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Visions of the City and Country: Prints and Photographs of Nineteenth-Century France
Paperback, over-sized book, 1982.
285 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1982
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March 18, 2015
A wonderful volume examining the development of prints and later, photos, from the beginning to the end of the 19th C in France. I loved the reproductions of art works, which were placed in social, historical, and art historical context by the excellent text. There was also a color print section - I would say that in a few cases, the B&W reproductions of color prints was a problem insofar as the discussion referred to an image to which the reader did not have access.
Influential intellectual trends shaping the century were discussed in the context of the the development of France as reflected in the prints; such as Romanticism, the era of adventure/discovery of the countryside/pastoral/rural areas, the advent of industrialization/urbanization and the disappearance of adventure/discovery as the rapid expansion of the railway system brought made areas of France accessible, the development of middle-class tourism that was made possible by the expansion of the railway system, the urban renewal projects of Haussmann in Paris, as well as many other projects that improved Parisians' well-being/safety/sanitation in the rapidly growing metropolis, such as the huge number of street trees that were planted, the improvements in road design, the implementation of sewer systems, and so forth. The century began with cholera, typhoid, and many other diseases, as water was filthy, and open sewers were common in a city that hadn't changed much since the Middle Ages. There was no light or air in many narrow streets, which also had no sidewalks; sewage would run down the middle of the cobbled roadways. The social misery and problems were myriad. Under Napoleon III, Paris was ripped apart by massive roadway/urban renewal projects which resulted in the network of wide boulevards and parks. Some of these road improvements were needed in order to move troops around quickly and also as a way for the government to be able to more easily seal off neighborhoods in case of uprisings. The improvements did lead to a more livable city - although there was no provision for the poor folk, new housing was not built for them in Paris, they were simply displaced, pushed to the periphery.
The prints reproduced and discussed in the book not only offer glimpses of France but also the changing trends in fine art in the 19th Century, culminating in the atmospheric experimentation of Degas, Pissaro, etc., as the century drew to a close, presaging non-objective representations of the following century.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in finding out more about this rich and fascinating period of print-making and photography in France. This book will give the reader a singular insight or key to understanding French prints and photographs of the 19th Century.
Influential intellectual trends shaping the century were discussed in the context of the the development of France as reflected in the prints; such as Romanticism, the era of adventure/discovery of the countryside/pastoral/rural areas, the advent of industrialization/urbanization and the disappearance of adventure/discovery as the rapid expansion of the railway system brought made areas of France accessible, the development of middle-class tourism that was made possible by the expansion of the railway system, the urban renewal projects of Haussmann in Paris, as well as many other projects that improved Parisians' well-being/safety/sanitation in the rapidly growing metropolis, such as the huge number of street trees that were planted, the improvements in road design, the implementation of sewer systems, and so forth. The century began with cholera, typhoid, and many other diseases, as water was filthy, and open sewers were common in a city that hadn't changed much since the Middle Ages. There was no light or air in many narrow streets, which also had no sidewalks; sewage would run down the middle of the cobbled roadways. The social misery and problems were myriad. Under Napoleon III, Paris was ripped apart by massive roadway/urban renewal projects which resulted in the network of wide boulevards and parks. Some of these road improvements were needed in order to move troops around quickly and also as a way for the government to be able to more easily seal off neighborhoods in case of uprisings. The improvements did lead to a more livable city - although there was no provision for the poor folk, new housing was not built for them in Paris, they were simply displaced, pushed to the periphery.
The prints reproduced and discussed in the book not only offer glimpses of France but also the changing trends in fine art in the 19th Century, culminating in the atmospheric experimentation of Degas, Pissaro, etc., as the century drew to a close, presaging non-objective representations of the following century.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in finding out more about this rich and fascinating period of print-making and photography in France. This book will give the reader a singular insight or key to understanding French prints and photographs of the 19th Century.
Displaying 1 of 1 review