Class 5 - Paris Enters the Industrial Age

     France at the dawn of the 19th century was primarily a land of peasant farms with a small handicraft industry - far behind the industrial development of Britain. But gradually it would develop a modern and diverse economy. Napoleon I set the ball rolling when he created the Bank of France. But he also did a few things that weren't quite so noble. Click on David's painting of him below to learn more about how his looting escapades enriched the art collection in the Louvre, at least temporarily, but opened up a hornet's nest of controversy:

     Louis Napoleon, the nephew of Napoleon 1, became Emperor of France (as Napoleon III) in 1852.  He expanded and consolidated the railway system throughout France and oversaw a modernization of the French economy. And he appointed Baron Georges Eugène Haussmann to construct new boulevards and parks in the city of Paris. Click on the painting of Napoleon III below (left) to learn more about Haussmann's big project:

     While he was building the boulevards of Paris, Haussmann rebuilt the dense labyrinth of pipes, sewers and tunnels under the streets. Haussmann wrote in his mémoires:

   "The underground galleries are an organ of the great city, functioning like an organ of the human body, without seeing the light of day; clean and fresh water, light and heat circulate like the various fluids whose movement and maintenance serves the life of the body; the secretions are taken away mysteriously and don't disturb the good functioning of the city and without spoiling its beautiful exterior.”

     Most applauded Haussmann's accomplishments, but he did have his critics. Jules Ferry, the most vocal critic of Haussmann in the French parliament, wrote: 

     "We weep with our eyes full of tears for the old Paris, the Paris of Voltaire, of Desmoulins, the Paris of 1830 and 1848, when we see the grand and intolerable new buildings, the costly confusion, the triumphant vulgarity, the awful materialism, that we are going to pass on to our descendants."

 "Champs-Élysées" is French for "Elysian Fields," a paradise in Greek mythology. The famous boulevard of this name was originally laid out in 1667 by André le Notre as a scenic "promenade" beginning at the Tuileries Gardens. It was later extended to the Place de l'Etoile. During the time of Napoleon III, this became one of the world's most beautiful avenues. Click on the painting below (by Jean Bernaud) to view its history (keep an eye on the dates in the upper left corner as you zoom backwards and then forward in time):

     France was a late bloomer in rail transportation. But beginning in 1837, separate rail lines were built to reach all the frontiers of France from Paris. As each new line was completed, a station was built at its starting point in Paris. This explains why there are currently seven train stations in the city. Gare St Lazare was the first train station built, opening in 1837. It serves trains going to the western suburbs and beyond - all the way to Normandy. Many artists lived in the area of St. Lazare, and it became a major subject in their paintings. In class we'll see it appear in the works of Manet, Monet, and Caillebotte. Below is a drawing of how this station's trainyard appeared in the mid-19th century.

     Impressionism is a style of painting developed in Paris during the mid-to-late 19th century. It is characterized by large, visible brushstrokes that offer the bare impression of form, unblended color (the colors appear to blend as a viewer looks at them from a slight distance) and an emphasis on the depiction of natural light. Claude Monet was one of the founders of this new style. The movement got its name (originally a pejorative term) from Monet's 1872 painting below (Impressison, Sunrise). Click on the image to learn more about how Impressionism related to basic changes in the French economy and society at that time:

     Claude Debussy, often referred to as an Impressionist composer, was a major force in the development of French music in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Turning away from traditional styles of music, he sought to evoke a mood or atmosphere by creating musical images through the use of certain motifs,  exotic scales, and ambiguous tonality.  His Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun is a symphonic poem composed and first performed in Paris in 1894.  It is a far cry from the works of the preceding Classical and Romantic periods! The critical response to the performance was mixed, many shocked by the erotic overtones of the piece. Nowadays, it is considered the beginning of modern music. Click on the image below to hear this beautiful piece. 

     Paris' 1889 Exposition Universelle commemorated the 100th anniversary of the start of the French Revolution. Best known for introducing the Eiffel Tower, it was the fourth Exposition held in Paris, attracting over 32 million visitors between the months of May and October. Held primarily on the Champ de Mars, the Exposition highlighted achievements in science, industry and the arts. Thirty-five nations were represented, with over 61,00 exhibitors. In addition to the now iconic Eiffel Tower, there were numerous international pavilions, a Machinery Hall, two Palaces of the Arts, a reproduction of a Cairo Street, and numerous examples of homes and habitations.  Advancements in electricity were a highlight of the Exposition - the exhibits stayed open at night thanks to Thomas Edison's incandescent lamps. Other inventions included an electric streetcar/train, a phonograph and a moving sidewalk. Click on the image below to "revisit" this famous world's fair (music by Beethoven):