Paris Modernism 2008, GWU

The George Washington University ---- Paris, France

Professor Mary Buckley; GTAs Meghan Shea & Gabriella Wyatt

Using the museums and sites of Paris as resources, Paris: Modernism and the Arts, Then and Now offers a multi-disciplinary view of the aesthetic movements that changed the course of art and thought in Europe and elsewhere during the first half of the 20th century. The framework of the artistic past guides students as they design a photographic and literary journal of their experience. Students explore and document the contemporary artistic scene in theatre, dance, music, and the fine arts traditions of contemporary Paris, adding their own voice to this historical perspective.

To view Paris Modernism 2007 Summer Program visit, http://parismodernism2007.blogspot.com/
To view Paris Modernism 2006 Summer Program visit, http://parismodernism.blogspot.com

June 1, Arrivée

Students arrive throughout the morning to the Pension Ladagnous, Paris from NYC, Canada, DC, and LA. New friendships are established as rooms are prepared and everyone exchanges travel stories. At 1pm a first group explores the neighborhood with Meg & Gaby, orienting the students to the charming and intimate shops of the 6th arrondisement. Phone cards, metro cards and food locations are located. A later walk introduces the Jardin du Luxembourg and the temporary art exhibit, “Du vent dans les branches”. A picnic dinner at the Pension completes our first day.

June 2, Vlaminck Show at Musée de Luxembourg

The sun was shining in through the large framed windows casting a warm glow into the red lecture room. Our morning lecture beings with a discussion of selected course readings: Shock of the New, A Fine Disregard, and The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas. The class discussion allows us to begin creating our characteristics and frameworks for Modernism. Discussion of process, form, content, societal and historical influences are central to the discussion. The discussion is paired with images of artists’ work and video from the Ballet Russe.

After the morning lecture we walk across the street and enter the Luxembourg gardens to attend The Luxembourg Museum show Vlaminck. The retrospective of the Fauvist painter follows his artistic journey. It begins during his younger years, which are marked by bold color and saturation, and follows him through his shift to cubist landscapes and portraits. The show provided an immediate experiential way of deepening our understanding of ‘modern’ painters and modern techniques.

La Fille du rat mort, 1905


Nature morte au couteau, 1910

June 3, Musée d'Orsay

Professor Anne Catherine Abessis guided us through the Musée d'Orsay, a former railway station that now houses an incredible collection of paintings, sculpture, and photography from the late nineteenth through the early twentieth century. Like the building that houses it, much of the work at the Musée illustrates the artists' re-appropriation of the conventions of the past in surprising and challenging ways.

The lecture took as its frame the pivotal salon of 1863, and two nudes that were displayed that year. Why was Alexandre Cabanel's Birth of Venus praised by critics as the paragon of Classical sensibilities and good taste, while Manet's Olympia outraged and offended its viewers? Anne Catherine's discussion invited us to consider the ways in which culture and tradition inform how we perceive, and how the visual artists of the turn-of-the-century challenged convention by challenging accepted ways of rendering 'reality'. By situating works by Manet, Corbet, and Delacroix within their historical contexts, Anne Catherine helped us experience familiar works with the original force of their avant garde innovation.

June 4, Centre Pompidou & Théâtre de la ville

Professor Anne Catherine Abecassis met us at Centre Pompidou. The cultural institution, dedicated to modern and contemporary visual and performing arts, was designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, and opened in 1977. Anne Catherine’s thoughtful and lively lecture continued our art journey from early 20th century into the mid 1960s.





In the evening we were invited into a late 19th century family home on the edge of the Jardin Luxembourg. Marie, Jean Paul & their daughter, Ariane, with friend Josette, graciously hosted a beautifully arranged pre-theatre event.

This evening at Theatre de la Ville Akram Khan Dance Company performed Bahok, a work that explores what home means in a society in constant transit. A complex soundtrack supports richly layered movement and text. An overhead departure board reinforces the unfolding cultural stories performed by individuals and groups in highly technical and ordinary movement idioms.

June 5, Photography & Théâtres de la Cartoucherie

The morning lecture by Meghan Shea focused on the emergence of photography into the modernist movement. Accompanied by visuals and discussion the class considered the use of the darkroom, the development process, and the changing role of perspective. Photography exemplifies the cross medium collaboration that took place in Paris in the beginning half of the 20th century as photographers were heavily influenenced by the painters and performers and vice versa.

During the evening we traveled to Bois de Vincennes, which houses a collection of theater studios and dance companies, and includes multiple performance spaces Théâtres de la Cartoucherie. The evening included performances by Stuart Lynch- Concert Pour Solo Corps et Voix and Carolyn Carlson’s Hidden.

June 6, Professor Ulrike Kasper & Haussman Architecture

For the fashion capital of the world, it's no surprise that Paris has re-invented her own image throughout the centuries. Today, Sorbonne faculty member Professor Ulrike Kasper guided us through a tour of the modern Paris designed by the civil planner Georges-Eugène Haussmann, who renovated the city under Napoleon III. In place of the cramped streets, sprawling dwellings, and archaic sanitation systems of Medieval Paris, Haussmann is responsible for its modern-day broad boulevards, as well as the Neo-classical design of the Opera Garnier and Arc de Triomphe. Ulrick led us through the long, covered passages or pavilions that house small shops and connect boulevards while circumventing the bustle of the Paris streets. These removed pavilions were imagined in modern novels and poetry as worlds apart, and spaces in which an individual might enter through one end as one person, and exit through another as an entirely re-imagined self. Leading us through many of these pavilions, and past the Louvre, and Royal Palace, Ulrich re-created for us the feeling of time-travel that writers she referred to must have felt, pointing out moments of architectural collision between old and new, and pointing out unexpected glimpses of an older Paris just beneath the surface. At the beginning of the tour, we all admired Paris as a beautiful city; by the end we had a greater appreciation for its multiplicity and capacity for transformation.

June 7, Le Corbusier

Today we enjoyed a morning discussion, placing all of the performance works attended thus far in the context of our Modernism notes. How do characteristics of each work relate to qualities discussed in the first class lecture? How do we begin to see and talk across the art forms?

In the afternoon we met Serge Clavé, architect and professor, for a site visit to Villa La Roche & Corbusier’s atelier and home. Placing Corbusier’s experimentation with light and space next to Einstein’s explorations between space and time brings two great minds into sharp focus. Corbusier’s design incorporates the outside and the inside of a building into a unified organization. Space, volumes, and forms mirror the discoveries in the Cubist paintings.


Monumenta 2008 at the Grand Palais included a solo piano recital by Serra's friend, Phillip Glass. This was an additional event that students elected to attend.

June 8, Free Day

Students took advantage of their unscheduled day and went to the gardens of Versailles, the markets on Rue Moufftrad and the Vivaldi concert at San Chapelle.

June 9, Musée Picasso, Hôtel de Ville, and Theatre Essaïon

For Picasso, the canvas is a diary. Professor Martine Mooncece led us through a fascinating exploration of the artist's life and work at the Picasso Museum. Martine introduced the concept of work-as-diary, and taught us how to "read" Picasso's canvases, sculptures, and assemblages. By the end of our tour, members of our group had learned to decipher through Picasso's use of color and form his feelings towards his subjects, and the cultures that influenced particular renderings. We even became practiced enough readers to discern which of his lovers were depicted in his canvases! Martine's tour brought the artist's work to life in all of its passion and complexity.














In the afternoon, we headed to Hôtel de Ville, Paris' City Hall, for a tour of its opulent reception rooms whose architecture and furnishings reflect the regal style of the late nineteenth century. The high ceilings, neo-classical paintings, and ornate furnishings provided a striking counterpoint to Picasso's iconoclastic sensibility. Christiane Dijeaux, our guide, provided an overview of Paris' political history from the eighteenth century through current day, which helped us contextualize the Modernist period that we've been immersed in.

Our survey of Parisian art and culture wouldn't be complete without an evening at the Cabaret, and in the evening, we enjoyed a performance by French chanteuse Claire Guyot at the Theatre Essaïon, a former wine cellar converted into a cabaret and theatre with an artistic, bohemian flair.

June 10, Giverny

Giverny, Monet’s Home & Garden, beckons, but first the partial Greve. Strikes (greves) are not unusual in Paris; fortunately this is only a partial strike. We arrive at Gare St. Lazare for the 8:15 train, but learn that this train isn’t running because of the greve. Fortunately, the 9:15 train will stop at Vernon. More time for café et croissants! Bicycles from Vernon to Giverny reveal the countryside and small family gardens, setting the stage for the larger and more popular Giverny.

Individuals wander through the home and garden, completing the assignment of rendering Giverny in photos. A beautifully sunny, warm day gives us the perfect framework to view the ponds and plantings.

June 11, Musée de l'Orangerie

An unusual stroke of luck- the workers strike yielded an unrivaled viewing experience. Today we traveled to the Musée de l'Orangerie. This museum is most famous for the entry rooms, which house enormous Monet paintings displayed in the round. Because of the workers strike only group reservations were allowed into the museum. We entered the museum as the first and only visitors.

We entered to find breathtaking paintings and total stillness in the space. The circular room and circular paintings allow one to be completely enveloped by these 15- 20 ft canvases. The museum recently reopened after years of renovation and the new display system allows filtered light to fall onto and illuminate the canvases. Light is an integral part of Monet’s work, and is an equally important part of displaying his work. If you let yourself stand in front of the work, you can see how the shifting light highlights and changes the paintings’ palettes in subtle but beautiful ways.
In the evening we attended the opening night of the Ircam music festival. At the Theatre du Chatelet we listened to a piece entitled “Fado”; a combination of modern Fado music interwoven with a medieval Portuguese poem.

June 12, Fabrice Guedy's atelier

What might Picasso, Man Ray, or Stravinsky done with the creative possibilities opened up by Mac Power Books and cutting-edge computer programs? Our visit to Fabrice Guedy's electronic music atelier introduced our group to the exciting frontiers that modern composers are exploring through computer technology. Fabrice's music studio is a sound laboratory in which young musicians utilize technology in their synthesis of music, visual arts, poetry, modern dance, and science. Currently, Fabrice and the artists working in the atelier are experimenting with motion sensors that use body movement to manipulate the pitch and tempo of music scores, creating a unique synthesis of movement and sound. After showing footage of musicians and dancers employing the technology, Fabrice invited students to experiment with the sensors for themselves. Volunteers had sensors attached to their arms, and experimented manipulating a piece by Debussy using movement and gesture. The students were able to enter into the soundscape with a bit of practice, producing their own interpretative creations, we were all reminded that in modern art, works that appear effortless often involve a remarkable amount of ingenuity and technique!

June 13, The Seine

Shakespeare and Company Bookstore, opened by George Whitman in 1951, continues the legacy of Sylvia Beach’s early 20th century Paris bookstore, inviting writers to visit. The bookstore hosts a yearly festival of writers; we took the opportunity to hear Alistair Horne, author of The Seven Ages of Paris speak.















A boat ride on the Seine that night pulled the wonders of the city,
bathed in evocative lighting,
into a continuous photo opportunity. Our departure site, the Eiffel Tower, was blinking as we took off on our journey.

June 14, Jardin du Luxembourg

A bittersweet day. We reflect on a full 2 weeks, numerous performances and art exhibitions. The class met in the Luxembourg Gardens for student presentations. We discussed their research papers in the context of the course while offering direction and ideas for their further research.







The Luxembourg Gardens is an ideal way to experience Paris en plain air. The Gardens open out from the palace of Catherine de Medici. They host a small pond where children navigate toy sailboats. Sculpture, fountains, and instillation art adorns the gravel paths. The symbiosis in the garden between traditional art works and contemporary installations: between political history and a simultaneous openness to risk taking seems as apt metaphor for this class and a perfect way to wave au revoir to Paris.

June 15, Au Revoir Paris

Au revoir Paris! After two incredible weeks of artistic exploration, we enjoyed a last croissant and coffee at a local café. We've all discovered that Modernism is a way of perceiving the world with receptivity, creativity, and interest, so we'll carry a form of Paris Modernism with us back into our lives in the States.