All the arts--painting, sculpture, architecture, urban design,
interior design, graphic design, photography, film, fashion, the
theater, and opera--have played a role in creating the enduring
spirit of Paris. From a primitive village huddled on an island in
the middle of the Seine, Paris rose to glory as a medieval and
Renaissance center for art, as the cradle of the Enlightenment, and
as the crucible of modern art and architecture. It remains a world
center of innovation in art, architecture, and design, and one of
the most thoroughly pleasurable of all modern cities. Assembled
under the editorial direction of Michel Laclotte, former director
of the Musee du Louvre, and with the participation of outstanding
scholars on both sides of the Atlantic, "The Art and Spirit of
Paris spans more than 6,000 years of cultural history. In two
volumes, comprising nine insightful and wide-ranging chapters, and
with approximately 1,500 illustrations, the authors chronicle the
history of the visual arts in Paris, tracing their evolution and
that of the social systems that supported them. Volume II begins at
1800, as Napoleon consolidates his power and determines to make
Paris the most beautiful city the world has seen. Chapter 5 treats
his brief era, which would echo in the French imagination for
decades after, and which begins the reign of Paris as "Capital of
the Nineteenth Century." The battles of classicism and romanticism
and the advent of a modern "engineer's architecture" of glass and
iron are followed in chapter 6 by the glorious Ville Lumiere of
Second Empire Paris, with its remarkable world's fairs. Chapter 6
also treats the aftermath of the Commune, when a "New Painting"
would be invented bythe most beloved artists of the French
tradition, including Manet, Renoir, Monet, and Cezanne. Chapter 7
brings us to fin de siecle Paris, the Belle Epoque, and the run-up
to World War 1, when a remarkable coterie of artists, including
Picasso, invent an art for the new century. Chapter 8 examines the
period between the wars, an era of refinement and consolidation in
the arts, and chapter 9 brings the story of Paris up to the
present, examining the remarkable ways Paris has yet again remade
herself, as a city of spectacle and guardian of her remarkable
past, while remaining a vital center of fashion, theater, and the
visual arts. A lavish selection of illustrations, most reproduced
in color, complements the lively, informative texts with a
revealing mixture of muchloved masterpieces and little-known
discoveries. Completing the visual impact of these luxurious
volumes are 9 photographic portfolios, featuring classic
black-and-white pictures, reproduced in duotone, by such masters as
Brassai, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, and Andre Kertesz,
which capture the spirit of Paris in visual essays on such subjects
as the Seine, Paris by night, shops and cafes, and the city's
streets and boulevards. Finally, an extensive chronology--spanning
both volumes and detailing various aspects of Parisian history--and
the meticulous bibliography ensure the high level of scholarship.
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