Maymester Day 5
Montemartre: the place to be for the up and coming artists(Dalí, Monet, Picasso and van Gogh, just to name a few) during the Belle Époque. Sandwiched between two crushing wars, the Belle Époque was a peaceful and optimistic period of artistic flourishment and innovation. Montemartre became an ideal place for artists during the Belle Époque to create, as the city lay conveniently on the outskirts of Paris, allowing them cheaper rents and lower taxes than one would find further into the city.
Perched on top of a massive hill, the creative energy of Montemartre is tangible as soon as you finish the last grueling set of stairs. Looking out upon the entire city of Paris in front of the Sacre Coeur is a surreal feeling. I can understand why artists would have found Montemartre alluring. Not only for its cheaper living situation, but also for its prime location perched above the city. There is something that is both calming and inspiring about being “above Paris”. Almost as if Montemartre is this little sanctuary free from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city. Here, one can simply watch the activities from afar without being in the center of all the noise and city distractions.
After we explored the beautiful Sacre Coeur, we headed over to the “Musee de Montmartre”. Here, I was instantly drawn into a sense of tranquility and peacefulness by the gorgeous fragrance of the flowers. I swear I have never smelled roses so sweet yet so sour(in the best possible way) at the same time! Aside from the wonderful garden, I was very entranced with the films playing in the museum. Almost every film playing in the “Musee de Montmartre” was not only shot in Montemartre, but also discussed different aspects about the city. It almost felt as if each of the short films were tributes to the creative spirit of Montemartre. I remember one of the dialogue scenes I was watching portrayed two lovers talking about Montemartre and the boy said something to the effect of, “Isn’t this such a great place? On one side you have the entire city of Paris and just next door you have all the country bumpkins with their horses and cows.” I feel like this boy perfectly described the appeal of Montemartre, especially as it relates to artists. One could choose to be inspired by the “concrete jungle” of central Paris one day, and the next venture not far at all to be inspired by Paris’s outer “countryside”.
Seeing Montemartre was also very special for me because it was where one of my favorite violinists of all time(and pioneer of the “jazz violin”), Stephané Grapelli grew up busking in the streets. Not only did Grappelli grow up playing in the streets of Montemartré, but he would frequently attend some of Montemartre’s famous salons such as the R-26(held at Madeleine, Marie-Jacques and Robert Perrier’s Montemartre residence). Grapelli was so inspired by his experiences at the “R-26”, that he and his longtime collaborator, Django Reinhardt, wrote a tribute piece dedicated to the salon gatherings called “R. vingt-six”.
A circular look inside the Sacré Coeur
A lurking Alvaro
Time to feast
A happy lady finishing a grueling set of Montemartre stairs
An ominous grave at the Cimetiére de Montemartre
