Scales of Seeing: Spatial Experience in Paris, 1849–1899
The nineteenth-century renovation of Paris, instigated by Emperor Napoléon III and carried out by Baron Georges Haussmann, Prefect of the Seine and mastermind of the project, led to the creation of new spaces and a radical transformation in the way that individuals experienced the metropolis. My dissertation examines paintings from a range of artistic movements, alongside works on paper and maps, to argue that new conceptions of space emerged in the French capital. By exploiting shifts in scale made possible through technological, architectural, and infrastructural interventions, artists highlighted the disjunction between embodied street-level experience and novel, disembodied experiences made possible in the new city. Organized into four case studies considering locations that were refashioned during Haussmannization—the Pont de l’Europe, the Place de l’Étoile, the Bois de Boulogne, and the Place du Théâtre Français—this study hinges on an understanding of the landscape of Paris. The exploration of new city space was ultimately an attempt to make sense of a changed environment—a project of synthesizing a new set of visual data. Previous scholarship on Haussmannization and its aftermath has focused on urbanism, and art historical accounts have considered paintings in relation to the social conditions of the renovation. There has not yet been a comprehensive study considering painting and photography alongside urban planning. The myriad novel perspectival experiences made possible during the nineteenth century altered the way the standard street view is depicted and ultimately, Haussmann’s designs became a stage for an urban spatial program at multiple scales.
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