Romantic Paris: Histories of a Cultural Landscape, 1800-1850
"G. K. Chesterton once said that art should be 'centric' to society, not on the edges. In this portrait of Paris in the first half of the nineteenth century, Marrinan (art history, Stanford University) puts the art of the city at the center of the whirlwind of post- revolutionary France. He demonstrates how the art (including architecture and literature) both affected and reflected the period that saw the rise and fall of Napoleon, attempts at a republican government, abortive revolutions and the temporary restoration of the monarchy. With great skill, he weaves the changes in public taste and temperament into the art, showing how they influenced each other. For those who love Paris, art, history, or all of them together, this book is a wonderful intellectual treat."—Book News