Palais Garnier

 

This is the Paris Opera house built by Garnier! On the outside you will find a beautiful and elaborate facade, chalk full of stone work, statues, friezes, cartouches, and pillars. However, the inside is what really blows you away. I am standing on a balcony overlooking the central staircase. Right off the bat, you can see the overpowering opulence. The room feels very open because of the groupings of pillars running along the room, supporting arches that open into the main hallway area. On top of the arches, rest multiple horizontal bands and also elaborate stone carvings. Another set of arches continues onto the next level. This pattern provides a sense of sturdy, elaborate openness. Finally, a beautiful ceiling is decked out with expansive paintings that draw the observer into its story. Deeper inside the building, you will find a stunning auditorium for performances.

I believe that this opulent building is important culturally because it changed who had access to the opera. This opera house became a palace of the arts and a palace for the people. It fit with Napoleon's idea that you can “earn nobility” and it spoke to the hearts of the middle class. In the past, this form of entertainment was normally reserved for the nobility. Once this opera was in operation, it opened doors to the middle class. Additionally they could experience grandeur in ways that was never before accessible to the non-aristocracy. Ideas were changing, and this helped fuel the idea that what you make yourself to be is more important than who you were born to be. 

I believe that the Paris Opera contributed to the city’s status as a cultural capital because people would come here to gain culture. It brought people in, and I believe was the birthplace of many beautiful operas. It further encouraged the arts and helped to fuel the excitement over opera! Especially because It helped performances to be available to the people, and people are essential to the spread of cultural creations. Opera became quite popular. Today, this palace of opera still stands as a cultural draw, especially because of its history and also because of the incredibly exquisite architecture and detail. It truly is a key piece of Parisian culture. 

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