Place de la Bastille – Revolutions

The Place de la Bastille is of course quite directly linked to the 1789 Revolution - the destruction of the 14th century fortress, used as a prison, which was stormed on July the 14^th, 1789. I have written on the Place and the fortress several times, e.g. here and here.

The Place is now under reconstruction, meaning that cars and buses will have to take new paths and that pedestrians will be more welcome. The work is  not finished, but you can already now reach the “July Column” on foot without risking your life (which I once did), as was the case when it was still surrounded by hectic traffic.

Some of the floor slabs around the Column have figures referring to different French Revolutions (there was not only the 1789-one)…

… and different symbols, referring to the Square. The elephant actually stood here beginning in 1813, but only in plaster and in 1840 it was replaced by the “July Column”, still there – using the same circular basin as its base. (The elephant stayed in place another six years.)

Maybe this is a good reason to write a few words about these different Revolutions? 

1789 may not need any explanations. That is the Revolution we all know about, the one which overthrew the monarchy (for a while), passed the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”, but also created the “Reign of Terror”, the guillotine… 

  

The 1830 one, the second French Revolution, is often referred to as the “Trois Glorieuses” (Three Glorious (days)). Yes, actually, it lasted only three days, July 27-29. Charles X, who was the youngest brother to Louis XVI, had taken a number of unpopular measures, known as the “July Ordinances”, involving the dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies, the suspension of the liberty of the press… He called for new elections, but the middle-class could not vote anymore. There were some riots… and Charles X was forced to abdicate. He was replaced by Louis Philippe. The House of Orléans took over from the House of Bourbon and some new rules for the Monarchy, the “July Monarchy”, were established. The “July Column” was ordered… and Eugène Delacroix made his most well-known painting, “Liberty Leading the People”.

The “July Monarchy” lasted until 1848, when it was time for the “February Revolution”. It led to the overthrow of the King, Louis Philippe, and the creation of the Second Republic.  However, the government’s very conservative politics led later that year to the unsuccessful “June Days Uprising”, creating 5.700 victims, and in December the same year led to the election of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (nephew of Napoleon I) as elected President of the Republic. Four years later he suspended the elected assembly and established the Second French Empire and became “Emperor of the French”, Napoleon III, the last French Monarch (1852-1870). We can see the famous caricature (The Pear) of Louis Philippe by Honoré Daumier, dated already 1831. 1848 was by the way a year of upheavals all over Europe, with France beginning in February, tens of other European countries followed with demands for democracy, freedom of the press…

So, we come to the last Revolution (1968 doesn’t count?), in 1871, referred to as the “Paris Commune”. The Franco-Prussian War in 1870 had led to the capture of the Emperor Napoleon III and the creation of the Third French Republic. The armistice with Prussia led to a disarmed Army, but the “National Guard” was there to keep order. The “National Guard” was some kind of reserve force, based on “active citizens”, including all “able-bodied citizens capable of carrying weapons”. The government had left Paris for Versailles and the “National Guard” took over the control of Paris, including most of the ministries. They came in conflict with the government and the regular army. The “working class” was largely represented and many socialist ideas were defended. They tried during their short 60-day “reign” to e.g. establish the separation of Church and State, the abolition of child labour… In the beginning, the regular Army members had no wish to go against them, but … finally, after a lot of barricades, fighting… the official government forces took over. The last resisters were killed at the Père Lachaise Cemetery (see previous post).  The figures vary, but, at least 10.000, maybe 20.000 people were killed between March 18 and May 28, 1871.

Edouard Manet illustrated.  

Colourful balloons - and flowers

In a previous post I showed colourful umbrellas in the “Village Royal”. This time I wanted to show colourful balloons. You will find them at the “Bercy Village”. This is the place where you can find what used to be wine merchant buildings, now transformed in to shops, restaurants… I posted about the place on my previous blog and also here.

But… on the way there (I had a nice lunch) and back, I walked through what since the 1990’s has been transformed into a large park (see again my previous posts). This time I decided to take photos only of some “details” of what you find in the park. “Details” refer of course basically to all the kinds of – colourful - flowers. A great bravo the gardeners!

But, the first thing I found was actually this turtle. Someone had offered it (him / her?) some roses. I had a feeling that it looked at me, somehow opening its eyes… but it didn’t care about the dead insect.

I hardly know the names of the flowers I saw (except roses…), but I recognized the fantastic garlic flower which to me looks like a concentration of hundreds of small tulips.

This flower has a very specific beauty I think – and I was not the only one to appreciate it.

I didn’t know that ants were climbing all the way up to visit flowers.

A few more flowers, berries, vines …

… and at last some examples of some nice insect “hotels”.

The Palais de la Porte Dorée

In 1931 there was a “Paris Colonial Exhibition”. It lasted for six months and took place in the Bois-de-Vincennes (see previous posts, e.g. here, here, here and here). France was then the second biggest colonial empire, after the British one. Some territories, like Algeria, were already considered as French departments, but most of them were still real colonies, basically to be found in northern, central and western Africa, south-east Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean… One looked of course differently on the colonial issues in 1931 than what we do today, but by this exhibition France somehow wanted to show it all in a positive way already. France obviously wanted to demonstrate an attitude of “association” rather than “domination”. The exhibition actually seems to have been a forum for discussion of colonialism in general with some hundred congresses, also with other nations participating.

The whole area around the Bois-de-Vincennes lakes was occupied by buildings, huts, temples… in different architectural styles. 

Almost all of that is now gone, but there is especially one building left, the Colonial Museum, which has taken on other “roles” since, becoming an Overseas Museum, a Museum for African and Oceanien Arts  (now transferred to the Quai-de-Branly Museum, see post here) and today it’s a Museum of Immigration History. The building is also known with a more neutral name - "The Palais de la Porte Dorée."

The building as such is worth a visit. Actually I’m not showing anything from the museum as such, nor from the aquarium (maybe another time), but I’m just concentrating on the building.  

We can see a photo from when the building was inaugurated. A statue of Athena (by Léon-Ernest Drivier, 1878-1951) is standing on the front stairs. It has since got a new place, close to the museum.

The "Palais" is of course built in an “art déco” style, typical for the period. The architect was Albert Laprade (1883-1978), known for a number of other quite remarkable buildings. Especially the “Forum”, the central hall, is worth a visit - see also top picture. I was maybe particularly impressed by Laprade's design of the natural light (without seeing the sky) from the ceiling.

The walls are decorated by frescoes by Pierre Ducos de la Haille (1886-1972), assisted by his students from the “Ecole des Beaux Arts” (see previous posts). Looking on the details, we must remember that we are almost 80 years ago.

The floors, both the wooden and the mosaic tile parts, are worth a special look.

There are two special reception rooms, one in the name of Marshall Lyautey (1854-1934), who was the General Commissioner of the Exposition, the other one in the name of Paul Reynaud (1878-1966), who was then the Minister of the Colonies, later Prime Minister – resigning when the Germans arrived in 1940, imprisoned… Both rooms have frescoes and have some remarkable furniture in an “art déco” style.

Coming back to the exterior… The entire facade is covered with bas-reliefs – ships, ocean, wildlife… and a perhaps somewhat idealized vision of the exploitation of the colonies - by Alfred Janniot (1889-1969), whose art we can also find e.g. at the “Palais de Tokyo”, see here.

Maybe a last little thing, in front of the building there is a basin full of colourful fish.

Ground Control

Last year I reported on a site named the “Grand Train” (see here). Temporary bars, restaurants, playground… were offered in a former railroad depot in the 18th arrondissement. This kind of activity continues one year after the other, but the spot changes. The basic idea is to, in cooperation with the National Railway Company (SNCF) and in a temporary way, use space before demolition and new building projects.

Opened only during the summer months, this summer (and next summer) the place chosen under the work name “Ground Control” is close to the Gare de Lyon, in the 12^th arrondissement. “Halle Charolais” is a former warehouse and mail sorting centre. In two years a new housing project will get started. In the meantime, you can enjoy a different atmosphere, buy a book, get things to eat and drink with an emphasis on organic, ecological products… or just sit down and relax. 

    

Michelangelo on the top floor.

Referring to my latest post - In front of the shops, workshops, galleries… on Avenue Daumesnil, there is a rather surprising building, in an art deco style, but built as late as 1991. It holds a police station on the bottom floors and normal living quarters on the upper floors. The surprising thing is to find the top floor decorated by 12 giant reproductions of a Michelangelo statue, the Dying Slave.

Michelangelo (1475-1564) made two slave sculptures, the Dying one and the Rebellious one, around 1513. They were supposed to be part of the tomb that Pope Julius II ordered for himself. However, the tomb never became what it was supposed to be (a long story). Finally, the tomb was erected in 1545 in the San Pietro Vincoli church in Rome, but the only real Michelangelo part of the tomb is the famous Moses, also from 1513. Michelangelo offered the Slaves in 1546 to his friend Roberto Strozzi (Medici family), who later offered them to the French King François I. They changed owners several times (one of them was Richelieu), but became part of the Louvre Museum collection already in 1794, very soon after the Revolution. 

The architect of the building on Avenue Daumesnil is Manuel Núñez Yanowsky (with Miriam Teitelbaum). Still active, he has achieved some remarkable buildings, including these ones (“stolen” from the net) to be found in the Paris region. Here you can also see his project for the recently built Orthodox Cathedral in Paris, the real architectural winner, but finally not chosen (a long story). 

  

Window reflections…

I wanted to illustrate what, since the end of the last century, you can find under the vaults of what used to be a railway viaduct, the “Viaduc de Bastille”. The railway line, which closed in 1969, had its end station at the Bastille, where now the new opera house stands. The rail tracks on top of the vaults have been replaced by the “Coulée Verte” (Green Course). You can today make a 4.7 km (2.9 miles) walk all the way from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes. I wrote about the walk already ten years ago (see here).

The 64 vaults along Avenue de Daumesnil in the 12^th arrondissement have now all got windows – thus the reflections – and behind the windows you can find shops, galleries, workshops, cafés… It all goes under the name “Viaduc des Arts”.

I feel that the top picture shows a bit of the atmosphere around the place – a piece of art behind the window and – as reflections – a loving couple, three bikers, a young lady on a kick-skateboard…

So, here you can - behind the reflecting windows – find not only shops, but also a large number of workshops – paintings and restored art objects, hand-decorated porcelain, creative jewelry, wedding dresses, embroidery work, umbrellas and parasols, handmade shoes, lithographs, restored and newly made violins… and also what today remains of the famous Pleyel piano maker.