The Daily Book of Art

DAY 176

ART FROM THE INSIDE OUT

“Impressions” of 19th-Century Paris

FROM HAYSTACKS TO RAILROAD TRACKS

 

Strolling down the wide, well-lit streets of central Paris, you would never guess that the majority of the architecture dates back only 150 years. Paris launched a massive modernization campaign under the supervision of Baron Haussmann, a civic planner dedicated to revitalizing the city—from gutters to gas lamps. Tiny winding streets gave way to wide “boulevards” with magnificent sightlines of monuments like the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. As leisure time increased, artists, poets, photographers, and philosophers began to ...