Paris - Moulin Rouge - 18e

Plate LXXXVI – the Moulin Rouge …

I had been warned. From the street, in daylight, the exterior of the Moulin Rouge is rather boring, tired and uninviting. And it was true. Baz Luhrmann’s spectacular 2001 eponymously named film, with the hero’s quest for Love Beauty and Truth, gives the place an image way beyond reality. I therefore imagine the disappointment of more recent travellers to be even greater. My challenge then was to get a shot that somehow made it worth the time I’d taken to get there, and that came close to equalling the poster images created of the Moulin Rouge by artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Thank goodness for the sculptural form of one of Hector Guimard’s decorative Métro arches, which I used to frame the familiar sight of the otherwise unremarkable little red mill’s exterior - the interior I am pleased to report still offers a glimpse into the romance of Paris in the Belle Epoque.

This cabaret theatre was built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, owner also of that other shrine of Parisian entertainment, the Olympia. The home of the famous and often imitated Can-Can dance, the Moulin Rouge has hosted many notable international performers since its opening including Ella Fitzgerald, Elton John and Liza Minelli, but it is for the lavishly costumed and produced adult music and dance spectacular revues that most visitors will venture onto this stretch of the Boulevard de Clichy at night. The lively and only moderately risqué Can-Can routines performed today (most often to Offenbach’s Barcarole) are somewhat ‘cleaned-up’ versions of the entertainment originally offered by the courtesans of the Moulin during its glory days as a classy brothel, when Can-Can was little more than an increasingly vulgar individual display of the lower female anatomy intended to entice their male customers.

Truth, Beauty and Love – well, maybe.

Paris - Metropolitain - 1er

Plate XVI  - Metropolitain - Rue de Rivoli ...

My favourite period of design has to be the early twentieth century for the simple, linear strength of Arts and Crafts and the nature inspired shapes of Art-Nouveau. Notable features of many entrances to Paris Metro stations are the graceful Art-Nouveau iron and glass forms decorating the stairs and pavements surrounding the subway openings. Designed by Hector Guimard at the turn of the (20^th) century the design must have been a refreshing change to the prevailing over-ornamented classical style of the time. Reminiscent of dragonfly wings and eyes, the green verdigris finish was considered more German than French, making these the latest controversial additions to the Parisian landscape. And yet we would not imagine the city without them today. I cannot see these entrances without sensing the presence of Toulouse Lautrec or Aristide Bruant, and hearing somewhere the sounds of an accordionist.

This particular entrance in the Rue de Rivoli is in one of my best loved parts of the city. The Louvre Museum is, of course, one of the most well known landmarks in the area, but do not miss the Museum of Decorative Arts, seen in the background of this image. For those visitors interested in acquiring a few antiques of their own (jewellery being a speciality of many dealers), the nearby Louvre des Antiquaires is well worth a visit of at least a few hours, but be warned to leave your wallet and credit-cards behind unless you intend buying, for the temptation will otherwise prove irresistible. Trust me.