Paris Slideshow

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Paris: Modernism and the Arts, then and now

The George Washington University,
Study Abroad: Paris, France, June 2009
Faculty: Professor Mary Buckley
Teaching Assistant: Meghan Shea
















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

June 8, Arrivée

Today we arrived in Paris! After landing each of us made our way to the pension, the bed and breakfast where we will be living for the next two weeks. The pension is located in a charming neighborhood in the 6th arrondissement of Paris and greets its guests through a large wooden door, a walled courtyard and a winding staircase.

We took a tour of the neighborhood and oriented ourselves to the metro and boulangerie in the area; lucky for us numerous bakeries populate our street! Directly across from our pension is the Jardin du Luxembourg; these beautiful public gardens were built for the court of Marie de Medici in the 17h century and contain a multitude of walking paths, fountains, and flowers. Today the gardens host a museum; modern art installations, petanque courts, and attract Parisians students, families and artists alike.

Not long after our neighborhood tour we headed inside for our first lecture to discuss the major themes of the course and to review the daily schedule of activities. Looking across all of the art forms in the early part of the 20th century, we focus on Paris and the resources of the city to articulate the role Paris played in the foundation of modernism.

We share dinner together tonight at the pension and then climb into bed determined to ward off the jetlag and dive into Paris tomorrow.

June 9, Ballets Russes et l'Hôtel de Ville

June 9

We began the day with a lecture on the Ballets Russes dance company. Working in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century, this company and its groundbreaking art serve as an avenue to explore themes of modernity. Under the guidance of impresario Serge Diaghilev, choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky and composer Igor Stravinsky developed “Le Sacre du Printemps,” a controversial and revolutionary collaboration. The Ballets Russes attracted artists from every art form: Matisse, Picasso, and Roerich designed costumes and Stravinsky composed seminal music scores, among others.

In the afternoon we toured l'Hôtel de Ville, Paris’ beautiful City Hall. Hotel de Ville sits in the center of Paris, and at night is one of the most glorious sites on the Seine. The building was designed and decorated in the 1870s when the style of the bourgeoisie was ornate, gold and opulent. Seeing this style of architecture and design allowed us to better understand the type of aesthetic that was in fashion when the modern architects, dancers and visual artists made such radical shifts away from these types of spaces and designs.

June 10, Maison Européenne de la Photographie et Théâtre de la Ville, Wim Vandekeybus

In the morning we went to the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, a contemporary photography museum located in Paris’s Marais neighborhood, and met with Gerard Uferas, one of the photographers whose work is currently on exhibit. Gerard’s show is arranged in three series: “A Phantom with the Opera” (1988-2001), “Fabric of Dreams” (2000) and finally “A Step Towards Stars” (2003-2005), representing Gerard's work over the past twenty years. The photographs of the opera are striking in their beauty, compositions, and tenderness. They reveal compelling human moments focusing primarily on backstage vantage points with the performers and company. There is a touch of humor laced throughout the work and after seeing the exhibit one shares the sense of Gerard’s ‘Joi de Vivre’.

After walking through the show, Gerard was generous in discussing the work with us. He engaged us in questions about our ways of seeing as 20-year old American students and was open to all of our questions on form, technique and content. Having the opportunity to speak directly with an artist about their work is always valuable, particularly when they have a deep reservoir of intellect and curiosity like Gerard.

Tonight we went to a contemporary dance performance at the one of the premier performing spaces in Paris. "NieuwZwart" by Wim Vandekeybus challenged our ways of seeing. The choreography created a fantastical underworld; and themes of darkness, and brutality were omnipresent throughout the piece. We left haunted by images of dancers suspended mid air, and launched into movement, while the raucous musical score shook us.

June 11, Museé d’Orsay

Today we went to the Museé d’Orsay for an on site art history lecture by Professor Anne Catherine Abecassis. Anne Catherine situated us in this former train station, built for the Universal Exposition of 1900, at the advent of the electric engine. In the 1980’s the outdated rail station was converted into a museum and it now displays art works created between 1848 and 1914.

First, we walked upstairs for a look at an ornate, highly decorated waiting room that was very much in fashion when the train station was built. This room served as a visual reference point for the rest of our lecture. In order to better contextualize the revolutionary style the modern painters were adopting, we were asked to think about this room as a benchmark and indicator of poplar tastes for beauty and art at the beginning of the 20th century.

We started our tour on the right side of the museum’s nave to view paintings by Ingres and David, revered by the French Academy of Fine Art. During the 19th century, the Academy set and monitored notions of art and aesthetics, and appropriate subjects included biblical or classical themes.

On the opposite side of the Orsay, we viewed works by Courbet and Manet, characterizing a radical shift in style and subject matter, also created during the reign of the French Academy. Anne Catherine discussed Manet’s Olympia and Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe to elucidate the transformation that was taking place in painting.

Later in the lecture, we viewed the Impressionists Degas and Monet and the Neo-Impressionists Gauguin and Seurat. We have walked through a major transformation in fine arts; it was a morning filled with art history insights and masterpiece paintings.

June 12, Ulrike Kasper's Architectural tour of Baron Haussmann’s “modern” Paris

We toured the city today with architecture professor Ulrike Kasper. We met at the Opera Garnier and began our walking lecture with a discussion of Baron Haussmann’s design of “modern” Paris. With Ulrike we walked through the covered glass passages of the 19th century, to the Palais Royal, the Louvre and beyond.

She wove together the classic architectural history of Paris with the contemporary buildings and architectural installations.



That evening we met with Art Historian Anne Catherine Abecassis at the Pompidou Center. This contemporary art museum located in the center of Paris provided the background for the continuation of our lecture on modern painters. Looking at the paintings of Matisse, Delaney, Picasso and Gris, Anne Catherine rounded out the discussion of the major transformation that was taking place in the visual arts the beginning of the 20th century. Her lecture culminated in a discussion of Duchamp’s “Fountain” ready-made and the symbolic role it played in brining forth the conversation: “What is art? What are the essential characteristics of art? And who defines art?”

June 13 Musée National Picasso et Institut du Monde Arabe

We had a wonderful lecture at the Musée National Picasso with Martine Monnehay who led us through the museum presenting biographical and interpretive information on Picasso’s life and works. Her knowledge of Picasso, the paintings, and the museum gave us a foundation to appreciate his early representational work and to analyze the more mature conceptual works. The Picasso Museum’s 18th century mansion, located in the Marais neighborhood, provides an opportunity to watch the artists’ development and innovative artistic creations.

Tonight we went to the Institut du Monde Arabe to hear a performance of Middle Eastern music with Houria Aichi. The modern artists we have been studying were looking towards Islamic cultures and non-western methods of representation as an influence in their work. To better understand these expanded cultural influences we included this performance that included four percussionists, and one female vocalist. A highlight of the night was when Houria Aichi sang accapella, her voice soulful and emotive; she had the audience rapt.

June 14, Free Day Touring

June 15th, Paris Photography

Today we had a lecture about photography and its relationship within the context of the modernist movement in Paris. Photography, like painting, was experiencing a significant transformation, changing the traditional methods of representation and documentation. Photographers such as Atget, Kretesz, and Man Ray were experimenting with their subjects, compositions, and developing processes. This experimentation yielded wonderful visuals and new techniques such as solarization and rayographs and influenced many of its contemporary artistic movements such as Surrealism, Futurism and Dada.

In the afternoon we each visited a museum of our own choice, tying the visit back to the content of the course.

June 16, Giverny

Today we rose early and took a train out of Paris to visit Giverny, Monet’s home and garden. Monet’s garden has been lovingly restored to the fullness and beauty that it had during his life. We got off the train, and with rented bicycles we cycled 5km through the town of Giverny and on to Monet’s house passing rolling hills and charming vistas.

Monet’s home lies just outside the city center. With Mary leading the way we raced to keep up and enjoyed our jaunt through the French countryside. The weather cooperated and we had a lovely afternoon in the garden.

Our assignment of the day was to photography the Garden and so we allowed ourselves enough exploration and investigation of the gardens to discover them through our own lens.

June 17, Musée de l'Orangerie et Montmartre

We followed up our day at Giverny with a visit to the Musée de l'Orangerie today. This museum houses eight of Monet’s water lily paintings; those created between 1916 and 1926. These canvases were his culminating works and he gifted them to the city of Paris before he died in 1927. The Orangerie building was renovated and reopened in 2005 and this renovation yielded architecture and design that support and accentuate the beauty of the work. Olivier
Brochet, the architect who designed this modern renovation, allows a gentle diffused light to bathe the work.

The paintings completely surround the viewer. Their color, painterly mark making and sheer size create an all over sensory experience. Having visited Monet’s garden it is easy to imagine why he would want to recreate this ‘all over’ garden experience for the viewer. This museum is truly a beautiful symbiosis between the space and the work.

From the Orangerie we travel to Montmartre, the home of Paris’s bohemian community at the turn of the 19th century and made famous by movies like “Moulin Rouge”. We ate lunch together in a Montmartre bistro and then went off to explore and experience this arrondissement on our own.

June 18, Le Corbusier with Serge Clavé

Today we went to Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris with architect Serge Clavé. Opened after World War I to bring the world’s students together in a peaceful, academic environment, the campus is home to two of modern architect Le Corbusier’s major projects. Serge compared the more traditional buildings on the campus with the styles and development of Le Corbusier’s modern design sensibility. Pavillon Suisse and Maison du Brésil, built 30 years apart, allowed us to understand major design elements and to view changes Corbusier made in his own designs throughout his career.

June 19, Jacques Rémus and Studio Frigos

We spent our afternoon with musician and artist Jacques Rémus. Jacque’s studio is housed in a warehouse occupied by over thirty practicing artists. The space was built at the turn of the century as a food and meat warehouse that supplied central Paris. As the neighborhood evolved and developed this funky and eclectic collective of artists has maintained their space, and the warehouse is now adorned with graffiti art and performance posters.

Jacque began our afternoon here where he explained his working methods and installation pieces. He allowed us to try our hand at his movement operated sound programs; by moving our hands we would control the speed volume and tone of the sounds created by his digital instruments and computers. This tool and program is one of the many that Jacque employs in creating sound installations.

Then we set off on a walk through the beautiful Bercy Park en route to another of his studios. This second studio is located in a former stable of Napolean III. This cavernous space is where we experienced the true magic of his work. We witnessed a musical installation that included a construction of pipes attached to mechanical boxes each standing about three feet high and the construction was approx. 25 feet long. The installation is controlled by a central keyboard. A computer program keys the mechanical arms to hit the pipes and play a series of notes which in turn create musical compositions. Jacque’s classic musical training allows him to experiment with artistic music assemblages while creating scores and the music he creates speaks to both his classical training and also his innovation.

It was exciting to learn about his creative process and ask him questions about his installations!

June 20, 2009, Samuel Beckett's "Fragments" at Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord

Actor and GWU alumna Emily Wilson spoke with us today. Having trained at GWU and then at the esteemed Jacque Lecoq school in Paris, Emily has been living and working in France for 10 years where she established a theater company and produces new works. Emily discussed the Samuel Beckett play “Fragments”, directed by Peter Brook, a highly regarded modern director based in Paris. Emily’s husband Jos Houben, also an actor, was formerly a lead performer is this production. Her lecture put us in a better position to understand and integrate the play into our understanding of modernism.

Tonight we attended the play. Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord is housed in an incredible old theater space founded in 1876 by Wilhelm II, and recently renovated but maintaining its gritty charm and seedy elegance. Becket’s five short plays pull together many of the theses we have discussed over the course.

As the quintessential modern playwright, Beckett’s “Fragments” was a valuable addition for the course syllabus. The evocative and humorous plays wrestle with the human condition. Seeing “Fragments” here was a perfect last night to the course!

June 21, Au revoir à Paris!

Up and out at all hours of the morning.
Departing throughout the day we take our last snap shots and buy our last baguettes.
Au revoir à Paris!