Perspectives of the arts of Paris

 Although this blog is about travel by bicycle, preparation (getting ready) and reflection (what did I discover) are part of every journey.   In fact, these processes are an integral part of life.  But, life itself is in strong relief when travel and new perspectives are involved.

It is not possible to be in Paris without museum visits.  Beyond the the Jewish museum of art & history, there are many others.  One visit was to the Musée d’Orsay – astonishing – especially the exhibition of Pierre Bonnard!

And, since our hotel is across the street from the Pompidou Museum, we took time for a visit.

Serendipity for me (information architect) – a special exhibition of a real architect: one of the most influential of the 20th Century, Le Corbusier.

The Centre Pompidou is devoting a retrospective to the work of Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, aka Le Corbusier. Not only a visionary architect, urban planner and theorist of modernity, but also a painter and sculptor, Le Corbusier made a profound impression on the 20th century in dramatically changing architectural design and the way people lived in it. The Centre Pompidou invites audiences to grasp the output of this major figure in modernity through the idea of human proportions, the human body being essential as a universal principle defining all aspects of architecture and spatial composition.

Interesting to have one of the most influential architects of the modern era exhibited in one of the most controversial architectural structures in Paris.  The building would have looked much better if he had designed it.  And, it would have been more beautiful – retaining great simplicity.  Oh well, the current one is functional, and in keeping with much of the post modernist permanent collection…

Nonetheless, a breathtakingly sensitive exhibit showing the full range of Le Corbusier’s genius.  Including his small pilgrimage chapel at Ronchamp whose evocative penetration by shafts of light is symbolic of the nuanced, subtle, and dynamic effulgence of a supreme being.  Evocative spirituality by an atheist architect.

After several days in Paris, where aesthetics is celebrated and functionality is tolerated, I have found an irreverent distinction between classical art and modern art.

In classical art one wonders in an astonished appreciation of evocative splendor, “How did he do that?”  In modern art one asks in an astonished awareness of jarring metaphors, “Why did he do that?”

Sunday – an almost normal tourist day

A short walk from our hotel in the Marais area of Paris to the Jewish museum of art & history – up the street (Rue de Temple).

A sensitive exhibit of artifacts of Jews in France (including deportation documents during the Holocaust): before the Reformation persecutions; during 1800’s; during the Dreyfus Affair, and celebrating the establishment of the nation of Israel.  Art and culture as a joyous tribute to faith-based civilization.  Anti-Semitism as an ebb and flow of horror and bizarre identification of difference.

What is the a sane reaction to unreasoned horror and hatred?

What is the reaction to irrational & nonrational events beyond reason?   Events of random pain & death (Frank Barham)?  Behavior borne of hatred?  Attacks by humans?  Attacks by demons?

How does one answer?  Prayer?  Abandonment of faith?  Addition of mysticism & magic to a belief in the unknowable essence of the universe?

Just as Frank’s death has made normal inconveniences seem trivial, the collective agonies of the diaspora and intermittent persecutions of the Jews have given a longer view to the inconsequential difficulties that harass us all.  And, to the extent that the horrific persecutions are not mere accidents, but the evil that has plagued mankind throughout recorded history, a mere bike trek for a vacation seems frivolous.

But, a journey of any consequence has unintended resonance with the world beyond static reality and current understanding.  We travel to learn – even when the lessons are hard.

A week can be a crossing of barriers – even without leaving home.  And, just as some endeavors go well, some do not.  A heroic mission and solid plans never guarantee safety.  And, transiting rural roads in south Georgia in a manual wheelchair can be hazardous, apparently.

I was sure a week ago that my good friend, Frank Barham, would succeed in his epic expedition, just as he had succeeded at all previous endeavors.  And, the rigors of the road would be tolerable.

This morning’s NPR news described his death in a horrendous accident.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a full description.

Within a day’s travel of his destination, Savannah, his contributions to the world ended.

This tragic loss is both personal (he was a friend for more than 25 years), and societal (communities of fellow musicians and people with disabilities have posted moving tributes on his Facebook page).

May his good energy and passion for life be an eternal blessing.

Rest in peace, Frank.  Your life has enriched the lives of all of us who have known you – and, our sadness and loss will echo down our future paths.