View of the Park at Versailles: Arched Entry to a Terrace, Urns and Ruined Statuary n.d.

Antoine Pierre Mongin created this drawing of the Versailles park with graphite on paper, likely in the late 18th or early 19th century. The image shows a carefully designed garden space, with classical architecture, statuary, and carefully arranged trees. France, at this time, was a society of strict social hierarchy and monarchy. Versailles, as the seat of royal power, was a stage on which that hierarchy played out. Formal gardens like this one were important symbols of royal power and control over nature. The inclusion of ruined statuary could reflect on the decay of the monarchy, or be simply part of an aesthetic of the time. To better understand Mongin's drawing we could research the design of Versailles during this period, or look into the changing social functions of gardens in French society. Art is always connected to the time and place in which it was made!