France: Paris - Classical Myths in Europe

CLAS 171 / 499P (1 credit)

May 22 - 31, 2010

Paris, one of the world's most beautiful cities, is high on most people's lists of places to visit at least once in a lifetime. Everyone has heard of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Champs-Elysées (named for the Elysian Fields of Greek myth). Less widely known is the fact that Paris holds treasures of classical Greek and Roman art. What's more, much French art from all periods up to the present draws its inspiration from the classical tradition, including the classical myths. Students of Latin may recall that Julius Caesar conquered Gaul--now France--and that it was a Roman province for centuries. A later soldier-king, Napoleon I, looked to the Roman Empire as a model for his own. We will explore the French capital with special attention to its classical heritage and to the "recycling" of classical myths in the art and public discourse of France.

Sites to be visited include:

• The cathedral of Notre Dame and the archaeological museum under the square in front of it, where Roman walls can still be seen in place
• The National Museum of Medieval Art and its well- preserved Roman baths
• The Latin Quarter and the Panthéon
• The Louvre museum, with special focus on ancient Greek & Roman sculpture and French painting on classical themes
• The Champs-Elysées, Colonne Vendôme and Arc de Triomphe
• The Musée d’Orsay, a museum of 19th-century art featuring the Impressionists, as well as the academic, classicizing art they rejected

Classical Art in the Louvre

We will make at least two trips to the Louvre, the former palace of the kings of France, now one of the world's foremost art museums. One visit will focus on the rich Greek and Roman collections, which include many of the works used as illustrations in courses on classical mythology: statues of Diana the huntress and Venus "de Milo" (originally Aphrodite of Melos); Attic vase paintings of Dionysus, Heracles, satyrs, maenads, and Amazons. A second visit to the Louvre will focus on the French art of later periods that deliberately evokes the classical tradition and adapts it to new purposes.

Roman Baths in the Latin Quarter

Our look at classical Paris would not be complete without a visit to the remarkably well-preserved Roman baths of Cluny, which now house the French National Museum of Medieval Art. A walking tour of the Latin Quarter--still the academic heart of Paris--will include a visit to the Panthéon, a classically-inspired church that was transformed into a secular temple of the French nation.

Neoclassicism and Revolt

The Musée d'Orsay, a former train station transformed into a dramatic showcase for nineteenth-century art, exhibits the Academic painting and sculpture of that era -- which was shown in the offical Salons and often looked to classical models -- side-by-side with the work of artists such as the Impressionists, who deliberately rejected or radically revised classical precedents.

Republicanism and Imperial Ambition

The intellectual fathers of the French Revolution, like the founding fathers of the United States, were classically educated and drew some of their inspiration from the Greek experiment with democracy, as well as from the more aristocratic ideals of the Roman Republic. We will find the traces of this influence in short readings from the writers of the time, as well as in paintings, such as David's of the Horatii, three brothers who defended Rome's independence in single combat. By contrast, many of the best-known Parisian monuments were planned by Napoleon I and subsequent rulers to evoke the grandeur of imperial Rome and its claims to power on a global scale. The struggle between republican and imperial ideals has been a recurring feature of French politics since the early nineteenth century, as the monuments vividly illustrate.

There will be about 4 hours of organized activity per day, leaving ample time for you to explore Paris on your own. Two full days will be left free to allow for the possibility of local day trips. A popular option is the Château de Versailles, a short train ride from Paris.

Accommodations

Participants will stay at a pension (boarding house) in the heart of Paris, near the Jardin du Luxembourg, in rooms of double or quadruple occupancy. Van transportation to and from Charles de Gaulle airport and twenty Metro tickets will be provided as part of the program fee.