KEY BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES:
Neoclassical:
L’Arc de Triomphe
The Panthéon (Sainte-Geneviève)
Iron & Steel Innovations:
The Eiffel Tower
KEY MEANINGS:
Contemporary Events
Depiction of men (Neoclassical)
Modernity (Iron & Steel)
KEY CONTEXTS:
NEOCLASSICAL buildings and structures reflect the same philosophical, political and social contexts described on the Neoclassicism page, particularly in relation to the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Rise & Fall of Napoleon and the Reign of Terror.
IRON & STEEL buildings and structures reflect the technological and social contexts of Industrial Revolution and modernisation in particular, as described on the Realism and Impressionism pages (industrialism, mass-production, new materials).
NEOCLASSICAL buildings and structures reflect the same philosophical, political and social contexts described on the Neoclassicism page, particularly in relation to the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Rise & Fall of Napoleon and the Reign of Terror.
IRON & STEEL buildings and structures reflect the technological and social contexts of Industrial Revolution and modernisation in particular, as described on the Realism and Impressionism pages (industrialism, mass-production, new materials).
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NEOCLASSICAL ARCHITECTUREThe Panthéon (Sainte-Geneviève) Paris 1758-1790 The Pantheon Paris (Latin Pantheon, from Greek Pantheon, meaning "Every god") is a building in the Latin Quarter of Paris, France. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve, but after many changes now combines ceremonial, ritual functions with its role as a famous burial place. It is an early example of Neoclassicism, with a façade modelled after the Pantheon in Rome. Located in the 5th arrondissement on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, the Panthéon looks out over all of Paris.
Its architect, Jacques-Germain Soufflot, had the intention of combining the lightness and brightness of the gothic cathedral with classical principles. As with most famed buildings, the Pantheon Paris has its unique story. The reason it was built was to replace the damaged Sainte-Genevieve church under the orders of Louis XV who was putting this monument up as a gratitude to God after his health had recovered. Soufflot was chosen for accomplishing the task. He wanted to have the Gothic style combined with the classical structure. Because of financial problems, Soufflot could not finish the building during his life; he died before seeing it completed and his pupil who finished it, did not exactly have the same ideas of his master and made some changes. The transparency he had planned for his masterpiece was not attained. Nevertheless, it is one of the most important architectural achievements of its time and the first great neoclassical monument. Shortly after the Pantheon was built (which was called back then the Sainte-Genevieve Church), came the French Revolution. It was then when the Revolutionist government changed the church into a mausoleum, a place to bury exceptional Frenchmen who had sacrificed their lives for their country or who had done something great for France. The Pantheon flipped back and forth to a church over the years but eventually assumed its lasting role as a burial place for martyrs and brilliant French citizens for good. The sight that this building offers is quite fantastic. You can see literally see almost all of Paris. The inside architecture is visually amazing: it has the Gothic decorations combined with the mainly classical style of the building, creating an admirable neoclassical monument. The Pantheon is regarded as a must-see attraction when you visit Paris, both because of the imposing architecture it has and in respect to the people that made the world a better place. The Pantheon Crypt: The Pantheon has a crypt which is in the subterranean chamber which is the final resting place for many well-known (and some historically famous) French writers, poets and scientists. These important people include: |
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NEOCLASSICAL ARCHITECTUREL’Arc de Triomphe, 1806-1836 The Arc de Triomphe Paris, the most monumental of all triumphal arches, was built between 1806 and 1836. Even though there were many modifications from the original plans, reflecting political changes and power struggles, the Arch still retains the essence of the original concept which was a powerful, unified ensemble. Architect Jean François Thérèse Chalgrin's creation is twice the size of the ancient Roman Arch of Constantine after which it is modelled. Work on the Arc stopped when Napoléon was defeated in 1814, but started up again in 1833 in the name of King Louis-Philippe I, who dedicated it to the glory of the French armed forces. Guillaume Abel Blouet completed the Arc based on Chalgrin's design, and is the architect actually credited on the monument itself.
The Arc de Triomphe stands at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as the "Place de l'Étoile". It’s located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. The Arc de Triomphe stands 49.5 m (162 ft) tall, 45 m (150 ft) wide and 22 m (72 ft) deep. The vault is 29.19 m (95.8 ft) high and 14.62 m (48.0 ft) wide. The smaller vault is 18.68 m (61.3 ft) high and 8.44 m (27.7 ft) wide. The arches whole decorative style is entirely of the Neoclassical tradition of sculpture from the first half of the nineteenth century. The triumphal arch is in honour of those who fought for France, in particular, those who fought during the Napoleonic Wars. Engraved on the inside and at the top of the arch are all of the names of the generals and wars fought. There are inscriptions in the ground underneath the vault of the arch which include the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (below, left image) from World War I where the Memorial Flame burns and have made the Arc de Triomphe Paris a revered patriotic site. Groups, friezes, figures and bas-reliefs are the signature works of James Pradier, Antoine Etex and Jean-Pierre Cortot. But there is no question that the most celebrated sculpture is the work of Francois Rude: La Marseillaise (below, right image). The Unknown Soldier at The Arc de Triomphe: Beginning in 1916, an idea developed to open the doors of the Pantheon so that people could view “one of the unknown soldiers who died valiantly for his country” and on whose tomb would be inscribed just two words, “A Soldier”, and the date, “1914-191?” Espoused in 1918 and supported by a fervent press campaign, the proposition was ultimately accepted. On 12 November 1919, the Chamber of Deputies decided that the anonymous remains of the French soldier killed in combat would be transferred to the Pantheon. Meanwhile, associations of former combatants challenged the choice of the site, preferring to affirm the exceptional character of his death, symbol of the hundreds of thousands of others killed in action. The author Binet-Valmer led a virulent campaign to entomb this Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier On 8 November 1920, the deputies unanimously voted in a law, equally approved unanimously by the Senate, which awarded the honours of the Pantheon “to the remains of one 1914-1918 war”. At three o’clock in the afternoon on 10 November 1920, in a blockhouse at the Verdun citadel transformed into a chapel, a young infantry-man laid down a bouquet of flowers (gathered from the battlefield of Verdun) on one of eight identical coffins brought back from different zones at the Front: Flanders, Artois, the Somme. Ili-de-France, Chemin-des-Dames, Shampagne, Verdun, Lorraine. On 11 November, the tank transporting Leon Gambetta’s heart and the gun carriage bearing the Unknown Soldier’s remains re-joined the Arc de Triomphe. The catafalque of the Unknown Soldier was lifted into one of the interior chambers of the edifice. A permanent guard was organized until the final humiliation on 28 January 1921 at the centre point of the principal arch facing upon the Champa-Elysees. In the presence of British Prime Minister Lloyd George, Marshall Foch, Joffre, and Petain, and all government, the Minister of War Louis Barthou laid down the Legion of Honor, the Military Medal, and the Military Cross on the tri-colour flag covering the coffin, in “supreme homage from the country to the humble and anonymous heroes who fell for her”. Following this ceremony, the Unknown Soldier was at last placed in his tomb where he remains today. http://www.arcdetriompheparis.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_de_Triomphe |
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IRON & STEEL INNOVATIONThe Eiffel Tower, 1887-9 The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, which was to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the French Revolution. Its construction in 2 years, 2 months and 5 days was a veritable technical and architectural achievement. "Utopia achieved", a symbol of technological prowess, at the end of the 19th Century it was a demonstration of French engineering personified by Gustave Eiffel, and a defining moment of the industrial era. It was met immediately with tremendous success.
Only intended to last 20 years, it was saved by the scientific experiments that Eiffel encouraged, and in particular by the first radio transmissions, followed by telecommunications. For example, the radio signals from the Pantheon Tower in 1898; it served as a military radio post in 1903; it transmitted the first public radio programme in 1925, and then broadcast television up to TNT more recently. Since the 1980s, the monument has regularly been renovated, restored and adapted for an ever-growing public. As France’s symbol in the world, and the showcase of Paris, today it welcomes almost 7 million visitors a year (around 75% of whom are foreigners), making it the most visited monument that you have to pay for in the world. Journalist Emile Goudeau describes the spectacle visiting the construction site at the beginning of 1889:
"A thick cloud of tar and coal smoke seized the throat, and we were deafened by the din of metal screaming beneath the hammer. Over there they were still working on the bolts: workmen with their iron bludgeons, perched on a ledge just a few centimetres wide, took turns at striking the bolts (these in fact were the rivets). One could have taken them for blacksmiths contentedly beating out a rhythm on an anvil in some village forge, except that these smiths were not striking up and down vertically, but horizontally, and as with each blow came a shower of sparks, these black figures, appearing larger than life against the background of the open sky, looked as if they were reaping lightning bolts in the clouds." The Construction Schedule:
A Few Figures:
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