A trip across the Atlantic

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2 Hello and welcome, Before you move on to the exhibition, admire the great interior decorating I did here (there are signs pointing it out) in the Royal Chapel and in the Diane Salon, then stop in the Apollo Salon! Portrait of Charles de La Fosse by André Bouys, America, Versailles, Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, C. Fouin Do you think I look elegant in my wig? I m Charles de La Fosse ( ). My look isn t what made me famous, it was my artistic talent. I was the son of a goldsmith and I was lucky enough to study under Charles Le Brun, Louis XIV s official painter. As I was extremely gifted, I received a pension from the King to perfect my art in Italy. That was the promise of a brilliant career! Once I came back to France, I hardly ever stopped working for the royal family and I enjoyed the support of prestigious patrons. I took part in all the major royal projects and painted many works for my private clientele or to decorate churches. Throughout my lifetime, I followed the example of the great colourists that s what they called the painters who loved colour, such as Titian and Rubens. I played a paramount role in the evolution of French painting and the triumph of colour in the 18th century! I didn t put my brushes down until I was 80 years old, with the reputation of being the best decorator of my times. And then, I was forgotten But now I m back in the limelight. Follow me through these rooms and I will be your guide as we play together! Ready?

3 1 A trip across the Atlantic Grand Apartments Apollo salon The Apollo Salon is the most sumptuous room in Louis XIV s Grand Apartment, which has successive rooms (one after another), as was the style in the 17th century. It was the King s Bedchamber before it became the Throne Room. Look at this sumptuous ceiling it shows the King, identified with the Sun, dominating the rhythm of the seasons (in the centre), the hours (sculpted figures) and the universe (the four parts of the world*). You re lucky it has just been restored. America, Versailles, Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, C. Milet These are the parts of the ceiling that I painted. America is wearing of a a and holds in her hand. Next to her, there is a and a wreath and A G R B H S of. C I T D L U E N V F O W At the time, each continent was represented by a beautiful woman surrounded by special attributes. Decipher the secret word to identify the America that I painted! * The fifth continent, Oceania, wasn t discovered until the 18th century. Before we continue, try to find Asia! Then let s move on to the first room of the exhibition. You ll see my portrait and you can test your knowledge of mythology and botany

4 No need for a compass! 2 Clytie transformed into a sunflower, Versailles, Grand Trianon, Château de Versailles, dist. RMN/J.-M. Mana Exhibition 1st room Throughout the exhibition you will be able to admire paintings that tell the story of the extraordinary adventures of the gods of Greco-Roman mythology. In my day, people loved painting that told stories. The stories of the gods and goddesses don't always turn out well, like in the story of Clytie that I painted for the Grand Trianon in Apollo, the Sun god, loved this young woman. But, one day, he left her for Leucothea, her sister. Heartbroken, Clytie let herself starve to death, constantly looking in the direction of the sun until Apollo turned her into a 3 de Da lion n Sun 2 f lowe P py op 1 r Take a close look at my painting and guess what the young Clytie was turned into! Did you find it? Let s hurry on, because I can hear screaming in the distance

5 Rape of Proserpina, Paris, Musée du Louvre deposit at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. Warning! A kidnapping among the gods! In my day, an artist who wanted to be officially recognised had to become a member of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture (Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture). This painting was my morceau de reception (reception piece) for the Academy in The elites of French artists were all there and sometimes there were lively discussions! In 1670, the colour quarrel broke out and caused quite a sensation: on one side were the partisans of Rubens and the Venetians, who defended colour, while on the other were those who thought that drawing was much more important. The partisans of colour won out and I became their leader! Kidnappings were common in Greco- Roman mythology! A I represented Proserpina s kidnapping by B the god of the F Underworld, Pluto. Assign each character (letter) C his/her words E (number)! D 1 Watch out for 3 my arrows, because whoever they hit falls madly in love! I just shot Pluto. I m Cupid! Exhibition 3 rd room 2 How horrible! This brute is kidnapping my daughter! I m Ceres, the goddess of Agriculture and Harvests. 3 I m a nymph and because I tried to stop Pluto, he turned me into a spring! 4 I m the master of the Underworld and Hell and I am going to take this ravishing young lady to the kingdom of the dead! 5 Ouch! I d better hoof it out of here if my master is to succeed! 6 I m one of Pluto s attributes in other words a distinctive sign. When I strike the earth, watch out for storms! Pretty yourself up, because we have a date with the goddess of Love and Beauty!

6 4 Exhibition 5 th room Gaze into my eyes! Painting the life of the gods of Greco-Roman mythology is not an easy task. First of all, you have to know your subject well! For this, there is nothing like taking your inspiration from ancient texts such as Ovid s Metamorphoses, a famous collection of poems in 12,000 verses telling the story of the metamorphoses of the gods, goddesses, heroes and simples mortals, or Virgil s Aeneid, which tells of the long adventure of Aeneas, son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the goddess Venus. 1 Venus asking Vulcan to cast arms for Aeneas, Nantes, Musée des Beaux-Arts, D.R./G. Blot This painting shows the beautiful Venus, bathed in light, using her charms to convince her husband, Vulcan, the god of the Forge who had a limp, to make arms for her illegitimate son, Aeneas. Which one of these shadows belongs to the goddess? Well done! Let s move on to the next room for a change of pace!

7 5 Runaway details! 1 Exhibition 6th room This painting was ordered to decorate the chapel at the Palace of Choisy. It is a religious painting telling the story of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. For Catholics, this was when the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven after her death. Before I painted this painting, I made dozens of preparatory sketches (have a look at some of them as you pass by), but what a success! The colour, the light, the composition, and all those faces are handled like real portraits. 2 3 Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Nancy, Musée des Beaux-Arts, C. Philippot All these chubbyfaced angels have escaped from the scene, except one. Find the intruder! In the next room, stop for a look at the round painting!

8 6 Exhibition Last Room 360 Painting! A tondo, in other words a circle, is a highly practical format for decorating round ceilings, but it can be a pain in the neck! Before painting the decorations directly on the walls, sometimes at dizzying heights, you first make a modello (model) on paper or canvas. I painted this one around 1702 to decorate the vault of the church of the Dôme at Les Invalides (today, the French Army Museum). Apotheosis of Saint Louis, modello for the decor on the vault of the church of the Dôme at Les Invalides, Paris, Musée de l Armée, Les Arts Décoratifs Take a close look at this modello and answer true or false! 1 One angel is playing the harp True False 2 Another is playing the saxophone True False 3 Jesus is blessing Saint Louis sword True False 4 There are three fleurs-de-lys on the shield of France True False 5 Saint Louis is holding a crown in his hand True False Cover: The Sacrifice of Iphigenia (detail), Château de Versailles, dist. RMN That was fun! You can find the right answers below! Practical info The exhibition is open every day except Mondays and 1 May: in low season (to 31 March) from 9 am to 5.30 pm; in high season (from 1 April) from 9 am to 6.30 pm. Free admission for EU residents under 26. The exhibition is accessible with a Palace ticket or Passport. Complete info at (0) Le Petit Léonard, the art initiation magazine for children over 7. To subscribe or order: Have a look at our Facebook page or our blog: leblog.lepetitleonard.com Game booklet produced by Le Petit Léonard. Editions Faton, CS 71769, Dijon Cedex France. Answers 1 : America is wearing a crown of red feathers and holds a bow in her hand. Next to her, there is a crocodile and a wreath of fruit and vegetables - 2 : No.2-3 : 1A, 2F, 3E, 4B, 5D, 6C - 4 : No.4-5 : n 6-6 : 1 true, 2 false, 3 true, 4 true, 5 false.