Tag: Paris métro

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Paris or London?

I bet there are times when people are forced to make a choice about whether to visit Paris or London. Usually there just isn’t enough time in their holiday schedule to visit both. So, the decision is made to maximize their stay in one or the other city. But which one to choose?

 In 2013, I wrote back-to-back blogs on why I like (or dislike) London and Paris. Each blog made the case for a respective city. Here we are in the dog days of summer, and everyone is traveling to Europe when the majority of Europeans are on holiday. What better time to combine those prior blogs and reprint my arguments for visiting each city.

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Did You Know?

Did you know that dogs have been our friends for more than 12,000 years? They hunt with us, protect us, and despite how bad our day has been, they still love us. Dogs were the first domesticated animal and by medieval times, they were embedded in our homes (and castles). Think about the medieval tapestries you’ve seen in museums. There is always a loyal dog in the picture.

“Hunting with a Hawk” tapestry. Lots of animals but always at least one dog. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Metropolitan of Art (tapestry dated c. 1515). Bequest of George Blumenthal, 1941. PD-CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Wikimedia Commons.
“Hunting with a Hawk” tapestry. Lots of animals but always at least one dog. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Metropolitan of Art (tapestry dated c. 1515). Bequest of George Blumenthal, 1941. PD-CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Wikimedia Commons.

In the tapestries and paintings with dogs, we typically know the names of the human subjects but how often do we know the dog’s name? Did the dogs even have names back then? You bet they did according to a 15th-century manuscript titled, “The Names of All Manner of Hounds.” The author lists 1,065 names given to medieval dogs and you’ll see they are quite ingenious.

“The Lady and the Unicorn” tapestry. Notice the dogs? Photo by Own Work (15 December 2021). Musée de Cluny (tapestry dated c. 1500s) PD-Author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.
“The Lady and the Unicorn” tapestry. Notice the dogs? Photo by Own Work (15 December 2021). Musée de Cluny (tapestry dated c. 1500s) PD-Author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.

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Paris Art Nouveau

Everyone who travels returns home with certain images imbedded in their memories. One of the images of Paris that I have always retained is the decorative entrances to the métro stations. No, not every bulky, uninspired, or “run-of-the-mill” station but rather, those métro entrances that exhibit the iconic flamboyant signage designed in the style of Art Nouveau.

What is “Art Nouveau?” Art Nouveau, or “New Art” was an art movement that began around 1890 and ended in 1910. The movement was international (in England, it was known as “Modern Style”) and exhibited a style inspired by flowers and plants. There is a lot of movement with asymmetrical but sinuous and elegant lines. Materials used included glass, iron, and ceramics. By the end of World War I, Art Nouveau had disappeared and was replaced by Art Deco followed by Modernism.

Balcony created by Hector Guimard for the Musée Fonte d’art Saint-Dizier. Photo by G. Garitan (September 2013). PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. Wikimedia Commons.
Balcony created by Hector Guimard for the Musée Fonte d’art Saint-Dizier. Photo by G. Garitan (September 2013). PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. Wikimedia Commons.

Art Nouveau was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement (originating in Great Britain) and the first Art Nouveau architecture and interior design appeared in Brussels in 1890. It was quickly adopted by Hector Guimard in Paris. Artists such as Guimard, Alphonse Mucha, Aubrey Beardsley, and Louis Comfort Tiffany were leading proponents of Art Nouveau in architecture, jewelry, posters, graphic arts, and furniture. Mucha rejected the terminology of Art Nouveau. He said, “Art is eternal, it cannot be new.” However, the Paris art world quickly termed Art Nouveau as “le style Mucha,” or Mucha Style.

Detail of the mural at the Pavilion de la Bosnie-Herzégovine during the Paris Exhibition of 1900. Mural painting by Alfonse Mucha (c. 1900). Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra (June 2014). PD-CCA 2.0 Generic. Wikimedia Commons.
Detail of the mural at the Pavilion de la Bosnie-Herzégovine during the Paris Exhibition of 1900. Mural painting by Alfonse Mucha (c. 1900). Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra (June 2014). PD-CCA 2.0 Generic. Wikimedia Commons.
Poster for the premier production of “Gismonda” starring Sarah Bernhardt. Lithograph poster by Alphonse Mucha (c. 1894). Gallica Digital Library – Sakai Collection. PD-Author’s Life + 80 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.
Poster for the premier production of “Gismonda” starring Sarah Bernhardt. Lithograph poster by Alphonse Mucha (c. 1894). Gallica Digital Library – Sakai Collection. PD-Author’s Life + 80 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.
“The Peacock Skirt” for Oscar Wilde’s play, “Salomé” (1892). Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley (c. 1892). PD-Author’s Life + 100 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.
“The Peacock Skirt” for Oscar Wilde’s play, “Salomé” (1892). Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley (c. 1892). PD-Author’s Life + 100 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.

Guimard was the first to embrace Art Nouveau in Paris when he agreed to design the first generation of entrances to underground stations of the new Paris métro system at the turn of the century. Read More Paris Art Nouveau