La Tour Eiffel
What could I write about the Eiffel Tower that has not been written before?
The Eiffel Tower stands since the World’s Fair of 1889, and has greeted with hatred to love. I, might have looked like the tourists wandering around taking endless pictures with it or of it, trying to get the perfect angle for my profile picture on Facebook. What the tallest structure in Paris evoked in me may not be any different from what over millions of people have thought or felt when visiting it. The Iron Lady is without doubt one of the most famous buildings in the world, being the most-visited paid monument. So, I repeat, what could I write about it?
To be honest, my first impression of the Eiffel Tower was that it was not as impressive or beautiful as many people and pictures professed it to be. Also very likely, my lack of knowledge on the subject and its history did not allow me to appreciate what it meant or what it stands for. However I learned that this controversial art piece represents not only Paris but also freedom of a country, a symbol of creativity and progress, and the mixture of different cultures. Now, I could understand why it is considered a ''spellbinding beauty''. After contemplating it from all the possible angles, except a top one, the global cultural icon of France became the representation of change and new ideals based on the fusion of art and science instead of just a beautiful structure in the city of lights that everybody loves, even though the majority do not even know why it is called Eiffel. Infamous as it was for some people, Gustave Eiffel's creation, is beautiful in a very distinctive way that can not be compared to any other structure in the world. Maybe the treacherous illusion to lace the iron creates or the basic similarity to a woman is what seduces your attention from anywhere in the city. For me it is a majestic piece of work that moves something inside you. It inspires a feeling of greatness one has, or at least, that you can accomplish, because as you get close or underneath it, you feel so tiny in comparison to it. It is unbelievable that us tiny humans could create something that appears to reach the skies.
The Eiffel Tower stands since the World’s Fair of 1889, and has greeted with hatred to love. I, might have looked like the tourists wandering around taking endless pictures with it or of it, trying to get the perfect angle for my profile picture on Facebook. What the tallest structure in Paris evoked in me may not be any different from what over millions of people have thought or felt when visiting it. The Iron Lady is without doubt one of the most famous buildings in the world, being the most-visited paid monument. So, I repeat, what could I write about it?
To be honest, my first impression of the Eiffel Tower was that it was not as impressive or beautiful as many people and pictures professed it to be. Also very likely, my lack of knowledge on the subject and its history did not allow me to appreciate what it meant or what it stands for. However I learned that this controversial art piece represents not only Paris but also freedom of a country, a symbol of creativity and progress, and the mixture of different cultures. Now, I could understand why it is considered a ''spellbinding beauty''. After contemplating it from all the possible angles, except a top one, the global cultural icon of France became the representation of change and new ideals based on the fusion of art and science instead of just a beautiful structure in the city of lights that everybody loves, even though the majority do not even know why it is called Eiffel. Infamous as it was for some people, Gustave Eiffel's creation, is beautiful in a very distinctive way that can not be compared to any other structure in the world. Maybe the treacherous illusion to lace the iron creates or the basic similarity to a woman is what seduces your attention from anywhere in the city. For me it is a majestic piece of work that moves something inside you. It inspires a feeling of greatness one has, or at least, that you can accomplish, because as you get close or underneath it, you feel so tiny in comparison to it. It is unbelievable that us tiny humans could create something that appears to reach the skies.
Musee de Cluny
In the Musee de Cluny we experienced going back to a time when most of the art revolved around religious themes and it was a challenge to understand how people could only be surrounded by biblical stories and portraits of the crucifix. I could not imagine myself seeing them every day yet one has to understand that at that time they were living with a constant threat of death. To confront each day with the probability of being your last could not be easy in any way. So religion became a refuge and art a way to approach God. So various biblical scenes were made into paintings or carved in wood and they were used to instruct or just decoration in the church. The collection in the museum is rather vast, there is a great variety of not only religious artifacts but also of knight’s armor. Unfortunately the famous roman baths “Thermes” were closed, but we got to see the religious stained glass windows on the first floor, the gothic sculpture of the middle ages in the basement area, the goldsmith work and Ivory from the middle ages, some tapestries and the religious wood carvings or triptychs and paintings.
Cathedrals
Beauty is said to be a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, which pleases the aesthetic senses, the intellect or moral sense. And after experiencing the religious and cultural epicenters of Paris I have to say that religion seems to have a very close relationship to beauty. They appear to be intertwined in Notre Dame where as soon as you observe it from outside your senses are impaired by it's grandiose nature. This splendid cathedral offers a solemn experience of the light, given by the marvelous stained glass windows, the music from the organ, and the images inside it. The emotional provocation might have had a hidden agenda when it was built, since it was not only to show that beauty could be created by nature and God but also that it would exalt man’s ability to be the one who designed it and made it possible. This beautiful, sophisticated, gigantic structure demonstrates impressive heights; and as in La Tour Eiffel, we could say that the man is trying to reach God or at least, heaven. The Gothic style is very characteristic with its pointed arches, ribbed vaults and flying buttress, however this style of architecture only flourished in the late medieval period. It evolved from a very different style with semi-circular arches, called Romanesque structure. An example of this style is the St. Germain de Prés a very somber structure with few thick round windows, if any. Today the little church has the influence of gothic architecture since it was damaged and restored during the Norman invasion, but we could see some Romanesque style that was spared. How could we compare this concept of beauty that dates from 40 b.c. to our modern one? Today, a “natural’’ trend that is developing to save space, time, and resources; however I think it is in our nature that we admire imposing monuments. Our concepts and parameters about beauty may vary by taste and culture but I think hardly anybody can deny that the Notre Dame de Paris is a beautiful and magnificent structure.
Musee du Louvre
Personally I love museums so I have to say that the Louvre became by far my favorite place. It is just so full of history and art, so immense that you get lost and you need almost week to see it completely. Two days was not enough but we got to see the Greek sculptures and the development of classical art in paintings. The history of the place is just incredible, being a castle that became a gigantic museum it is just fascinating. An ultimately essential section to visit is the Antiquities collection, as Dr. Lalonde in ‘’Exploring Paris, Discovering the Humanities” wrote, the theme that seems prevalent on the collection is the birth or writing. Rightly so, since writing is the best creation/discovery of humanity. In short, the Musee du Louvre offers you a singular experience of gathering knowledge in a way that captures all of your senses.
Versailles
It is hard to believe that the Palace of Versailles initially was a hunting lodge until in the 17th century when Louis XIV, made it an extravagance trying to replace God with himself and concentrating all potential aristocratic enemies and the greatest talents of the country in the same place. The majestic gardens are another evidence of his obsession with control and the fact that the walkways are populated with various gods and goddesses give you the sense that he felt like a god that should only be surrounded by the same. After the Sun King, his successors only grew so obsessed with themselves that by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette it is no surprise that the first revolting masses appear. I find it interesting how Versailles is about glorifying the rich and the self-absorbed that by their lack of attention and sympathy for the daily struggles of the people caused that the market woman demanded the head of Marie Antoinette, even more incredible is that you cannot find any evidence of the Revolution at Versailles even though everything started there.
Pantheon
In ancient Greece and Rome a temple dedicated to all the gods is called a Pantheon, it literally means ‘’every god’’. So it is not surprising that in Paris The Pantheon is dedicated to the all the national heroes. After so much time of religion and monarchy being the center of everything, finally this place is not so much about kings of God but rather of people. Science and reason replaced religion; philosophers, scientists and authors replaced saints. We did not see the Pendulum since there was renovation being done but I could imagine it, in the center of what was once a church dedicated to St. Genevieve. It is an impressive building, an early example of neoclassicism that encapsulate different eras and beliefs, because on one wall you can admire a biblical scene, in the middle a sculpture of the revolution taking place, and then on another wall the decapitation of a saint or someone. Also you have the rests of famous French citizens such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Marie and Pierre Curie, Alexandre Dumas, among many others. AUX GRANDS HOMMES LA PATRIE RECONNAISSANTE ( "To the great men, the grateful homeland") is engraved on the top of the entrance of the building.
Monuments
The arch of Triumph honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. It reminded me of a very similar structure that is in Mexico to the angel in Mexico D.F.,the capital, it celebrates the victory and honours the deaths of soldiersI believe that Americans and Mexicans do display their nationalism in a similar way when they build such monuments to honor the deaths of those who fought, and when they celebrate in many ways their independence. It is not only about parties with the typical food, fireworks, or the national colors of your country but when you sing the national hymn with your hand in your heart and say the slogan of your country in front of the flag.
Sacre Coeur
The giant mosaic in the interior of the church Sacre Coeur makes me feel so small compared to Him, but besides the feeling of making me small I don’t consider it to have a sentimental effect on me for that matter. It’s like it purposely wants to make you feel smaller, less worthy compared to the white and golden Jesus that extends his arms and the rest of the saints kneel before God who is opposite to him with the Holy Spirit as a dove in the middle is illuminating him. The church itself is very imposing as if saying “look at me!’’ I think it is a very beautiful byzantine structure. It is hard to believe that once there was a massacre of the communards by the Versailles army, I did not see any evidence of the Commune of 1871. Then as we walked around the Montmartre neighborhood we got to see some art on canvas and on the streets. I enjoyed the walk so much that I went twice with some friends. I loved contemplating the artists’ work on portraits. You could feel the bohemian spirit as you walked down the hill.
Rodin
Rodin can be called the father of modern sculpture because he took impressionism from the canvas to the stone. In other words, we could see and feel the expression of movement in his work unlike in classical sculpture. His predecessors in the Greek culture were masters in making sculptures all smooth and pretty, with faces that perfectly showed no emotion what so ever. In counterpart Rodin creates motion and emotion in his works, maybe it was his obsession with death that made him more sensible to what real suffering looked like in ‘The Burghers of Calais’. Perhaps his passionate romance with Camille Claudel made him realize that two lovers would not look like Cupid and Psychic but almost as if the two bodies formed a twisted one as in “The Kiss’’. Mind you, it was not that he rebelled against classical art; on the contrary he was educated and trained in traditional ways. He possessed a unique ability to model a complex, turbulent, deeply pocketed surface into clay, hence he was criticized because they clashed with the predominant figure sculptural tradition, in which works were decorative, formulaic, or highly thematic. Also called the artist of contradiction, since his medium was stone which by nature is immobile and inorganic, the themes were movement and emotion, which is the complete opposite. He reproduced the impressionistic themes from D’Orsay into sculpture.
Musee D'Orsay
Fashion is the most powerful art there is. It is movement, design and architecture all in one. It shows the world who we are and who we'd like to be. Therefore I do not consider the to be a difference between art and fashion; I think Impressionism could have been both. A trend is a general direction in which something is developing or changing and a fashion is a popular trend. I would think that all the, now classified, ‘periods’ in art were in their times were a trend until they became a fashion and then probably evolved to a classified movement. The Orsay Museum is basically for Impressionism works although it houses some works before it so we could appreciate the record of radical change in the art. The content and style of it are the bourgeoisie, individualism, industrialization and nature. Some of the famous artists featured are Manet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Monet, Renoir and Caillebotte. The Impressionist movement of the 19th century is the reflection of reality rather than illusions of perfection; that is why it was rejected, their thematic content is self-expression, movement, and the different brush strokes emphasize a kind of messiness where you could only capture the general panorama from afar. In short, it is very unlike the classical paintings that are perfectly perfect.
Pompidou
I previously mentioned that one of the thematic contents of Impressionism was self-expression where artists begin to experience an identity crisis as Gauguin’s ‘Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?’ art piece clearly shows. To me this sounded as if art was going through puberty. Most of teenagers, if not all, go through a phase where you ask yourself those same questions. And as you try to answer them you begin to create or discover a true self. Modernism takes place when we recognize our vulnerability and the works of art begin to emphasize singularity, meaning of art, philosophical disgust and techniques of art. Some believed in the perfectibility of humanity through eduction rather like d’Holbach, while other were disgusted and disappointed in what once promised to be progress as in Picasso’s ‘Guernica’. In the absence of ideals artists concentrated on color and form instead of content. I think this ‘absence of ideals’is what opens the path to the nihilism we experienced in the Post-modernism period which takes place in the end of the 20th century and our 21st century. The belief in one thing: nothing. Meaning in the absence of meaning is what art is all about. The self-portraits become a reflection of the state of the individual. I had trouble understanding this deconstructive art. Truth is I am not sure I like at all. How could a self-portrait be of a woman all beaten up? Now I understand that art is all about provocation. If you do not have a reaction to it, how could you call it art? I understand that now, my preferences still go to the classic pieces. Last but not least the Post-post-modernism is about the voice given to the ‘voiceless’ such as nature and women. We get to see all of these movements in the famous Centre George Pompidou museum which hides nothing not even its structure.
Musee d'historiare Naturelle
After all the incredibly beautiful and gigantic museums we visited, we finally saw something very different. A museum that is not dedicated to the human’s but rather to nature’s accomplishments. I found it amazing how art in nature is actually scientific. I mean I think I knew at some level but I had never reasoned it out completely. We usually considered ‘nature’ to be a chaotic and uncontrollable term when in fact nature has a cycle, and is very much governed by science in so many aspects. This museum collects and dissects not only animals but nature itself, it opens our eyes to see how animals are not that different from us, or should I say how WE are not that different from them. As I realized this I thought of how true it is that we usually consider ourselves superior to everything else in nature or actually in the world; I do not find it surprising since in our history we have seen how even within humans there has been issues with superiority. In the history of the world we learn about many kinds of leadership that eventually lead to a revolution because somewhere across the generations of kings, queens, emperors, etc. they began to feel god-like or simply forgot about the people "beneath" them.