The Empire, 1804-1815
Neo-classicism
Under Napoleon I, Paris symbolized
an international modernizing
force. Napoleon is cited as
wanting to make Paris the most
beautiful city in the world. He
was keen to build massive,
symbolic monuments. His
achievement, in such a brief
reign, was considerable. However,
he did not change the face of the
city, and no predominant Empire
style emerged. The emperorâs
tastes were strongly
neo-classical. He placed great
trust in his chosen architects and
did not involve himself in the
detail of their designs. This
allowed them to act as key
arbiters of architectural taste
and the result was a continuation
of pre-1789 classicism, with an
emphasis on the neo-classical. In
the absence of a big construction
plan of new streets and squares,
the reshaping of imperial Paris
depended largely on public
buildings. There were special
efforts to make a striking,
symbolic statement. The biggest of
all, the Arc de Triomphe, was
clearly a lengthy undertaking. The
years between 1789 and 1852 mark
some kind of interruption in the
history of Parisian architecture
and planning. They had the effect
of maintaining the pre-1789,
classical approach until
industrial growth began in the
1840s. Architectureâs
confrontation with Franceâs first
Industrial Revolution did not
therefore take place until after
1850s, and especially during the
Second Empire.
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