Tag Archives: francois Ier
Before Versailles and Before the Louvre: Fontainebleau Palace Posted by Hichem on May 26, 2013
Everyone knows le Louvre. And I’m sure it is safe to assume that everyone has at least heard of Versailles. But how about Fontainebleau, the château (castle) that is both classique and Renaissance? It’s actually not that far from Paris, about soixante kilomètres (60 kms) South East of the French capital. Of course, you can also choose to…
French Legend: Fontainebleau from Henry II to Henry IV Posted by Hichem on May 23, 2013
Tel père, tel fils (as father, as son), says the popular adage. We previously saw how the father, in this case François Ier (or Francis I in English), was le responsable numéro 1 of introducing la Renaissance to France, by inviting the likes of Rosso Fiorentino and le Primatice to his court. There, the Italian masters…
François Ier: Patron of French Renaissance Posted by Hichem on May 21, 2013
“Une cour sans femmes est comme un jardin sans fleurs” (“a court without women is like a garden without flowers.”) Thus spoke François Ier (Francis I in English), like a true Frenchman some would say. But contrary to some other French monarchs, female company was not his only preoccupation. In fact, the lifetime dream of François was to bring…
The “French Connection” Linking Victor Hugo, Verdi, Batman, and the Film “Se7en” Posted by Hichem on Aug 9, 2011
Today, Opera composer Giuseppe Verdi is widely celebrated as one of the major figures of what Italians proudly call “il Risorgimento“, the movement which, exactly 150 years ago, gave birth to l’unification de l’Italie (the Italian unification.) Many people, however, still ignore, even in today’s Italy, that their beloved maestro italiano was in fact born a Frenchman! The reason being that, when Verdi was born…