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Naturalism Symbolism and Art Nouveau

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After visiting the fabulous Musee d”Orsay recently and studying the interpretive materials therein I came to a fuller understanding of the history of art in Paris.

From the early 1500’s Paris was a hub of fashion, literature and art of all sorts. In the seventeenth century the pace picked up, and naturalism as a movement was born.

Naturalism is a period of art, and a philosophical movement which considered “nature” as being the origins of everything in the universe – rather than God. A rather shocking concept at the time indeed! France was truly scandalized!!!

Naturalist artists created faithful imitations of nature as an expression of reality, not for religious purposes, or uses. Painters began to paint for public profit rather than dispensations from the Church.

Portrait of Emile Zola by Claude Manet.

Emile Zola burst onto this “naturalist” scene with the publication of 20 novels between the years 1871 and 1893. The books follow the story of one family during the Second French Empire. (The Second French Empire and it’s architectural style is named after the reign of Napoleon III’s Second Empire in the third quarter of the 19th century.)

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The Paris Cookbook

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The Paris Cookbook by Patricia Wells

Patricia Wells is the restaurant critic for the International Herald Tribune and has written other bestselling cookbooks. This book covers all the bases of French cuisine including entrees (starters), soups, salads, main dishes, breads, & desserts. If you like gourmet cooking, this book will tantalize your taste buds!

Notre Dame Cathedral

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The legendary Notre Dame Cathedral sits on the right bank of the Seine River where even 2000 years ago it was a religious site. Construction began in 1163, and it was finally completed in 1345. It was badly defaced during and after the French Revolution when it was used as a warehouse.

A major restoration on the Cathedral was begun in 1841 after the publication of Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. Today the cathedral is undergoing a face lift, with centuries of grime being removed from the exterior, revealing a light beige stonework.

The immense gothic Cathedral can hold 6,500 worshippers, under the roof, which is 115ft (35 meters) high. The dark, enormous interior space is overwhelming.

The huge flying buttresses on the exterior were added in the 13th century to allow for bigger windows to let more light in. Some of the beautiful stained glass windows date back to that time. Evil looking gargoyles adorn the water spouts around the building.

Despite the huge numbers of tourists who visit the Cathedral, it makes for an interesting experience. You can get excellent views of Notre Dame from across the Seine river, and from the north tower (387 steps!) you can see up and down the river and over much of Paris.

Hours: Cathedral 8am-7pm Towers 9:30am-7:30pm
(Oct.-Mar. 10am-5pm).
Cost: Cathedral free entrance, Tower & Crypt €5.35
Phone: 01 42 34 56 10
Metro: Cité
Bus: 21,24,27,38,47,85,96

Thalys/TGV Rail Service

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The sleek, high speed Thalys trains offer a quick way to reach other European cities from Paris. It’s only 1½ hours to Brussels and 4 hours to Amsterdam, which make it competitive with a plane trip, since you must also spend more time going through airport security and travel from the outlying airports to the city center.

A round trip to/from Amsterdam is about €107 in second class. Other cities served include Rotterdam, Antwerp, Köln, Aachen and Geneva. The service is so fast and reliable that you’ll get a partial to full refund if your train arrives at least 31 minutes late.

There’s no meal service with Comfort 2 (second class), but there is a bar car with overpriced and barely edible food. Comfort 1, (first class) offers snacks and a light meal on longer journeys depending upon the time of day. First class is more comfortable, and probably worth the extra money on a long haul.

For more info check out the Thalys website.

For rail journeys to other parts of France like Lyon and Marseille check out the TGV network. You can travel from Paris to Marseille in just 3 hours!