The Arts and Royalty; Philosophers Debate Politics

In this week’s readings, a dispute in the French royal court is described about whether Poussin or Rubens was the better painter. Take a painting by each, either from our book or a Website below, and compare them and explain which you prefer. There is another conflict between the playwright Moliere and a well-born Parisian; Louis XIV stepped in. Explain how Louis XIV used the various arts and his motives for doing so. Identify one (1) example of a modern political leader approaching the arts this way.

Explore:

The Arts and Royalty

Respond to following statement:

The conflict between the playwright Moliere and a wellborn Parisian were simple in nature but complicated by the doings of King Louis XIV.  Moliere was a comedian of sorts and did not hold back when it came to telling to stories of how people acted in his plays.  The plays were not about the story but more about how the people acted in them with traits such as egoism.  King Louis XIV loved the plays, but not everyone was turned on to them, the argument came when Moliere was told to stop and move out of the city.  Not happy with this, king Louis XIV made sure that Moliere stayed and paid enough to make him stay.  There was a back and fourth between the city and the king to let Moliere do his plays.  The king used the power that he had to make someone he liked stay.  A modern political leader that uses his/her power to keep who they like would be the entire political party in general.  Politics right now in the U.S specifically makes it really hard for a politician to be booted out of their spot.  For instance, right now Hilary Clinton a contender for President of the United States has been known to make mistakes, grave ones in concern to our country, but because she is powerful and has money, it doesn’t matter she could still become our President.  This is a scenario that is much different but the styles are somewhat the same, just because someone who has power and money wants something, they can usually make it stay.