Paris Has An "Identity"

A statue near the Panthéon. Hard to see but the writing reads: "FRANCE A UNE IDENTITE".  'Graffiti' such as this can be found everywhere and carries a strong message. Almost a piece of art in itself that echoes the legacy of the old walls and statues it rests on.  Below: the statue. 

I have always been interested how stories and histories make a place, or in this case a city.  

Undeniably, Paris holds rich and well-known histories.  Traces of the French Revolution(s) are visible everywhere, almost any building pridefully displays Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité.  Napoleon's(s) mark lives on in the Arc de Triumph and the city's dominating, extravagant architecture and gardens. 

These landmarks, the louvre, the effile tower, art, and food (SO.MUCH.CHEESE.AND.BREAD) create the popular and recognizable Paris image and story. 

But what I found even more interesting was the street art and marks of people who made paris part of their experience. They recorded their past and stories on Paris's walls, locks, and alleyways. Some marks were about love and art, while others showed doubt and violence that questioned tolerance and identity. Paris was not only a physical place, but an idea that held people's thoughts, dreams, and pieces of themselves. 

Sticker on a stop sign that reads: "J'EXISTE", I exist

Shakespeare and CO. *technically* English
but visitors from around the world write
poetry here

Street Art 

Walking through Paris I tried to understand the city's appeal that pulled so many authors and artists such as Oscar Wilde, Monet, Hemingway into its cafés and streets.  Woody Allen's film Midnight in Paris (one of my favorites-) captures the nearly cheesy nostalgia but beautiful idea of Paris. The film depicts an awkward aspiring author (Owen Wilson- above all people) time traveling into 1920s Paris where literature legends aid him on his journey of self-discovery.  It's actually more lighthearted than my film description may seem, but more importantly I think Woody Allen nails the appeal of Paris on the head.  People seek Paris to create and relish in its history. The stories of other artists, seen in paintings, buildings, architecture collectively form a story of a romantic city that people hope will rub off on them- and inspire to create their own mark on Paris too. 

Degas 

Although the city is rich with its history, art, culture, and food- I think even more important is how Paris will continue to collect and reinvent stories, and what marks they leave.  

Versailles, hall of mirrors. So beautiful, but also a bit eerie with 

its empty halls that once held the richest people in the world, silenced

by the guillotine. 

 

 

Paris, on the Seine.