which showed artwork owned by Henry IV. Anne of Austria enjoyed the bottom floor as a summer apartment, which is why it has been lavishly decorated since the 1650s (some of this still survives today). In 1661, a fire destroyed much of the Petite Galerie. And so the famous Louis Le Vau was ordered by King Louis XIV to restore the wing and raise it to even grander heights of magisterial excess.
Louis Le Vau was a leader of the French Classical style, famously overseeing massive building projects at Versailles. And it was here at the Gallery of Apollo that he would prove his worth for those larger ventures later on. Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, wanted to turn the Petite Galerie fire into an opportunity to rebuild it as something grander than ever imagined. The overwhelming beauty of this gallery would be a form of soft power — showing how refined and elegant the French King was, how indomitable his greatness. It was a move he made often, supporting the arts and sciences to improve his image across the continent.
The new space was called the Gallery of Apollo because Louis XIV closely identified himself with the god Apollo from antiquity. The theme for the room was the travel of the Sun through the sky, a fitting tribute to Louis the Sun King. As Apollo is often merged with the Greek god of the Sun Helios, the mythic symbolism became weighted with extra significance.
There is another historical component. It was only in the 16th century that Copernicus declared that the Earth revolved around the Sun, not the other way around. And Louis XIV, like many of the French kings that came before him, loved and so patronized astronomy. He even commissioned the Paris Observatory (which you can still visit), and he founded the French Academy of Sciences.
To pull off connecting his personality with the Sun itself, Louis XIV tapped the powers of the great Charles Le Brun (an artist who would later work at Versailles) to decorate the interior. It was here in the Gallery of Apollo that Le Brun’s commissions gave him the ability to experiment and push excess to its absolute limits. The innovations found in this room would go on to influence generations of French interior design and decorative arts.
When it was completed in 1663, the room was by far the most decorated in Europe — with at least 60% of its surfaces covered by gold leaf! The audacity of this space went on to inspire the famous Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.
Though great strides were made in his lifetime, Louis XIV never saw the gallery completed. And in fact, its continuous improvement lasted centuries. It wasn’t until the middle of the 19th century that the room would come to its completed state under the aegis of architect Félix Duban. He employed the services of well known painters of his generation, including Eugène Delacroix...It was Delacroix who was given the capstone achievement of the entire hall. It is his Apollo Slaying the Serpent Python (1851), a 12-meter wide ceiling mural, that serves as the culmination of centuries of construction and as one of the most shining achievements of French Romanticism.
[Louvre Guide]
Taken in the Louvre
The Musee du Louvre, in Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre)
Built over the Louvre fortress (itself founded by Philip II in 1190), the Louvre Palace was the chief residence of French kings from 1546, under Francis I until 1682, when Louis XIV moved to Versailles. Although Louis moved the household, the royal collection remained in the palace and in 1692 it was joined by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, remaining there for 100 years. The palace became a museum following the French Revolution, at the instruction of the National Assembly, and the Musee du Louvre opened 10 August 1793.
A young and very aggressive cat to all the other cats, Ginge was very territorial.
Four Elements
Lygia
Lefkada
Ionian Islands
Greece
The pool at our villa at sunset.
Four Elements
Lygia
Lefkada
Ionian Islands
Greece
My daughter just before we went out for dinner.
Four Elements
Lygia
Lefkada
Ionian Islands
Greece
The kittens of "Dave" (previous photo) as a result of her liaison with a white Tom cat that we named Skinny, hence the kitten being dubbed "Mini Skinny".
Mini Skinny was very bold and approached us almost immediately whereas Scaredy Cat took almost the whole two weeks to come closer.
I don't normally take "cute' photos but this was too good to miss.
Four Elements
Lygia
Lefkada
Greece
Just returned from two weeks on Lefkada in Greece.
We rented a villa and like everywhere in Greece we picked up some camp followers along the way in the form of 5 feral cats. You could successfully argue that these are wild animals as they aren't fed and we were warned not to attempt to feed them.
This one was the mother of two very sweet kittens and we called her Dave in homage to David Bowie. I'm sure that she didn't mind being given a boy's name.
Four Elements
Lygia
Lefkada
Greece
The theme for week 26 is the Four Elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
I was going to set things alight and make some cool arty images, but it's Sunday and I've had a long week... will this do?
Week 26/52
Theme "Four Elements"
6/23/24
