Three Nights in Paris
©2017 by Cynthia Rutledge
What we know today as the beautiful city, Paris, was originally settled by the Gauls of Parisii tribe in 250-200BC as a fishing village along the river Seine. Many centuries later, after a multitude of wars, devastating plagues and destructive revolutions, this romantic city has survived the test of time to remain one of the most exciting cites in the world. It took a succession of Kings and Emperors to rebuild Paris (many times) adding beautiful palaces, museums to rival any in the world, formal gardens, monuments and giant thoroughfares, in a mix of styles, but all reflecting the age of renaissance.
In the 17th century, cultural life in the city flourished. The first café/restaurant, Café Procope opened in 1672. In 1681 the first theatre opened in the Ile de la Cité (the original part of the city) called the Comédie Française and offered exciting plays and musicals.
As the city grew and developed in the 18th century, it became the center of an explosion of philosophic and scientific activity known as the Age of Enlightenment. The first encyclopedia was published in 1751-52 offering intellectuals across Europe a high quality survey of human knowledge. Cafés now numbered in the 400's. They became the meeting places for writers and scholars. These cafés were important centers for exchanging news, rumors and ideas, often more reliable than the newspapers of the day.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Paris became the birthplace of modern art. This era was called La Belle Époque (the beautiful era) and the city was full of artists trying to make their way. Many masterpieces of literature, music, theater and visual arts gained recognition. Can you imagine the likes of Renoir, Picasso and Matisse (to name a few) hanging out and discussing art at a local café?
In the second half of the 19th century, Paris began to host Universal Exhibitions (five in all), which attracted millions of visitors. The expositions celebrated technology and industry. I would have loved to have been a visitor! Can you imagine visiting the booths of Alexander Graham Bell displaying his telephone, or Thomas Edison presenting his new phonograph? What about seeing the head of the Statue of Liberty before she was shipped to America?
The impressive Eiffel Tower is in easy view as you experience the first escalator and the world's largest Ferris wheel. The exhibitions also introduced talking films and art nouveau to the world. René Lalique exhibited his work at the Universal Exhibition in 1900 and was an immediate sensation. He offered jewelry, objects d'art made of bronze, ivory and glass. His success is legendary!
Three Nights in Paris is inspired by the all of the imagery I viewed while I was researching information about early Paris. As I was designing, I kept thinking about how amazing it would have been to visit Paris during the exhibitions and the wonders that I would have seen. As an artist, I am sure I would have been humbled (and inspired) by the skills of the artisans exhibiting. Wonders of the world!
This design evokes the blend of the Renaissance period, with the new and exciting, Art Nouveau style. A unique way of bezeling a pear CZ, offers a smooth shape and is much easier than the traditional way. Swarovski pearl cabs, with herringbone shaped embellishing, have an art nouveau feel. Flat peyote stitched necklace straps, interspersed with tiny bezeled 6mm CZ's, add just the right touch to this delicate necklace. Vive la France!
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
Workshop: This is a 1 day workshop
Necklace length: My samples are 17" long
Techniques:
Tubular, even count peyote stitch
Flat, odd-count peyote stitch using the step-up/step-down peyote stitch technique
Herringbone
Bezel techniques and embellishing