Paris on my Mind: Art of a Gilded Age

Le Pont Neuf

It's always 1889 in Paris. In the movie Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen got the nostalgia part right, but the glorious 1920's he celebrated are a bit too modern; Paris is a city lavishly brushed with the golden blur of the late 19th century. In 1889 the beautiful Beaux-Arts facades were fresh and new, the recently created Grands Boulevards showed off vistas never before possible, the world was flocking to Paris to see modern wonders at the Grand Exposition. Flâneurs in elegant dress, the men in slim striped trousers with top hats, the women in elaborate ruffles and flourishes, marveled at generous spaces and fresh light where short years before there had been nasty cramped slums. (Never mind the dirty little secret that hordes of the poor were pushed out to the fringes, setting up some of the problems Paris faces today.)

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Boulevard des Capucines

I'm on my way to Paris in just a couple of weeks to lead a small group trip focused on the art, history, and faith of the great Gothic Cathedrals in and around Paris, with side trips to Chartres, Reims, and Amiens. (I also lead small group arts-focused tours - see links at the end for more information) Paris, therefore, is very much on my mind. I thought to share the work of a 19th century painter, one you've probably never heard of, but one who captures that late 19th century glow so beautifully. His name is Jean Béraud, and from what I can tell - and see - he was sort of the Norman Rockwell of his time.

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Boulevard Poissoniere in the Rain

Jean Béraud was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He moved to Paris with his French mother after his father's death intending to study law. That plan crashed when Paris was occupied during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870, and instead he became an artist. His work is so much of the era that it's something of a challenge for modern eyes. We've all bought the story of radical artists in rebellion against tired old Academy rules; our art heroes are Monet, Matisse and Picasso. It wasn't just the Art World in revolution, however. The clang of mechanical streetcars along those wide open boulevards, the new-fangled Eiffel Tower going up just over there - the whole world was changing fast. Radical new art was as much a symptom as a cause. It's easy to overlook the value - historic and artistic - of painters such as Beraud, who tell us stories of daily life before everything changed, but it's well worth the effort.

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La Patisserie Glopp 1889

Béraud often included little bits of humor and sly observations with satirical overtones but, as with the nuances of the stories in Gothic stained glass, we no longer have the context to understand them. Is there oblique meaning in this painting of well-dressed ladies nibbling pastries in an elegant patisserie? Are they the equivalent of vapid cocktail-swilling housewives of the 1950's? I have no idea.

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Les Ambassadeurs

I'm willing to bet that Béraud did intend a direct shot at the overdressed young woman in The Ambassadeurs, sitting with her bored-looking companion as she downs her drink and flaunts her cigarette. Just not done, I suspect - a sign of the vulgar, Nouveau Riche. Again, think Norman Rockwell in some of his oh-so-pleasant but slyly satirical Saturday Evening Post covers.

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La Modiste, Champs Elysees

Béraud and other late Academic painters (he is usually described as a transition figure between the Academy and Impressionism) give us a wonderful 'cinema verite' version of Paris. It's fun to keep these paintings in mind when you're walking those same streets today - Paris hasn't changed all that much. All that's missing is a few top hats and ruffles.

ArtSmartTravel to Paris
http://www.artsmarttalk.com/paris-arts-tour.html
http://www.artsmarttalk.com/cathedrals-tour.html




Jean Béraud at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/110000086?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=jean+beraud&pos=1

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