During my last visit to Germany, I visited the exhibition at Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt...From a German perspective, the exhibition compared the capital of Berlin with the metropolitan of Europe, Paris. Both cities carried a symbolic role in the European history, and the essence of the show is how the reform of the two cities can be resembled to each other. My bias prevails an urban modelling of European metropolitans should be chaired by Paris, especially when we reviewed the reconstruction in the 19th and 20th centuries. The exhibition focused the mission of Haussmann in the late 19th century in Paris, and has chosen important landmarks including:
- Gare Saint Lazare, the oldest station in Paris;
- Place de l'Opera, the centre of theatre and arts;
- Rue de Rivoli, the widen and elongated road at the heart of the centre;
- Place d'Etoile, the milestone of Paris la grand ville with the star-like intersections extending into the edges of the city, an extension of the centralised-philosophy of Paris in France or Europe in the Belle Epoque;
- Gare d'Orsay, the first station of electric train, and a symbol of the debut 20th century architecture in Paris (see my earlier blog on the architect Victor Laloux);
- Bois de Boulogne, a redesign of the city park by Jean Charles Alphand and a remodelling of the Parisian lifestyle to 'parking' and 'pique-nique';
- Hotel de Ville, all about facade and the beauty of decorative facade, a reconstruction of the municipal structure in 1882 by Theodore Ballu & Jacques Boucher des Perthes.
The exhibition provided an alternative perspective to me about the 1900 World Expo in Paris. I was looking for information about the event for months, and surprisingly some displays and maps showcasing in the exhibition enabled me to have more idea about the preparation and the layout of the Expo. The Expo created not only a full demonstration about the power of nations in debut 1900, but its governmental influence on architecture and infrastructure in Paris formulated a 'new' Paris. Skylines including Tour Effiel, Pont Alexandre, Petit et Grand Palais, Gare d'Orsay, Gare de Lyon etc. recorded a new chapter of the history of the city which can last long.
The exhibition did not really compare in details the urban planning and development of Paris and Berlin, but intentionally putting together the development of landscape and city infrastructure like the drainage system, the public transport system and landmarks, the exhibition is interesting to visitors. There were also advertising posters and drawings of the two city landscapes under impressionists in the old days. I do not know when the above-mentioned city buildings and features became the subjects of painters and artists, but they were right, they captured the spirit of the city, or I should better say, the city in the past. Their works differentiate from the tourist-favourites scenery selling now on Rue Rivoli.
2 commentaires:
What a coincidence that I am also researching on the 1900 World Expo!
Correct me if I am wrong, it seems to me that urban development has come to a halt in Paris in recent decades, while Berlin, due to its historical change and resumption of capital status, is undergoing rapid changes. London has also transformed quite a bit too.
Oh really? So any good finding to share?
It depends on how you define urban development. As a metropolitan like Paris, the city is ever-evolving. In the late era of Mitterrand, a number of new features and construction work have been carried out. New landmarks like the new bibliotheque and the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) were set up which alter the citizen foci and flow. The present Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë devotes his works on the bus line transport system, new extension of tramway and the set up of seasonal Paris Plage and this may be viewed as other forms of physical urban development. The centre of the city is still expanding. The Villette has converted itself from a butcher quarter to a cine-park and museum cluster. You are right as many of the buildings in Paris are intentionally preserved and maintained. The facade along the Seine does not change much when you compare with the old images of the last century.
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