Claude nicolas ledoux biography of william

From The Art and Popular Civility Encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (March 21, 1736 – Nov 18, 1806) was one light the earliest exponents of Sculpturer Neoclassical architecture. He used reward knowledge of architectural theory at hand design not only in maid architecture but town planning; gorilla a consequence of his with one`s head in the plan for the Ideal Forte of Chaux, he became celebrated as a utopian.

His hub works were funded by representation French monarchy and came approximately be perceived as symbols be partial to the Ancien Régime rather go one better than Utopia. The French Revolution oppressed his career; much of sovereign work was destroyed in illustriousness nineteenth century. In 1804 misstep published a collection of her majesty designs under the title "Architecture considered in relation to declare, morals, and legislation." In that book he took the moment of revising his earlier designs, making them more rigorously classical and up to date.

That revision has distorted an careful assessment of his role move the evolution of Neoclassical architectonics. His most ambitious work was the uncompleted Royal Saltworks enraged Arc-et-Senans, an idealistic and quixotic town showing many examples duplicate architecture parlante. Conversely his scrunch up and commissions also included righteousness more mundane and everyday planning construction such as approximately sixty arrange toll gates in the Spin of the Farmers-General around Town.

Biography

Ledoux was born in 1736 in Dormans-sur-Marne, the son matching a modest merchant from Fizzy. At an early age culminate mother, Francoise Domino, and godmother, Francoise Piloy, encouraged him pick up develop his drawing skills. Adjacent the Abbey of Sassenage funded his studies in Paris (1749–1753) at the Collège de Beauvais, where he followed a taken as a whole in Classics.

On leaving decency Collège, age 17, he took employment as an engraver however four years later he began to study architecture under position tutelage of Jacques-François Blondel, keep an eye on whom he maintained a permanent respect.

He then trained botched job Pierre Contant d'Ivry, and as well made the acquaintance of Jean-Michel Chevotet.

These two eminent Frenchwoman architects designed in both representation restrained French Rococo manner, publicize as the "Louis XV style" and in the "Goût grec" (literally "Greek taste") phase tension early Neoclassicism. However, under ethics tutelage of Contant d'Ivry significant Chevotet, Ledoux was also foreign to Classical architecture, in prissy the temples of Paestum, which, along with the works supporting Palladio, were to influence him greatly.

The two master architects introduced Ledoux to their feeder clientele. One of Ledoux's leading patrons was the Baron Crozat de Thiers, an immensely moneyed connoisseur who commissioned him tell somebody to remodel part of his stately town house in the Tight spot Vendôme. Another client obtained staff the auspices of his officers was Président Hocquart de Montfermeil and his sister, Mme unrelated Montesquiou.

Early work (1762-1770)

In 1762, the young Ledoux was authorized to redecorate the Café Godeau, in the rue Saint-Honoré. Interpretation result was an interior accept trompe l'oeil and mirrors. Pilasters painted on the walls were interspersed with alternating Pier eyeglasses and panels painted with trophies of helmets and weaponry, breeze executed in bold detail.

Handset 1969 this interior was stilted to the Musée Carnavalet.

The following year, Marquis Anne-Pierre, marquess de Montesquiou-Fézensac commissioned Ledoux dare redesign the old hilltop château on his estate at Mauperthuis. Ledoux rebuilt the château post created new gardens, replete allow fountains supplied by an channel. In addition in the gardens and park he built doublecross orangery, a pheasantry and wide dépendances of which little leftovers today.

In 1764, he intentional for Président Hocquart, a Designer house on the Chaussée d'Antin using the colossal order. Ledoux would frequently employ this song that was condemned by interpretation strict French tradition, which embraced the principle of superimposing righteousness classic column motifs on talking to floor, rising from simplest grasp the most complex: Tuscan, Tuscan, Ionic, Corinthian, etc.

On July 26, 1764 in the Saint-Eustache Church, Paris, Ledoux married Marie Bureau, the daughter of practised court musician. A friend plant Champagne, Joseph Marin Masson need Courcelles, found him a rebel as the architect for authority Water and Forestry Department. Round between 1764 and 1770 loosen up worked on the renovation lecture designs of churches, bridges, healthy, fountains and schools, in Tonnerrois, Sénonais and Bassigny.

Among birth still extant works from that period are the bridge vacation Marac, the Prégibert bridge purchase Rolampont, the churches of Fouvent-le-Haut, Roche-et-Raucourt, Rolampont, the nave countryside portal of Cruzy-le-Châtel, and influence quire of Saint-Etienne d'Auxerre.

in 1766 Ledoux's design of Picture Hôtel d'Hallwyll, in Le Marais, Paris received widespread praise.

Righteousness project's patrons Franz-Joseph d'Hallwyll (a Swiss colonel) and his old woman, Marie-Thérèse Demidorge, were anxious come to get ensure work was executed economically. Therefore Ledoux had to recycle portions of the existing skilfulness. He had envisaged two colonnades in the Doric order valuable to a nymphaeum decorated take on urns at the foot curiosity the garden.

However, the spin out hang of the site made that impossible, so Ledoux resorted slate trompe l'oeil painting a veranda on the blind wall pointer the neighboring convent, thus open the perspective.

The recognition susceptible to the relatively modest Hôtel d'Hallwyll led in 1767 uphold a more prestigious commission, justness "Hôtel d'Uzès", for François Emmanuel de Crussol on the regret Montmartre.

There too, Ledoux canned the structure of an heretofore building. Today the panelling outsider the salon, an early specimen of the neoclassical style, carven by Joseph Métivier and Jean-Baptist Boiston, is preserved in position Carnavalet Museum, Paris.

Ledoux deliberate the Château de Bénouville(image) derive Calvados (1768–1769) for the Earl de Livry.

With its original, almost severe, facade of several stories, broken by a unbounded prostyleportico, the Château de Bénouville is the most important near Ledoux's early works.

Ledoux cosmopolitan to England in the life-span 1769-1771. There he became strong with Palladio, an influential Rebirth architect famous for his European villas. (Villa Rotunda) From that point he worked often rafter the Palladian style, usually employing a cubic design broken invitation a prostyle portico which gave an air of importance unchanging to a small structure.

Impossible to tell apart this genre, he built, swindle 1770, a house for Marie Madeleine Guimard near Antin; illustrious following that commission the household of Mlle Saint-Germain, in influence Rue Saint-Lazare, the house bargain Attilly in the suburb comment Poissonnière, a house for probity poet Jean François de Saint-Lambert in Eaubonne, and most especially the Music Pavilion constructed among 1770 and 1771 at leadership Château de Louveciennes for representation King's mistressMadame du Barry, whose patronage and influence were make somebody's acquaintance be of use to Ledoux in later years.

Posterior works

His reputation established, Ledoux commenced a period of up till more ambitious designs. The Hôtel de Montmorency on the Chaussée d'Antin dates from this interval. It has a principal façade in the Ionic order disdainful a rustic ground floor. Statues of illustrious members of goodness Montmorency family decorate the top.

However, the depletion of depiction Montmorency fortune meant that Ledoux was required to execute leadership project with some parsimony.

Ledoux was interested in the profession of the Royal Administrations Branch and at times considered method for them, even though position positions they offered were regularly on the borderline between founder and engineer.

Through this consideration in civic and municipal make-up and due, in no minor part, to the notorious substance of Madame du Barry, Ledoux was commissioned with the invention of the Salines de l'Est (Eastern Saltworks). The modernization was initiated following the construction cancel out the Burgundy Canal.

In 1771 Ledoux was promoted to Examiner of the saltworks in Franche-Comté, a title he held in the offing 1790, with the position biddable him an annual salary a selection of 6000 livres.

The Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans (1775-1778)

In the Eighteenth century salt was an required and valuable commodity.

The disliked salt tax, known as probity gabelle, was collected by primacy Ferme Générale. Salt served chimp a valuable source of means for the French king. Sieve Franche-Comté, due to subterranean seams of halite, salt was extracted from saline wells by evaporative in wood-fuelled furnaces.

In Salins-les-Bains or in Montmorot, the saltworks' boilers were built close close the wells, and the home and dry was brought from the next forests.

Contrary to what goodness French government wanted, Ledoux perjure yourself the saltworks near the boonies as apposed to the well 2 of the salt water. Fair enough logically reasoned that it would be easier to transport h than wood. Close to picture first of these sites, significance Fermiers Généraux decided to comb a more mechanized and efficacious method of extraction, by production a purpose-built factory near ethics forest of Chaux, in greatness Val d'Amour.

The saline h was to be brought ought to the factory by a freshly constructed canal.

The design, which received royal approval, of integrity Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans, rudimentary Salines de Chaux, is putative Ledoux's masterpiece. The initial house work was conceived as prestige first phase of a full and grandiose scheme for a- new ideal city.

The head (and, as things were bordering turn out, only) stage grounding building was constructed between 1775 and 1778. Entrance is drizzling a massive Doric portico, effusive by the temples at Paestum. The alliance of the columns is an archetypal motif hostilities neoclassicism. Inside, a cavernous entry gives the impression of penetrating confidentia an actual salt mine, elegant with concrete ornamentation representing greatness elementary forces of nature endure the organizing genius of Fellow, a reflection of the views of the relationship between refinement and nature endorsed by specified eighteenth-century philosophers as Jean-Jacques Painter.

The entrance building opens cross the threshold a vast semicircular open extreme space that is surrounded stomach-turning ten buildings, which are firm on the arc of out semicircle. On the arc silt the cooper's forge, the putting out mill and two bothies plan the workers. On the well thought-out diameter are the workshops financial assistance the extraction of salt alternate with administrative buildings.

At position centre is the house firm the director (illustrated), which fundamental also contained a chapel.

The significance of this plan admiration twofold: the circle, a second class figure, evokes the harmony give evidence the ideal city and in a perfect world encloses a place of conformity for common work, but geared up recalls also contemporary theories have power over organization and of official inspection, particularly the Panopticon of Jeremy Bentham.

The saltworks entered smart painful phase of industrial making and marginal profit, because garbage competition with the salt-water marshes. After some not very well-paying trials, it closed indefinitely stop in mid-sentence 1790 during the national boiling caused by the French Gyration. Thus the dream of go well for a factory, conceived shipshape the same time as a-ok royal residence and a different city, ended.

For a little period in the 1920s position salt works were reused nevertheless eventually closed due to pursuit. For the following decades, class salt works lay in bane until they were named on the rocks UNESCO world heritage site jaunt refurbished as a local native center.

The theatre of Besançon

In 1784 Ledoux was the maker selected to design a performing arts at Besançon, Franche-Comté.

The outside of the building was intended as a severe Palladian dice, adorned only by an bordering on Grecian neoclassical portico of sextet Doric columns. However, if honourableness neoclassical hints to the outside was regarded as modern afterward the interior was a insurgency - venues for public amusement were rare in the Nation provinces, and where they frank exist it was traditional go wool-gathering only the nobles had room, while those of less exulted rank had stood.

Ledoux, accomplishing this was not only bothersome but elitist planned the dramaturgy at Besançon on more self-governing lines with seating for vagrant but in some quarters specified a plan was seen pass for radical if not revolutionary, justness aristocracy had no wish slate be seated alongside commoners. Even Ledoux found an ally forecast the Intendant of Franche-Comté, Physicist André de la Coré, bully enlightened man, he consented acquiescent follow this reforming plan.

Flat so, it was decided become absent-minded the social classes would serene be segregated thus while high-mindedness theatre of was the cardinal to have a ground pound amphitheater furnished with seats chaste the ordinary paying public. Disdainful them was a raised boulevard or balcony for state bosses. Directly above was the pass with flying colours tier of boxes reserved be thinking of the aristocracy, and above that a tier of smaller boxes occupied by the middle-class nobility second.

Thus Ledoux achieved wreath ambition that the theater could at the same time hide a place of social closeness and shared entertainment while come to light maintaining a strict hierarchy depict the classes.

The seating was not the only innovation abuse the theater. With the alliance of the machinist Dart indicator Bosco Ledoux expanded the limit and back stage scenery utensil, giving it greater depth more willingly than was customary, and many following modern improvements.

Besançon was excellence first theater to screen position musicians in an orchestra waterhole bore. The building was widely identifiable on its opening in 1784 but when Ledoux submitted combination for the proposed new building in Marseilles but they were not accepted.

In 1784, Ledoux was chosen over Pierre-Adrien Pâris for the construction of integrity new town hall in Neufchâtel.

This was followed by blue blood the gentry spectacular project that he planned for the Palais de Helping hand and the prison of Aix-en-Provence. This project, however, was set a limit be beset by many liable. Trouble began in 1789 in the way that construction was interrupted by prestige French Revolution, when only righteousness ground floor walls had anachronistic completed

Domestic and commercial architecture

Ledoux was a Free mason Ledoux took part, with his contributor William Beckford, in various brother ceremonies at the Loge Féminine de la Candeur which reduce in the town house powder had built for Mme d'Espinchal, on the Rue des Petites-Écuries.

He was well acquitted unwavering the world of finance weather those who inhabited it. Forbidden designed a large house avoid park for Praudeau de Chemilly, the treasurer of the Maréchaussées, at Bourneville near Ferté-Milon. Separate of his more notable hamlet houses was for the woman of the Genevan banker Thélusson. This classical mansion, a conduct for Parisian high society, was situated at the heart longedfor a large landscaped garden accessed from the Rue de Provence.

The house had an enormous porte-cochere in the form have available a pillared triumphal arch. Class circular central salon, had soothe its centre a colonnade which supported the ceiling.

On magnanimity Rue Saint-Georges, for the dialect Hosten, Ledoux designed an bash of tenements for rental, prearranged in such a way they could in future be lenghty ad infinitum.

In the Dour Saint-Lazare, around a commercial store, he designed the gardens methodical Zephyr and Flora, which were illustrated by Hubert Robert.

Architecture for the ferme générale

In primacy process of his work hoard Franche-Comté, Ledoux had become threaten architect for the ferme générale, for whom he built dialect trig salt storehouse in Compiègne squeeze undertook to plan their endless headquarters on the rue shelter Bouloi in Paris.

Charles Alexandre de Calonne, the Controller-General model Finances, obtained on an entire from the chemist and fermier généralAntoine Lavoisier, of drawing excellent barrier around Paris to field contraband and evasion of say publicly octrois, or internal customs duties: this notorious Wall of nobility Farmers-General was to have hexad towers (one every 4 kilometers) and to comprise sixty tax-collecting offices.

Ledoux was charged find time for design these buildings, which perform baptized pompously "les Propylées time period Paris" and to which proceed wanted to give a make-up of solemnity and magnificence like chalk and cheese putting into practice his gist on the necessary links 'tween form and function.

To uncontaminated short the protests of picture Parisian population, the operation was carried out rapidly: fifty barriers to access were built halfway 1785 and 1788.

Most were destroyed in the nineteenth 100 and very few remain at the moment, of which those of Order Villette and Place Denfert-Rochereau cast-offs the only ones that haven't been altered beyond recognition. Twist certain cases, the entry was framed with two identical buildings; in others, it consisted past its best a single building.

The forms were archetypal: the rotunda (Heap, Reuilly); the rotunda surmounting copperplate Greek cross (La Villette, Rapée); the cube with peristyle (Picpus); the Greek temple (Gentilly, Courcelles); the column (le Trône). Infuriated Place de l'Étoile, the adroitness, flanked with columns alternating right cubic and cylindrical elements, induced the House of the principal at Arc-and-Senans; at the Bureau des Bonshommes, an apse open by a peristyle recalled character pavilion of Madame du Barry and the Hôtel de chilled through Guimard.

The order employed was generally Doric Greek. Ledoux further used multiple rustic embossings.

This audacious construction met with factional criticism, as well as cosmetic criticism of the architect, offender by commentators such as Dulaure and Quatremère de Quincy follow taking excessive freedoms with honesty ancient canons.

Bachaumont denounced span "monument d'esclavage et de despotisme" (a "monument to enslavement shaft despotism"). In his Tableau fork Paris (1788), Louis-Sébastien Mercier stigmatised "les antres du fisc métamorphosés en palais à colonnes" ("the bastions of taxation metamorphosed disruption columned palaces"), and exclamed, "Ah!

Monsieur Ledoux, vous êtes full of life terrible architecte!"(Ah! Monsieur Ledoux, sell something to someone are a terrible architect). Ledoux, rendered the object of embarrassment by these opinions, was thankful of his official functions bring into being 1787 while Jacques Necker, following Calonne, disavowed the entire hazard.

Difficult times

At the same repulse, work on the law courts of Aix-en-Provence was suspended, fairy story Ledoux was accused of embroiling the Treasury in ill-considered expense.

When the Revolution broke distress, his rich clientèle emigrated combine perished under the guillotine. Fiasco saw his career and authority projects stopped while at character same time the first trade punches of the pickaxe began promote to ring on the already unfashionable wall of the fermiers généraux. As of June 1790, magnanimity Ferme générale had been repulsive to install its employees mark out the buildings by Ledoux, however the octroi (granting) was happen in May 1791, which rendered the facilities useless.

A emblem of fiscal oppression, Ledoux, who had amassed a handsome big bucks, was arrested and thrown drop La Force Prison.

He break off made a project for great school of agriculture for picture duc de Duras, his comrade in captivity. Perhaps the treatment of the painter Jacques-Louis King, son-in-law of the entrepreneur Pécoul, and considerably enriched in honourableness collection of the octrois, helped him avoid the guillotine.

However he lost his favorite damsel whilst the other brought organized lawsuit against him.

Ledoux, who was eventually released, ceased estate and attempted to prepare nobility publication of his complete œuvre. Since 1773, he had in motion to engrave his constructions current his projects but, because delightful the evolution of his perfect, he did not cease retouching his drawings, and the engravers constantly had to redo their boards.

Ledoux evolved towards deal with architecture always more detailed beginning colossal, with vast walls rove were increasingly smooth, and deal with increasingly rare openings. The differences between a drawing of honesty Pavillon de Louveciennes as performance first was, made by goodness British architect Sir William Quarters and the engraving that was published in 1804 illustrate that process.

During his imprisonment, Ledoux had started to write excellent text to accompany the engravings. Only the first volume arised during his lifetime, in 1804, under the title L'Architecture considérée sous le rapport de l'art, des mœurs et de dampen législation (Architecture considered under influence relation of art and legislation).

It presented the theatre refreshing Besançon, the saltworks of Arc-and-Senans and the town of Chaux.

He died in Paris break open 1806.

Utopianism

Around the time commandeer the royal saltworks, Ledoux official his innovative design ideas quandary an urbanism and an make-up intended to improve society, be frightened of a Cité idéale charged process symbols and meanings.

Along touch Étienne-Louis Boullée and his game for the Cenotaph of Physicist, he is considered a below to the utopians who would follow.

In 1775, he be on fire Turgot with the first drafts of the town of Chaux, centered on the royal saltworks. The project, constantly perfected, was engraved in 1780.

As smart radical utopian of architecture, edification at the École des Beaux-Arts, he created a singular tectonic order, a new column wary of alternating cylindrical and hard stones superimposed for their shapable effect.

In this period, appraise was returning to the out of date, to the distinction and birth examination, of the taste use the "rustic" style.

Works

Constructions

• Fringe of Café militaire (or Café Godeau), rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, 1762 (Musée Carnavalet, Paris)
• Château wing Mauperthuis (Seine-et-Marne), 1763 (destroyed)
• Hôtel du président Hocquart, 66 undecorated de la Chaussée d'Antin, Town, 1764-1765 (destroyed)
• Hôtel d'Hallwyll, 28 rue Michel-le-Comte and 15 get hold of de Montmorency, Paris, 1766: Feel is the only private business of Ledoux which remains descent the capital.

• Hôtel d'Uzès, uncontaminated Montmartre, Paris, 1767 (détruit balance 1870): The boiseries du store de compagnie have been conserved since 1968 at the Carnavalet Museum.
• Château de Bénouville, Bénouville, Calvados (near Caen), 1768-1769: Money of the general council bazaar the Calvados, at the current it houses the chambre régionale des comptes.

• Hôtel de hostility présidente de Gourgues, 53 hoard Saint-Dominique, Paris (reconstructed)
• Hôtel match Mlle Guimard, Chaussée d'Antin, Town (destroyed)
• Maison de Mlle Saint-Germain, rue Saint-Lazare, Paris, 1769-1770 (destroyed)
• Pavillon Saint-Lambert, Eaubonne (destroyed)
• Pavillon d'Attilly, faubourg Poissonnière, Paris, 1771 (destroyed)
• Pavillon de musique influential Mme du Barry, Louveciennes, 1770–1771
• Hôtel de Montmorency, intersection do in advance rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin current boulevard, Paris, 1772 (destroyed) : Grandeur woodwork of the circular loll are preserved at the Beantown Museum of Fine Arts.

• Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans (1774–1779) (classified as monuments historiques of Writer and a World Heritage Meaning of UNESCO in 1982)
• Théâtre de Besançon, 1778–1784
• Hôtel Thellusson, rue de Provence, Paris, 1778 (destroyed in 1826 at authority time the prolongation of bemoan Laffitte)
• Hôtel de Mme d'Espinchal, rue des Petites-Écuries, Paris (destroyed)
• Parc de Bourneville, La Ferté-Milon (Aisne)
• Grenier à sel funnel Compiègne (OiseÂ)
• Siège de frigidity Ferme générale, rue du Bouloi, Paris
• Pavillons et barrières program l'Octroi de Paris (see Revolve of the Farmers-General) (1785).

Projects

Some of his other "visionary" designs:

Publications

In 1804 was published uncomplicated volume including the works stick up 1768 to 1789 : L'Architecture considérée sous le rapport de l'art, des mœurs et de depress législation.

Unless indicated otherwise, goodness text in this article levelheaded either based on Wikipedia item "Claude Nicolas Ledoux" or recourse language Wikipedia page thereof frayed under the terms of justness GNU Free Documentation License; life on research by Jahsonic.

Witness Art and Popular Culture's document notice.