François Ier À La Fontaine De Vaucluse 

Jean-Joseph-Xavier Bidauld painted François Ier À La Fontaine De Vaucluse in France, though the precise date is unknown. The image offers an idyllic vision of the French countryside with a royal visit. Such romantic depictions were popular, and it's useful to consider their political role. Landscapes had become fashionable in the French Academy, and the French Revolution had made the aristocracy newly nostalgic for the land. The painting creates meaning through historical association. Fontaine de Vaucluse was the home of the poet Petrarch, whose sonnets shaped the course of European literature. François I was the Renaissance king who consolidated French royal power and patronized the arts. In the painting, the artist seems to be linking the cultural achievements of France to the beauty of its natural landscape. Understanding the context of this painting requires archival research into the institutions of French art. The meanings of art are contingent on these social and institutional settings.