Design for a Bay of a Side Wall, Château de Béhourt 1850 - 1900

Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise designed this watercolor and graphite artwork "Design for a Bay of a Side Wall, Château de Béhourt." Lachaise was working in a period of French history marked by significant social and political upheaval, particularly in the aftermath of World War I. This context is essential to understanding his artistic perspective and the cultural values he sought to represent. The design reflects a fascination with French history, which served to evoke a sense of national pride during a time of rebuilding. The architectural design blends classical elements with a medieval aesthetic evoking the grandeur of French nobility and the deeply gendered notions of power and authority associated with it. Yet, there is also something of a theater set or even the pages of an illuminated manuscript, offering a stage for the viewer's imagination. In what ways does this blend of styles—the classical with the medieval, the solid with the ephemeral—reflect the artist's understanding of national identity?