I came across this delightful sketch by Elizabeth 'Beegle' Duquette of the Queen's theater at the Petit Trianon recently while reading More is More. Both talented artists, I'm amazed at the fascinating life they led. Click on the photos to enlarge and see the details. Have you read the 2 books on Duquette? Enjoy them?
Photograph of the Queen's theater by myself while the drawing is from the book More is More
There is a little court theater inside the château de Fontainebleau built under Napoleon III in 1857 by Hector Lefuel, the architect of the Louvre extensions, which is also a charming delight. Inspired by the royal opera of Versailles, but on a more intimate scale. It has been closed to public viewing for a long time, but I think after the recent renovation they should be reopening it...
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity, what did you think of Coppola's Marie Antoinette? And, uh, is this a simple question or one that will inspire immeasurable hatred/love?
ReplyDeleteI remember they filmed at the real locations and because of that, I honestly have no idea what your reaction to it is. Sacreligious or just a meh movie that showcased beautiful architecture?
oh woody -you are a new reader :-)
ReplyDeleteI know the movie got a lot of bad press. HOWEVER
I thought the movie was ingenius.
It made the place and the time accessible to the average person and REAL. It wasn't historically accurate -but it was REAL. it was EMOTIONAL. It brought the places to life. In as much as it was a story of a girl (marie antoinette) -no matter how niave -it was the story of a PLACE. I adore Sophia Coppola!
I don't think I've ever met anyone who enthusiastically enjoyed that film. I liked it plenty, but found that "justifing the shirking of responsibility because no one can handle that kind of pressure" was a mediocre moral.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely was the story of a place, though. I remember that scene where Kirsten's in the Queen's theater very vividly. I remember the wallpaper vividly. Coppola really did bring the architecture and scenery to life, I completely agree there.
All things about Versailles are just winderful, and the little sketch above just illustrates this perfectly
ReplyDeleteWoody - it's a 'loose' biography -not a moralistic tale!
ReplyDeleteDavid - I totally agree there!
I LOVED the movie, saw it three times! It is visually a feast.
ReplyDeleteLove, love the work of art and yes the movie, I felt it was maginificant!
ReplyDeleteKarena
Art by Karena
The sketch by Elizabeth Duquette epitomizes everything I enjoy about seeing an evocative theatrical sketch. It's loose, well composed, thought provoking, and otherwise very attractive...at least for me it is. I have often wondered if there are a lot of other people out there that find a sketch like hers as satisfying as I do, and I prefer a terrific sketch like this to most finished work. For me something significant often gets lost in an artist's creation when they work on it beyond the stage of a sketch. Thanks for posting this! I have read your blog for a long time, and you've had many, many terrific posts. This time I could not resist leaving a comment.
ReplyDeleteQueen's theatres and Duquettes all in one post....what more can a boy want?
ReplyDeleteI'm probably going to be crucified for saying this but I do not worship at the feet of the Duquette idol - far too much clay for me under those emperor's new clothes. I inherited a copy of the Duquette Goodman and Wilkinson book on the dissolution of a university library and despite finding Duquette's theatrical artifice tawdry, I felt the book belonged in a collection about design and architecture.
ReplyDeleteThe Queen's theatre is, as one would expect at Versailles, very beautiful.
Just reading my copy of More is More oddly enough but I believe the sketch in question is by Tony himself not his wife who actually appears in the sketch herself on the far right.
ReplyDeleteAnon -oh no! I had returned the book and I guess I remembered it wrong! I knew she was a gifted artist and that swayed my memory. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet sketch. Lovely style.
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