User:Dunn2777/sandbox/Exposition Universelle (1900)

Background Information
The birth of the first [|International Exhibition in 1855] was fueled by a desire to re-establish pride and faith in each nation after a period of war. The succession of exhibitions followed in the same pattern; the regeneration of nationality after war. Eight years before the launch of the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle the Repbulic of France announced the exhibition to be one which welcomed and celebrated the coming of a new century. Countries from around the world were invited by France to showcase their achievements and lifestyles; the Exposition Universelle was a uniting and learning experience. It presented the opportunity for foreigners to realize the similarities between nations as well as the unique differences. New cultures were experienced and an overall better understanding of the values each country had to offer was gained. The learning atmosphere aided in the attempts to increase cultural tolerance, necessary after a period of war. The early announcement and the massively positive response disenchanted the interest that had been circling around the first German International Exposition. The support for the exhibition was widespread, countries immediately began to plan their exhibits, but despite the enthusiasm the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle was not a financial success as only two thirds of the expected public was in attendance. It is suspected that the Exposition Universelle did not do as financially well as expected because the general public did not have the funds to participate in the fair.

Financial Implications
The 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle was such an expensive exhibition to organize and run that the costs for the average citizen to see specific attractions would be about six hundred francs in addition to their admittance ticket .The 1900 Exposition Universelle lost a grand total of eighty two thousand francs after six months in operation. Many Paris citizens had invested money in shares they had bought to help provide money for the organization of the event and had therefore lost their invested money. With a much larger expected turn out the exhibit sites had gone up in value. Continuing to pay rent for the sites became increasingly hard for concessionaires as they were receiving less customers than anticipated. The concessionaires threatened to strike, which would ultimately result in a large shut down of a section of the exposition. To solve the matter, the concessionaires were paid a fractional refund of the rent fees they had paid to obtain their work areas. The financial implications of the 1900 Exposition Universelle devastated Paris` people and resulted in the decision to end the streak of international fairs with the 1900 loss.
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The Appearance of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (“New Art”) became popular in the western countries of Europe and the United States in 1880. The art form takes inspiration from the natural world, drawing references from botanical studies and deep sea organisms. Fluid twisting, curving lines and a “whiplash” effect are the trademarks of the natural art form. The art form took shape in works ranging from painting to sculpture and most notably architecture, appearing famously throughout the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. Structures such as the Porte Monumentale entrance, the Pavillon Bleu and the Grand and Petit Palais were largely oriented around the Art Nouveau theme. Though Art Nouveau was showcased in the 1900 Exposition it was minutely used in the 1889 Paris Exposition by Emile Galle in a glass work project. The small piece was the beginning of a massive fair to come based very much on the art form.

Popular Exhibits
The architect René Binet created the triumphal gateway, La Porte Monumental Paris, on the Place de la Concord as a whimsical piece of art and a means to attain tickets. The gateway comprised of a dome and three arches, housed the fifty six ticket offices for the exhibition visitors. As a work or art the monumental gateway was ornate, strange and 'lacking in taste' and considered by exhibition goers to be the ugliest of all the exhibits. The prow of a boat protrudes from the middle of the main arch, directly under the fifteen foot Parisienne statue perched atop the structure. Adding to the overall dislike of La Porte Monumental Paris was the Parisienne, made by Moreau-Vauthier. The Parisienne was ‘regarded as the triumph of prostitution’ because of her flowing robe and modernized figure and was criticized by many visitors of the triumphal gateway. The structure as a whole was adorned with Byzantine motifs and Persian ceramic ornamentation, but the true inspiration behind the piece was not of cultural background. Binet sought inspiration from the science, tucking the vertebrae of a dinosaur, the cells of a beehive, rams, peacocks, and poppies into the design alongside other animalistic stimulus. La Porte Monumental Paris is considered to be a structure of the Salammbô style and ‘the most typically 1900 monument of the entire exhibition'. The controversial gateway became known as ``La Salamanda`` among the public because it resembled the stocky and intricately designed salamander-stoves at the time, only adding to its ridicule.
 * La Porte Monumental Paris: The Triumphal Gateway of the Place de la Concord

The Grand Palais, a heavy stone structure on the outside and a light iron and glass arena on the inside, held in it ‘an exhibition hall for sculptures, a track for horse shows, and the Motor Show’. The Grand Palais combined history and modern elements together; the exterior was reminiscent of the [|Neo-Baroque] style, which focused on the glory of empires, paired with the interior, designed as an Art Nouveau inspired atmosphere. The most recognized Art Nouveau structure within the Grand Palais is the iron staircase whose railings are intricately woven in fluid, organic shapes.
 * The Grand Palais

The Art Nouveau inspired structure, the Petit Palais, was constructed by the architect Giraud. The Petit Palais was constructed to hold the exhibition of French art, but is known mainly for its Art Nouveau inspired iron work and general design. Much like the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais combines the styles of Neo-Baroque and Art Nouveau. Giraud’s palais is reminiscent of the Grand Trianon and the stable at Chantilly. The widely loved entranceway was painted by Albert Besnard and Paul Albert Laurens, and is known to be the only artifact of decorative troupes. The intricately designed iron flowed into a seamless pattern and paired with the colonnade of pink marble drew in visitors. The piece was associated with the French pavilion.
 * The Petit Palais

The Palace of Electricity moderated all the energy flowing from one exhibit to the other, each exhibit was dependant on the palace in order to run. The Palace of Electricity itself was fitted with five thousand multi-coloured incandescent lamps and eight monumental lamps on its massive one hundred and thirty meter breadth and seventy meter height. Steam driven dynamos pumped the fuel necessary in running the entire exhibition and they were put on display attached to the Palais de l`Éctricité. It was a glowing beacon of life in the exposition quickly becoming the heart of the fair. Aside from the machinery involved in the palace’s attraction people were drawn to its exterior decorations. The top of the building is ornamented with the figure of a chariot led by hippogryphs and spews multi-coloured flames. People were drawn to its extravagant performance and the amount of work needed to run the fair itself. The Palais de l`Electricité was one of the most loved exhibits of the exhibition
 * The Palace of Electricity: Palais de l`Électrique

Foreign Pavilions and Events
Each country funded, designed and on occasion constructed their pavilions, carrying the burden of some of the cost of the fair and the also the glory that followed in the praise of their homeland contributions. The British Royalty pavilion, one of the largest exhibits, consisted of a mock-Elizabethan mansion decorated pictures and furniture, constructed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. The pavilion was intended to provide the Commissioner with an Englishman`s castle on the site of the exposition. The public found it to be less grand and were aware that the intention of the exhibit was not for the public, therefore recognizing it as more of an annoyance than an exhibit. The German pavilion, the second largest exhibit, was held in a large tower resembling a beer-hall, made out of wood and stained glass, inspired by Kaiser Wilhelm II who was in power at the time. Inside the tower Germany presented the comfortable living of the country through the display of their passenger-liners and their successfully growing merchant navy through the pictorial reference of the scale model of the Rothe Sand lighthouse in Germany. “[T]he colossal vestibule of the German section on the Esplanade des Invalides…the rooms fully furnished by the upholsterers and cabinet-makers of Berlin and Munich; the colossal pavilion of machines; the colossal installations of the metallurgy and agriculture sections…” said Andre Hallays of the German pavilion. The most ornate and whimsical pavilions were those of the Austrian domains in the Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina. They offered displays on their lifestyles, consisting of; folklore traditions, highlighting peasant hood and the embroidery goods produced in the country. The Austrian pavilion succeeded in uniting the styles of Art Nouveau and Classicism through their embroidered goods and decorated palace. The Hungarian cupola displayed mainly their skillful agricultural produce and hunting equipment. Finland claimed the most revolutionary exhibit with its clean cut, simple and careful details. Sweden`s yellow and red structure covered in pine shingles drew much attention with its bright, welcoming colours and was a crowd favourite. The American pavilion, contrastingly, attracted negative interest among those that were not from the United States. The exhibit, a post office inspired building resembling the structures of Chicago, became a base for American visitors and offered little for foreigners to enjoy. American Loie Fuller performed shows in her own theatre, a dance routine aided by coloured lights and costume. Fuller`s intention was to bring the Art Nouveau female, Salomé, to life. Fuller`s performance helped introduce revolutionary audio-visual entertainment precursors of early motion picture equipment. Fuller was filmed on ten 70mmm projectors that created a three hundred and thirty degree picture, patented Cinéorama. Cinéorama used ``handcoloured films, phonograph music and live commentary`` to bring to life Loie Fuller as the Art Nouveau figure, Salomé. The 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle hosted the first Olympic Games outside of Greece. The event was crafted to fully complete the expectations of the exposition’s broad scope of interests. The games were few and winners were given tie-pins and pencils alongside one hundred francs used to buy their own medals. The exposition held also a dinner for the French President, M. Loubert, and twenty thousand, seven hundred and seventy seven thousand Mayors in attendance to the fair. The dinner was prepared in eleven kitchens and served to six hundred and six widespread tables, the orders and needs of each table supervised by telephone and vehicle. The enormous dinner was reviewed as a show of the unity and success of the French Republic.

The End of the Fair
American president [|William McKinley] was assassinated by Leon Czolgosz on September 14, 1901 thus closing the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle to allow grievances. After a two day period of wait the exposition opened again but the number of visitors was below the already decreased customer appearances. The rapidly decreasing interest in the exposition adjacent the president`s death resulted in the formal closing of the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle.

Salammbô Inspiration
Art Nouveau was occasionally associated with sensual and erotica natures, mainly of a female influence. The most famous art nouveau femme fatale] is Salomé, based on the heroine [|Salammbo], of Gustave Flaubert`s novel. Salomé is depicted in much of Art Nouveau artists` work and was specifically showcased by Loie Fuller, the American performer who became Salomé when she performed. Art Nouveau artists began to use the dangerous, sexual females as subjects because the female role was shifting and art was the only acceptable place for them to be portrayed. Artists used their work as ‘another world’ for the females to reside in. Salammbô is the inspiration behind many Art Nouveau pieces.