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Travel France - by Melinda

Travel France - August 2006

Allo allo? Nancy calling Part 7 Arc Here

August 31st 2006 23:22

Allo allo!!

One of the most amazing monuments in Place Stanislas is Nancy’s mini Arc de Triomphe. It’s called the Arc Héré and if you read yesterday’s post, you may remember that Emmanuel Héré was the architect who built Place Stanislas.

The breadth of the Arc is apparently equivalent to the thickness of the walls in Old Town section of Nancy. While I’ve been writing this post, I’ve been trying to figure out why they did this. Decoration? Protection? Who knows?

The Arc Here in Place Stanislas
The Arc Here in Place Stanislas (the picture is licensed under the GNU Agreement and can be found at wikipedia.org)


The theme of this beautiful golden arch is obviously war and peace. The reliefs on the arch make reference to a few battles in which France was victorious and have carvings of olive branches and laurel wreathes. The marble base features some beautiful animals and there are also some statues of Minerva, Mars and Hercules. (For those who know their Roman mythology, these guys shouldn’t need an introduction. For us mere mortals, who don’t know, Minerva is the goddess of art and wisdom, Mars is the god of war and Hercules…well needs no explanation!!)

A post which is short and sweet today to mark the first day of September in the southern hemisphere. People around the world will have to wait another couple of hours, but the sun is out and it’s going to be a fantastic day!!!!


Have a fantastic weekend
À lundi
Until Monday
Melinda
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Allo Allo? Nancy calling Part 6: Place Stanislas

August 31st 2006 08:24

Allo allo!

After that little cultural detour, we're back on track today looking at the wonderful sites around Nancy. Today we'll be looking at Place Stanislas.

Panorama of Place Stanislas
A beautiful panoramic view of Place Stanislas (this picture is licensed under the GNU Agreement and can be found at wikipedia.org)

The square which is located in the middle of Nancy is known by locals as place Stan. (Cool name, hey?) It was built in 1755 by Stanislaw Leszczynski, a former king of Poland to honour Louis XV of France, who was coincidentally his step-brother. Emmanuel Héré was the architect responsible for the construction of the square, which was surrounded by 6 giant wrought iron gates decorated with gold leaf. There was a statue of Louis XV in the centre of the square, but it was destroyed in the French Revolution.

Originally, it was known as Place Royale, but in 1831, its modern name started to be used. A statue of Stanislas now stands where Louis XV once stood.

Place Stanislas' Fountain of Neptune
The Fountain of Neptune at Place Stanislas. Gorgeous, isn't it? (this picture is licensed under the GNU Agreement and can be found at wikipedia.org)

Place Stanislas' importance has been recognised by the international community and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This place, as you can see by the photos, is absolutely spectacular. Make sure you check it out if you head to Nancy.
That's it for today.
À demain
Melinda

P.S for more info check out La plus belle place du monde (the most beautiful place in the world): perhaps a biased view of Place Stanislas by clicking here.
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Allo Allo? Nancy calling: Part 5 Art Nouveau continued

August 30th 2006 11:14

Bonjour tout le monde!

Today’s post is a continuation of yesterday’s Art Nouveau exposé and will focus on Art Nouveau’s unique character. I’ll also give you a few names of these influential artists who helped contribute to this era in art.

Art Nouveau has a distinctive look and affected all major art forms including painting, sculpture, architecture, jewellery, glass making, media, interior design and much more. It is characterised by unending flowing lines with hyperbolas and parabolas. It was similar in part to the Pre-Raphaelite artists and Symbolism movement. It was famous of innovation and artists experimented with the use of new materials.

The interior of a dome in the Grand Palais, Paris
The interior of a dome in the Grand Palais, Paris (this picture is licensed under the GNU AGreement and can be found at wikipedia.org)

There are so many great artists who influenced the development of this modern form. There is a comprehensive list available by clicking here. This will take you to a Wikipedia site, which is really informative.)

That’s it for today. For more information, check out the Wikipedia site and use the external links at the bottom of the page.
We’ll be back looking at Nancy tomorrow
À demain
Melinda
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Allo Allo? Nancy calling Part 4: Art Nouveau

August 29th 2006 11:42

Bonjour tout le monde!

As promised the other day, I will dedicate this post to Art Nouveau, which was in part developed in Nancy, which became a centre for the style.

Art Nouveau is a fad which hit its peak in popularity at the beginning of the 20th century. Apparently, the name Art Nouveau (which translated means New Art) came from the name of a gallery in Paris called the Maison de l’Art Nouveau. It was owned by Samuel Bing and had displays of objects which were made in the same style.

Arthur Mackmurdo, cover design of Wren's City Churches, published 1883
This is a book cover designed by Arthur Mackmurdo in 1883 for the book Wren's City Churches and is an early example of the Art Nouveau style (this picture is public domain and can be found at wikipedia.org)

The first developments of the movement can be found as early as the 1880s, from architect Arthur Mackmurdo. It featured free-flowing wrought iron and floral patterns. I suppose you could say it was the first inklings of the modern movement.

1900: the Universal Exposition in Paris. The first time when the “modern style” of Art Nouveau permeated every medium. Then again in 1902 at the Turin Exposition, where it was shown that Europe really was the “happening centre for this new art form.

Amazingly enough, Art Nouveau enabled many technological advancements in architecture because of the large irregular shapes of free flowing iron and glass, which dominated buildings constructed in that time.

Unfortunately, by World War 1, these types of buildings became to expensive to produce, so this highly stylised form slowly disappeared in favour of a cheaper and more traditional form of modernism.

That’s it for now. A second post on Art Nouveau tomorrow
À demain
Melinda
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Allo? Nancy calling Part 3

August 28th 2006 22:47

Allo, allo!

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Allo? Nancy calling part 2

August 28th 2006 11:19

Allo allo!

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Allo Allo? Nancy calling

August 25th 2006 22:00

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Vive in a Different France: New Caledonia Part 12

August 25th 2006 01:29

Bonjour tout le monde.

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Vive in a Different France: New Caledonia Part 11

August 24th 2006 08:27

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Vive in a Different France: New Caledonia Part 10

August 22nd 2006 11:35

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Vive in a Different France: New Caledonia Part 9

August 18th 2006 07:20

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Vive in a Different France: New Caledonia Part 8

August 17th 2006 11:30

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Vive in a Different France: New Caledonia Part 7

August 15th 2006 00:47

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Vive in a Different France: New Caledonia Part 6

August 13th 2006 23:03

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Vive in a Different France: New Caledonia Part 5

August 11th 2006 08:36

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Le Scandal Uncovered Part 3

August 10th 2006 08:26

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Le Scandal Uncovered Part 2

August 7th 2006 23:00

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Le Scandal Uncovered: Part 1

August 6th 2006 23:36

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'B' Sample comes back positive

August 6th 2006 03:08

Bonjour tout le monde!

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Vive in a Different France: New Caledonia Part 4

August 4th 2006 05:00

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"B Positive or not B positive. That is the question": Judgement day for Landis

August 3rd 2006 10:12

Saturday is judgement day. It is the day when the world will find out whether Floyd Landis' "B sample" tests positive to elevated levels of testosterone.

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September 2006
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