(via mildredmildred)
Montmartre’s Inspiration
So seeing as this blog is an expression of moods from cultural references and media, such as movies, books, music etc…I’ve decided to expand on my first trip to France with this inspiring piece of graffiti on the walls of the steps to Montmartre.
Montmartre is the center for creative expression in Paris cultivated by the artistic brilliance of the French Impressionists as well as Post-Impressionist and Surrealist painters- Van Gogh and Dali. You are greeted by a multitude of red canopies in the square at the base of the hill where up and coming artists beg to paint your picture. So of course I would find inspiration on the steep and spiritual climb to the religious cathedral on the mountain overlooking the entirety of Paris.
This supposed quote from Einstein translates to, “Society is to our service, we don’t have to be it’s slaves.” Now, Einstein isn’t French, (although he did live in Switzerland for some time) so you’d think the quote is somewhat misplaced. However, it kind of exemplifies the culture of the Montmartre creative outcasts. The impressionists and other artists who spent so much time painting cultivated their creative geniuses outside of the confines of modern society’s imposed ideas of painting. They did not allow society to enslave their art to static and similar paintings of the time.
As I journeyed to the famous spiritual center at the top of the seemingly thousand flights of stairs, I couldn’t stop thinking about this quote and the importance of forging one’s own path in society, like the avant-garde painters, and the effort one must make to realize social standards should not enslave our being. A beautiful moment in a beautiful area of Paris.
