Status Updates From The Art and Spirit of Paris

Whereas previously the sovereign and his advisors defined artistic activity from this point forward there was a proliferation of patrons in both the sacred and the secular worlds. Paris gave birth to the Gothic style.

Paris is a she. After the fall of Rome, Lutetia went back to her Gallic roots and once again became Parisii. She had a hard time during the 6-10th centuries due to those pesky Vikings. And yet life went on and art flourished during the Medieval period .

Part 1 - The Origins: From Lutetia to Paris. Evidence from the Bercy excavations suggest that by 4200 BCE Paris was an important crossroads for influences and traffic from the Mediterranean world as well as from the shores of the Atlantic and inland Europe. The Romans established the North-South axis in Paris, today inscribed in Paris topography as the Rue St-Jacques.

Finally getting serious about making way through this treasure in preparation for my first longer sojourn in Paris. This book aims to demonstrate "..how this creative centre has been fed by the most diverse sources, drawing on all of Europe and the world, and, finally, how the art of Pris is also an art of living, an art de vivre". (Introduction by Michel Lacotte)