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Louis is known mostly for a few things, war and pride being chief; however, Louis also influenced French arts. Louis’ artistic legacy is still seen and felt throughout the world today. He patronized a vast array of writers, painters, musicians, architects, and schools.
Many French writers would not be known had it not been for Louis generous stipends. The great French playwrights Moliere, Racine, and Corneille wrote during Louis’ time. Moliere became most notable for his plays The Misanthrope and Tartuffe. He preferred tragedy, but Moliere had a knack for comedy. His short writing career is full of an amazing depth that few writers have ever plumbed. Because much of Moliere’s work was comedic in form and tone, he could, and did, get away with the sharp political and religious barbs that found their way into occasional plays. Tartuffe was censored by Louis XIV, who actually liked the play. Louis had to censor Moliere’s masterpiece, because this play hit many nerves throughout the French Catholic Church. The play’s subject? Religious hypocrisy. The official statement against the play read thus:
..although it was found to be extremely diverting, the king recognized so much conformity between those that a true devotion leads on the path to heaven and those that a vain ostentation of some good works does not prevent from committing some bad ones, that his extreme delicacy to religious matters cannot suffer this resemblance of vice to virtue, which could be mistaken for each other; although one does not doubt the good intentions of the author, even so he forbids it in public, and deprived himself of this pleasure, in order not to allow it to be abused by others, less capable of making a just discernment of it.
Regardless, Moliere’s play would be performed and read again, and has left a lasting influence. Tartuffe is the now used French word for religious hypocrisy. Moliere’s other plays were equally as barbed at times. The Misanthrope was Moliere’s response to Tartuffe’s governmental ban. French aristocracy and society were satirized as man hating. Such a serious charge by Moliere was masked through comedy, which allowed for this play to not be banned.
Jean Racine was another major playwright during Louis’ age. His work dealt almost solely with tragedy. Racine pulled much from Classical Greece, Rome, and Byzantium. Many of his plays bear witness to his classical ties, such as Phedre,Andromaque, Thebaide, and Mithridate. Though he leaned heavily upon the ancients, his tragedies were not based upon the gods or God’s punishing mankind. Tragedy for Racine came from abused or unrequited love. He found more than enough material within man’s heart to create poignant chaos. For that, Racine is regarded as one of literatures deepest and most heartfelt writers. Many of his plays were performed in Louis-sponsored schools, such as the Insitut de Saint-Louis for poor girls.
Racine had competition from Pierre Corneille for France’s greatest tragedian. Racine alluded to the ancients, but Corneille breathed new life into ancient stories. His more than forty years writing plays reinvigorated French poetry and French literary identity. He retold famous history such as the French medieval epic Le Cid, the Roman tragedy La Mort de Pompee (Death of Pompey), and the Christian L’Imitation de Jesus-Christ. Though Corneille drew more heavily from the ancients than any other writers of his time, he did not regard ancient writing traditions as law. For this, Corneille became an original, even if his subjects are common. Earlier Renaissance writers strictly followed the ancient writing codes. Corneille created his own, purely French style, for which France is eternally grateful.
Louis also funded pure art, such as music and painting. Most French painting and music from this time is not awe-inspiring, however. Charles le-Brun was Louis’ greatest painter. He was often commissioned by Louis, as were other painters, yet Charles eye for beauty surpassed most. His taste satisfied Louis, because Le Brun loved to paint Louis as a majestic, conquering monarch. Le Brun quickly won him Louis’ admiration, yet Le Brun also earned a number of high-ranking enemies. After Louis’ finance minister, Colbert died, Le Brun was unfavorably treated by Louis’ other ministers Le Tellier and Louis’ son Louvois, who was Colbert’s main rival. Le Brun lost status led to a serious illness, and ultimately his death in 1690.
French music was greatly funded by Louis, but nothing impresses. Francois Couperin is the only notable musician to emerge in France, who in truth was behind the rest of Europe. Germany was producing the world’s greatest music at this time. France would have to wait until Berlioz, Bizet, Debussy, and Ravel to rival the rest of the world’s musical talent.
armchaircapitalist 