If I were a rich man ....

... I'd have sat for as many portraits as Louis XIV did! There are numerous paintings of King Louis to highlight his grand lifestyle. I love the over-top'ness' of it all, there is nothing simple about his clothes, everything is detailed and over-done, the colours exploding out of the painting, this is something combined with looking into the baroque style of grand living that I want to focus on for the costume design as well as the stage design. The Palace/Castle of the Prince needs to be over the top to contrast against the kitchen that Ashputtel dwells in. I think the patterning, which I'm particularly liking in the bottom image is something that I want to work in, so not necessarily doing a full-on palace layout but giving suggestions of that through materials and colours and patterns, this being because the scenes swap around so quickly I want a clear swap between the grandeur and the hovel!!

Louis XIV ... The Sun King.

The underlying theme of Ashputtel that I broke down into heaven and hell can really be identified through the reign of Louis XIV in France.


Opulence. Grandeur. Over-indulgence.

Louis pushed for extravagance; during his reign the Palace of Versailles was built.
'...Versailles became a dazzling, awe-inspiring setting for state affairs and the reception of foreign dignitaries. At Versailles, the King alone assumed the attention, which was not shared with the Capital or People. Several reasons have been suggested for the creation of the extravagant and stately palace, as well as the relocation of the monarchy's seat. For example, Saint-Simon speculated that Louis viewed Versailles as an isolated power center where treasonous cabals could be more readily discovered and foiled.'

This quote alone I explains heaven and hell. The ideal place that Louis created; not simply just for grandeur, but to uncover treason and plots against him! Louis was very much a paranoid man constantly on the look out for those 'out to get him'.

...

In the same way I seem to be drawn to Louis' lifestyle to influence my ideas for Ashputtel. I'm wanting to look more at French paintings of this period, to get an idea of society in France during that time but also to look at the Baroque period, something that will help give me more of an understanding of the period of grandeur.