Class 7 - Parisian Modernism

Le Belle Epoque extended into the 20th century, as France continued to enjoy the benefits of industrialization and modernization. It was still a time of peace of prosperity. Living standards were improving, although there remained the problems of class disparity and poverty. And there was a burst of experimentation in the art world. This would last until the year 1914, when everything changed.

Art Nouveau was an ornamental style of art that flourished between about 1890 and 1910 throughout Europe, and even in the United States. Inspired by the curving lines of nature, this new style was employed in the creation of posters and illustrations, in interior design, jewelry and glass design, and architecture. You can still find many examples of Art Nouveau designs in modern Paris. For example, those marvelous green entrances to the Metro. Click on the video below to learn more about this style:

Art Nouveau had a great influence on fashion. It this interests you, click on the image below to learn about the styles of fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin:

A group of expat American writers living in Paris during the 1920's is often referred to as the Lost Generation, a term invented by Gertrude Stein. Sharing a post-war grief at the deaths of their loved ones and a sense of lost innocence, their written works were often characterized by disllusionment and pessimism. And yet, they created a number of masterpieces that would strongly influence the literary world for generations to come. Among these writers were F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. Click on the video below to learn more:

The young writers often socialized at Parisian cafés. One of their favorites was Les Deux Magots on Rue St Germaine on the Left Bank (see below). In his book A Moveable Feast, Hemingway explains the attraction of the cafés:

“The people that I liked and had not met went to the big cafes because they were lost in them and no one noticed them and they could be alone in them and be together.”

“With so many trees in the city, you could see the spring coming each day until a night of warm wind would bring it suddenly in one morning. Sometimes the heavy cold rains would beat it back so that it would seem that it would never come and that you were losing a season out of your life. This was the only truly sad time in Paris because it was unnatural. You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintry light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person had died for no reason.”

Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

Maurice Ravel was one of the most significant composers of the early 20th century. His music is often associated with Impressionism, marking a great transition in the evolution of music. Perhaps you are familiar with Bolero. He wrote his piano solo piece, Pavanne for a Dead Princess, while still a student at the Paris Conservatory of Music. Ravel took pains to point out that, despite the title, the piece is not a funeral lament but "rather an evocation of the pavane that might have been danced by such a little princess as was painted by Velazquez." He first performed the piece in 1899 - to rave reviews - and is career was launched. In 1910 he wrote a score of the piece for orchestra. Click the image below to listen to the piano version. As you listen, think of the young princess dancing.

George Gershwin wrote An American in Paris in 1928. It is a symphonic poem for orchestra, inspired by the time that he spent in Paris during the twenties. Gershwin was influenced both by the jazz music, which had been transported from New York to Paris during and just after World War I., and the music of Ravel and Debussy. As you listen to this short masterpiece, think of the influence of the "new music" Gershwin had been listening to, and listen to the sounds and energy of the city - the honking of the horns of the taxis, the joyful rhythm of a flaneur (someone strolling through the city), the music in the cabarets...

Built on the ashes of the original Palais d'Orsay, the Gare d'Orsay, a train station, was later replaced by the Musée d'Orsay, a museum. Click on the image below to view its metamorphosis from station to art museum:

The fire at Notre Dame was a national tragedy in France that no one foresaw. But, miraculously, the cathedral is being carefully restored. Click on the image below to learn about this complicated process:

As we leave our brief visit in Paris, let's listen to a love song addressed to the city: Sous le Ciel de Paris (Under the Paris Sky) offered by the inimitable Edith Piaf - click on the image below:

Suggested Reading: The Proust volumes provide humorous insights into the distinct worlds of the Parisian aristocrats and the upper bourgeoisie during the late years of the 19th century. Hemingway's book brings you into the realm of the "lost generation" living in Paris after World War I. Is Paris Burning? describes how Paris narrowly escaped destruction in World War II. And the Gropnik book is a marvelous collection of essays about an American family living in Paris in recent times. Enjoy!

and, if you like Woody Allen, here is a relevant film you might enjoy:

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