This month, we dive deeper into the exploration of aesthetic principles that shaped both Classical and Romantic thought. Beginning with the tension between the Apollonian and Dionysiac forces in Aeschylus’s Oresteia, we transition now to the Romantic era, where the concepts of the Sublime and Romantic Beauty come to the forefront. These ideas, central to the works of Victor Hugo and Théophile Gautier, reflect a rebellion against Classical order and embrace emotional intensity, chaos, and artistic freedom. Through the lens of Hugo’s “Préface to Cromwell” and Gautier’s advocacy for the principle of Art for Art’s Sake, we will examine how Romanticism redefined beauty, art, and human experience.
Nestled in Croix, near Lille, the Villa Cavrois stands as a testament to the avant-garde vision of architect Robert Mallet-Stevens. Constructed between 1929 and 1932 for industrialist Paul Cavrois, this modernist chateau blends innovative design with luxurious comfort. Through the lens of black and white photography, we invite you to explore the elegance and sophistication of this iconic structure.
Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929), known primarily for his sculptures and his work on the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (inaugurated in 1913), was also a prolific painter, and his work includes many drawings as well. His drawings and ink washes reveal an artist who embraced the spirit of fin de siècle and shared the same milieu as Symbolist poets who had inherited the legacy of Baudelaire and Mallarmé, while the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is an Art Deco masterpiece. The musée Bourdelle is a unique studio-museum in the heart of Montparnasse that reopened in 2023.
Pasta with Pistachio Pesto and Prawns This is one of my favourite pasta dishes from Sicily. It is both extremely simple in terms of ingredients and steps, but it is
Sicily is a place of legend and myth. Its culture is exceptionally multi-layered and reflects some 2700 years of history. Read an introduction to this extraordinary place including key elements of its history, the origins of its cuisine as well as its architecture...
A short distance from Paris one can visit the country estate of the Caillebotte family. It is there that the young Gustave spent his summers and where he would later live for a time. Many of his paintings feature scenes from the park and the river that runs along it. The first in our series on Day Trips from Paris ...
In around the 3rd to the 2nd century BCE, Greek colonists founded a small town on the Dalmatian coast named Aspálathos (Ἀσπάλαθος). We know the town today as Split, Croatia. Together with the nearby Roman city of Salona, the settling of this small town would shape the landscape and history of this region for millennia to come.
Excursion à la Villa Cavrois Grande figure de l’architecture française de l’entre-deux-guerres, Robert Mallet-Stevens est né, en 1886, au sein d’une famille de collectionneurs. Il suivra sa formation à l’Ecole
In the heart of Paris’s 7th arrondissement—a stone’s throw away from the National Assembly—lies one of the city’s unique architectural gems. The Hôtel Turgot is an exquisite 18th-century townhouse named after Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de l'Aulne, who spent his final years there. The townhouse now serves as the offices of the Fondation Custodia.
Which one of us has not been left awestruck as we crossed the threshold of the Grand Foyer of Palais Garnier for the first time? Vendôme Circle founder Douglas Arthur Pierce takes us on a visual tour of one of his favourite buildings in Paris. All photos shot by him on film.
