Hubert Robert - La Bastilla, durante los primeros días de su demolición

The Take of the Bastille, July 14, 1789, is the most famous episode of the French Revolution. The insurgents assault the prison of the Bastille to deal with the large amount of ammunition that is stored in it. In addition, this building is the symbol of absolute power. Indeed, the king could, through a simple lettre de cachet, order someone to be imprisoned without reason and without trial. This painting takes us to the next day of the Take. The demolition has just begun. The heavy and dark atmosphere emanating from the painting, the smoke escaping from the imposing building, the frame and the lighting accentuate the dramatic character of the event. At the top of the building, we can see some workers removing the stones one by one. In the foreground, some men contemplate the scene, while others classify the rubble. For two years, a thousand workers have been working on the dismantling of this immense prison, under the supervision and orders of Pierre-François Vallois, a construction businessman. This building also makes numerous objects of memory, such as buttons, tiles, models, etc., to evoke this immense work, symbol of a capital and a country in full transformation.