French · Medieval Art and Architecture

Yearly Updates on the Notre-Dame de Paris Restoration

On April 15, 2019, a devastating fire tore through the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, the most beloved and iconic of all Gothic buildings. Largely through the heroic efforts of Paris firefighters, the building was spared the total destruction that at one point seemed inevitable. However, the damage was extensive. Despite early negative forecasts and complications due to the pandemic, the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris is well underway, and the restored building will look as much like the old one as possible. Almost every year since the fire, I have written something about the cathedral's current condition and the status of the restoration. You can find it all in this post.

American Art of the Week

American Art of the Week: Paris La Nuit by Charles Courtney Curran

Charles Courtney Curran, Paris La Nuit (Paris At Night), 1889. Terra Museum of American Art. Photo via the-athenaeum.org. I think there's something quite fascinating about paintings of Europe by American artists. It's interesting to compare how European cities look through American eyes with American scenes and with European artists' representations of the same cities. Does a Frenchman represent Paris differently than… Continue reading American Art of the Week: Paris La Nuit by Charles Courtney Curran

French · Gargoyle of the Day

Gargoyle of the Day: Notre Dame de Paris

Today's grotesque is a true classic. The gargoyles of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris are neither the oldest nor the most interesting of their kind, but they have certainly become the most famous. The interior and exterior of this church, which was a major milestone in the history of Gothic architecture, were both rather creatively restored by Gothic Revival proponent… Continue reading Gargoyle of the Day: Notre Dame de Paris

Medieval Art and Architecture

Basilique Royale de Saint-Denis (WordPress Writing 101 Prompt #17)

 Today’s prompt didn’t particularly interest me or feel like a good fit for this blog, but the additional challenge was to write in a style different from my usual one, which I liked a lot. I like my writing to flow and include lots of description; I never skimp on the words. Therefore, I decided… Continue reading Basilique Royale de Saint-Denis (WordPress Writing 101 Prompt #17)

Gargoyles

The First Bit of My Gargoyle Research

I have started reading the first of the three gargoyle books I got from the library: Holy Terrors: Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings by Janetta Rebold Benton, an art history professor at Pace University. I have only read the introduction so far, but it was lengthy and contained lots of good material, so I thought I… Continue reading The First Bit of My Gargoyle Research