Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Sax at Paris-Plage

Sax player, Paris-Plage, Port de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, Quartier Saint-Gervais, 4th arrondissement, Paris

Sax player, Paris-Plage
Port de l'Hôtel-de-Ville
Quartier Saint-Gervais, 4th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Petite Alsace

Petite Alsace or cité Daviel, Rue Daviel, Quartier de la Maison-Blanche, 13th arrondissement, Paris

Petite Alsace or cité Daviel
Rue Daviel
Quartier de la Maison-Blanche, 13th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Monday, August 29, 2005

Rue des Degrés

Street signs and lamp post, Rue Beauregard, Rue des Degrés, Quartier de Bonne-Nouvelle, 2nd arrondissement, Paris

Street signs and lamp post
Rue Beauregard / Rue des Degrés
Quartier de Bonne-Nouvelle, 2nd arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Fontaine de la Porte Dorée

Fontaine de la Porte Dorée, Place Edouard Renard, Quartier du Bel-Air, 12th arrondissement, Paris

Fontaine de la Porte Dorée
Place Edouard Renard
Quartier du Bel-Air, 12th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Dôme IMAX

Dôme IMAX, Le Dôme, Puteaux, La Défense, Paris

(Former) Dôme IMAX
Le Dôme
Puteaux, La Défense
Paris, July 2004

Friday, August 26, 2005

The Staircase

The Staircase, Puteaux, La Défense, Paris

The staircase
Puteaux, La Défense
Paris, July 2004

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Tour Total

Tour Total, Place Jean Millier, Courbevoie, La Défense, Paris

Tour Total (Total Tower)
Place Jean Millier
Courbevoie, La Défense
Paris, July 2004

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

La Danse

La Danse (The Dance) by Shelomo Selinger, Passerelle des Reflets, Courbevoie, La Défense, Paris
La Danse (The Dance) by Shelomo Selinger, 1983
Passerelle des Reflets
Courbevoie, La Défense
Paris, July 2004

“This moulded white concrete structure, created in 1983, depicts four figures reproduced on each of the planters used to delimit the ‘lower’ square below the Esplanade. The originality of this artwork lies partly in the integration of the vegetation which, over time, seems to intertwine the figures in a perfect symbiosis.” (Les hommes de la cité, Paris La Défense)

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Les hommes de la cité

Les hommes de la cité by France and Hugues Siptrott, Esplanade du Général de Gaulle, Courbevoie, La Défense, Paris

Les hommes de la cité (The men of the city) by France and Hugues Siptrott, 1991
Esplanade du Général de Gaulle
Courbevoie, La Défense
Paris, July 2004

“The eight sculptures in polychrome patinated bronze refer to the anonymous crowds of passers-by who can recognise themselves in a frozen eternity. The space below can be perceived as a primitive garden where men and trees rise towards the light. Six standing figures are gathered on a marbled space, while a seventh observes them from a perch. The last one is at the level of the RATP staircase leading to the platform of line 1 of the metro.” (Les hommes de la cité, Paris La Défense)

Monday, August 22, 2005

Tour Gan

Tour Gan, Courbevoie, La Défense, Paris

Tour Gan, 1974
Courbevoie, La Défense
Paris, July 2004

“Tour CB21, formerly Tour Gan, is an office skyscraper located in La Défense, the high-rise business district situated west of Paris, France. It was designed by celebrated American architect Max Abramovitz. Built from 1972 to 1974, the tower is 179 m (587 ft) tall at roof height. However, it reaches 187 m (614 ft) once including the antenna located on the roof. It is the fourth-tallest skyscraper in La Défense after Tour First, Tour Total and Tour Areva. Its ground shape is in the form of a Greek cross. In 1972, during construction, a protest campaign opposed the building of Tour Gan, which was deemed too tall and thus too visible from the historical center of Paris and particularly from the Champs-Elysées. Protesters demanded a reduction in height. However, those protests had no effect and the tower was completed at the planned height. Today, the main tenants are Suez Environnement and AIG France.” (Tour Gan, Wikipedia)

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Tour Initiale

Tour Initiale, Puteaux, La Défense, Paris

Tour Initiale, 1966
Puteaux, La Défense
Paris, July 2004

“Tour Initiale (previously known as tour Nobel) is an office building located in La Défense business district just west of Paris, France. The 105 m (344 ft) Tour Initiale was the first office tower built in the La Défense district with its construction being completed in 1966. In 1988, the tower was given an internal renovation, and the new name of Tour Initiale. The Tour Initiale was designed by architects Jean de Mailly and Jacques Depussé and engineer Jean Prouvé who designed the building's glass facade. The tower uses curved glass on the building's corners, which, at the time of construction, was generally unknown in France and the glass had to be imported from the United States.” (Tour Initiale, Wikipedia)

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Aux Morts des Beaux-Arts

Monument aux Morts de l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts by Jean Boucher and Marcel Alexandre, Beaux-Arts de Paris, Rue Bonaparte

Monument aux Morts de l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts
by Jean Boucher (sculptor) and Marcel Alexandre (architect), 1923
Cour intérieure, Beaux-Arts de Paris
Rue Bonaparte
Quartier Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 6th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Friday, August 19, 2005

L'Éternel bénissant le monde

L'Éternel bénissant le monde, Beaux-Arts de Paris, Rue Bonaparte, Quartier Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 6th arrondissement, Paris

L'Éternel bénissant le monde, 1803
Cour principale, Beaux-Arts de Paris
Rue Bonaparte
Quartier Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 6th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Brumisateurs

Brumisateurs, Paris-Plage, Quai de la Mégisserie, Quartier Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, 1st arrondissement
Paris

Brumisateurs, Paris-Plage
Voie Georges-Pompidou
Quai de la Mégisserie
Quartier Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, 1st arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Pétanque

Pétanque, Paris-Plage, Port de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, Quartier Saint-Gervais, 4th arrondissement, Paris

Pétanque, Paris-Plage
Port de l'Hôtel-de-Ville
Quartier Saint-Gervais, 4th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

“Pétanque is a sport that falls into the category of boules sports, along with raffa, bocce, boule lyonnaise, lawn bowls and crown green bowling. In all of these sports, players or teams play their boules/balls towards a target ball. In pétanque the objective is to score points by having boules closer to the target than the opponent after all boules have been thrown. This is achieved by throwing or rolling boules closer to the small target ball, officially called a jack but known colloquially as a cochonnet, or by hitting the opponents' boules away from the target, while standing inside a circle with both feet on the ground. The game is normally and best played on hard dirt or gravel. It can be played in public areas in parks or in dedicated facilities called boulodromes. The current form of the game originated in 1907 or 1910 in La Ciotat, in Provence, France. The French name pétanque (borrowed into English, with or without the acute accent) comes from petanca in the Provençal dialect of the Occitan language, deriving from the expression pè tancat, meaning ‘foot fixed’ or ‘foot planted’ (on the ground).” (Pétanque, Wikipedia)

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Cleaning the Seine

Dredger Port Marly, P15830F, Paris

Dredger “Port Marly” (P 15830 F)
Between Pont Marie and Pont Louis-Philippe
Paris, July 2004

Monday, August 15, 2005

Monument à Gérôme

Gérôme exécutant les Gladiateurs, Monument à Gérôme by Jean-Léon Gérôme, Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Gérôme exécutant les Gladiateurs, Monument à Gérôme
(Gérôme Executing The Gladiators, Monument to Gérôme)
By Jean-Léon Gérôme, Aimé Morot
Musée d'Orsay
Rue de la Légion d'Honneur
Quartier Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

“The taste for reality and historical truth taken to the extreme is manifest in the astonishing sculptural group, The Gladiators. This first sculpture by the painter Gérôme, long believed to be lost, was used by the artist's son-in-law, Aimé Morot, himself a painter and sculptor, to pay tribute to Gérôme. Morot portrayed his father-in-law in the process of sculpting The Gladiators, and so included the original group in his own composition. The group was installed in the gardens of the Louvre as a memorial in 1909. The portrait of Gérôme gives us a realistic picture of his working conditions: the smock, the tools he is holding, and his surprised glance at the spectator all suggest that he was interrupted in his work and caught in action as if by a snapshot. The gladiators themselves, a helmeted myrmillo and a retiary with his net, sculpted by Gérôme in 1878, are life-sized versions of the two gladiators he had painted six years before. Gérôme was famous for his Neo-Grec tastes and his Orientalism. A stickler for archaeological precision, he arranged for casts of antique gladiators' equipment to be sent from Naples and invested large sums in properties for his Parisian model.” (Monument to Gérôme, Musée d'Orsay)

Sunday, August 14, 2005

L'Homme qui marche

L'Homme qui marche by Auguste Rodin, Musée d'Orsay, Paris

L'Homme qui marche by Auguste Rodin, 1907
Musée d'Orsay
Rue de la Légion d'Honneur
Quartier Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Les Quatre parties du Monde

Les Quatre parties du Monde by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Les Quatre parties du Monde soutenant la sphère céleste by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, 1874
Musée d'Orsay
Rue de la Légion d'Honneur
Quartier Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Friday, August 12, 2005

La Ville de Nantes

La Ville de Nantes by Jean-Antoine Injalbert, Musée d'Orsay, Paris

“La Ville de Nantes” by Jean-Antoine Injalbert
Musée d'Orsay
Rue de la Légion d'Honneur
Quartier Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Petit Pont

Petit Pont, Little Bridge, Paris

Petit Pont (Little Bridge)
Paris, July 2004

“The Petit Pont (Little Bridge) is a bridge crossing the River Seine in Paris, built in 1853, although a structure has crossed the river at this point since antiquity. The present bridge is a single stone arch linking the 4th arrondissement and the Île de la Cité, with the 5th arrondissement, between quai de Montebello and quai Saint-Michel. The Petit Pont is notable for having been destroyed, at least thirteen times since its original inception during Gallo-Roman times to the mid-19th century. It is served by the Metro station Saint-Michel.” (Petit Pont, Wikipedia)

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Jules Bastien-Lepage

Jules Bastien-Lepage by Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Rue de Varenne, Paris

Jules Bastien-Lepage by Auguste Rodin, 1889
Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron
Rue de Varenne
Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Tuesday, August 9, 2005

Balzac

Balzac by Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Rue de Varenne, Paris

Balzac by Auguste Rodin, 1898
Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron
Rue de Varenne
Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Monday, August 8, 2005

Le Penseur

Le Penseur by Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Rue de Varenne, Paris

Le Penseur by Auguste Rodin, 1903
Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron
Rue de Varenne
Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Sunday, August 7, 2005

Les Trois Ombres

Les Trois Ombres by Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Rue de Varenne, Paris

Les Trois Ombres by Auguste Rodin, 1902
Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron
Rue de Varenne
Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Saturday, August 6, 2005

La Cariatide tombée portant sa pierre

La Cariatide tombée portant sa pierre by Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Rue de Varenne, Paris

La Cariatide tombée portant sa pierre by Auguste Rodin, 1883
Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron
Rue de Varenne
Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Friday, August 5, 2005

Claude Lorrain

Claude Lorrain by Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Rue de Varenne, Paris

Claude Lorrain by Auguste Rodin, 1892
Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron
Rue de Varenne
Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Thursday, August 4, 2005

Ugolin

Ugolin by Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Rue de Varenne, Paris

Ugolin by Auguste Rodin, 1909
Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron
Rue de Varenne
Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Wednesday, August 3, 2005

Grande Ombre

Grande Ombre by Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Rue de Varenne, Paris

Grande Ombre by Auguste Rodin, 1902
Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron
Rue de Varenne
Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

Tuesday, August 2, 2005

Musée Rodin

Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron, Rue de Varenne, Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement, Paris

Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron
Rue de Varenne
Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004

“The Musée Rodin in Paris, France, is a museum that was opened in 1919, primarily dedicated to the works of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. It has two sites: the Hôtel Biron and surrounding grounds in central Paris, as well as just outside Paris at Rodin's old home, the Villa des Brillants at Meudon, Hauts-de-Seine. The collection includes 6,600 sculptures, 8,000 drawings, 8,000 old photographs and 7,000 objets d’art. The museum receives 700,000 visitors annually. While living in the Villa des Brillants, Rodin used the Hôtel Biron as his workshop from 1908, and subsequently donated his entire collection of sculptures – along with paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir that he had acquired – to the French State on the condition that they turn the buildings into a museum dedicated to his works. The Musée Rodin contains most of Rodin's significant creations, including The Thinker, The Kiss and The Gates of Hell. Many of his sculptures are displayed in the museum's extensive garden. The museum includes a room dedicated to the works of Camille Claudel and one of the two castings of The Mature Age. The gardens around the museum building contain many of the famous sculptures in natural settings. Behind the museum building are a small lake and casual restaurant.” (Musée Rodin, Wikipedia)

Monday, August 1, 2005

Jean de Fiennes

Jean de Fiennes by Auguste Rodin, Musée Rodin, Rue de Varenne, Paris

Jean de Fiennes by Auguste Rodin, 1887
Musée Rodin, Hôtel Biron
Rue de Varenne
Quartier des Invalides, 7th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004