At the court of Versailles, Louis created a culture that was surrounded around the appreciation of French culture in all areas of art, including the dramatic arts, literature, music, and visual arts. Louis XIV was determined to centralize control of the arts, and he wanted his reign to be famous for its artistic brilliance. He placed significance on recognizing the most prized French talent, and he gave pensions to many artists and commissioned their works. He believed that musicians, poets, and painters were vital to establishing France’s artistic supremacy. Artistic dominance and self-sufficiency were consistent with both the ambitions to dominate Europe. (Isherwood 156). Louis had a reputation for participating in performances in Versailles,
