Sculpted

After traveling to Prague and then Vienna and now Paris, I have concluded that no city in the world compares with Paris in terms of architectural beauty. Prague, I applaud you for your castle and Charles Bridge. Vienna, your transportation system is supreme, the Albertina is my favorite museum, and I love the summer palaces and "beaches" along the Danube canal. But Paris!

From the Gothic feat of Notre Dame, complete with flying buttresses and several rose windows, to the stained glass of the Saint Chapelle, along with the Luxembourg Palace and gardens, and the Louvre museum; Paris exceeded my expectations. I once visited New York City and found it to be dirty and grey, and I assumed the same of Paris and all large, popular cities. Clearly, I was mistaken.

Our trip of Paris consisted mostly of walking about and just staring around in awe. At Notre Dame, I wished to spend hours studying the western facade---the horizontal frieze depicting kings, and then each portal beneath with figures lining the arches and holding sculptures of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Then we ventured to Saint Chapelle, a favorite Gothic cathedral of mine since high school. Here, I cried as I looked up at the stained glass that lined the room.

Later, we visited the French Pantheon, which is inspired by both the Greek Parthenon and Roman Pantheon. Then I read some Les Miserables at the Luxembourg Palace and Gardens, then a exterior visit of the Musee de Louvre, and finally we ended the first night with a spectacular, albeit touristy, light show at the Eiffel Tower.

Sunday, we trekked up 674 steps to the second platform of the Eiffel Tower. Truly, more grand that I ever imagined, this structure is an incredible architectural feat of the late 19th century. Then we spent an afternoon at the Louvre. The museum itself, constructed sometime in the 12th century, was converted from a palace to it's present purpose. Within, great artworks by Gericault, Vermeer, Delacroix, and Michelangelo stand in large, ornate Baroque rooms. Ultimately, I was lost in the sights and architecture of Paris for the whole weekend and I must conclude that it was all a dream.


Artist sketching the Winged Victory of Samothrace

Point of Convergence

The city of Prague features a myriad of architectural styles including:

Romanesque Gothic Renaissance Baroque Rococo Classicism and Empire Style Historicism

Moorish Revival Art Nouveau Cubism and Rondocubism Functionalism Communist Era High Tech Post 1989

These styles coexist with one another, converge at street corners and metro stops, and really play on the historic context of the city versus Prague's own modernity.

Strolling around Wenceslas Square, and then nearby Tesco Supermarket, I found a corner where various architecture styles come to gather near the Mustek stop. At the corner of Pearl and 28th October (Palác ARA na rohu ulic Perlová a 28) sits the ARA Palace. This modern high-rise was originally constructed in 1931, and underwent a modern facelift in 1992. The structure serves as a administrative space for rent, and when compared alongside other examples of architecture in Prague, the building hardly distinguishes itself.

Except in the glasswork, and what can be seen reflected in the curvature of the windows. Three nearby buildings can be seen reflected in the glass windows of the Ara Palace. As I stopped for a few moments to capture photos of the reflection and convergence of various architecture styles, passerby began to follow the focus of my camera upward. They begin to similarly look upon the refleciton captured in the building's reflection: adjacent buildings featuring various architectural styles--high tech, modernism, and art nouveau, and even hints of classicism and classic Greek/Roman sculpture.

Across from the Ara Palace sits Palác Adria on the opposite corner, which was reconstructed in 1924 and is decorated with statues sculpted by Josef Malínský. While the sculpture on the exterior of the facade is reminiscent of ancient Greek and Roman portraiture, the rest of the building is influenced by architect Pavel Janák and the rondocubism style.

Ultimately, this street reveals the manner in which multiple decades and eras come together to both complement and influence one another in the construction and history and development of Prague over time. Each style draws on some artistic or architectural influence of the past, and will eventually influence a future structure or piece.

Built to Last

Over the past three days, much of Eastern Europe has experienced significant rainfall. Within the city of Prague, four percent of the Czech capital has been under water for the second time in less than 11 years as result of the Vltava river breaching its banks. Authorities have been quick to respond, and have evacuated nearly 8,000 inhabitants from low lying areas in preparation for rising waters. Lions and tigers from the Prague Zoo were reported to have been removed just before a peak in rainfall, and the city's transportation system experienced multiple closures.

Today however, the rain finally subsisted, the sun peaked through grey clouds, and parts of the city began to reopen to the public. Breaking off from our group of photographers, I decided to forgo a trip to Old Town Square and instead, chose to walk along the river's edge and watch the quick, brown Vltava stream carry off miscellaneous debris. Tourists and locals of Prague all congregated along bridges as well, eyes quickly racing the water flow, and furiously snapping iPhone photos--the artistic medium of our generation. Prague Castle, Wenceslas Square, and Charles Bridge aside, the effects of extreme weather became the city's key attraction.

As I traced the river, I began to appreciate Prague in a unique way. Not merely as a historic city or town be-laced with multiple styles of architecture and art, but as a place built to last and withstand. Given Prague's roots as a European kingdom with castles and archway checkpoints and multiple bridges, the city has long been predisposed to defending itself. Combined with innovations of today's modern civil engineers, citizens of Prague did not seem frightened by the rising water level of the Vltava. Today, with the disappearance of miserable rain, the public returned to normalcy. Tourists returned to states and stares of appreciation, though this time noting the ways in which both a modern city and its historic architecture is able to handle the course of nature.