Paris Mystique

"We'll always have Paris" Koch Picture taken with D300 in 2010

I have traveled all around the world, through big cities and small towns, and through all these places I have learned that each place has its own character. You may love it, hate it or anything in-between, because a city is just like a person with complex personality traits. Few places have such obvious character as Paris. Its very name conjures up complex emotions that is hard to put into words. 

Hemingway put it best when he said 
"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

In the book titled "A Moveable Feast" published after his death of his memoirs in Paris, he does a marvelous job explaining why Paris is such a unique city. If we look at Paris through the lens of a camera, we find the same Paris that Hemingway found. One of allure, passion, simplicity and a joy of living rarely matched in the world. 

The Paris I love, is the Paris captured by Eugene Atet, Andre Kertesz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon and Robert Doisneau. This is the Paris that is etched into my mind, and the one I am constantly looking for, even when not in Paris. 

In Bistro 1927 Andre Kertesz

The "hole in the wall" bar or restaurant defines the back streets of Paris. This image from Andre Kertesz taken in 1927 shows this scene long before it became popularized by Hollywood.  

The old tables, the cold hats, exposed bottles and cordial atmosphere is what all modern coffee houses strive to emulate. But this was born in Paris and Kertesz captured it perfectly. 

Eugene Atget proves to us that Paris was always special. He captured the city in the early 1900's and would often shoot in early morning with the slow cameras of the day. This means that most of his images are without people.

His images are eerily silent, but you can still see the character of the city shining through. Here the long, difficult stairs, the old building with crumbling facade and the worn shutters all scream of the character of the city. Visit the city in the 1890's or 1990's and the character remains the same. 

Henri Cartier-Bresson photographed the people of Paris, and in his images he captured the character of the city reflected in their faces.

The famous image of a young boy, proudly carrying bottle of wine home, with young kids looking on with admiration. The child's belt, shorts and old sweater show the simple life without the glamour but with the same personality. 

The shop windows int he back, the detail of the wall, and the people in the street behind the boy all speak of a city filled with life. While the streets may be dirty the love for delicate life is strong. This image is the story of a boy and young pride, and it is reflected on the streets of an old city with great love. 

Richard Avedon shot fashion and helped establish Paris as the fashion destination post WWII.  Here, an image he shot in the 1957 captures the obvious fashion which he was paid to shoot, but also a moment of fun with the city of paris as the backdrop. 

People, smartly dressed but doing everyday things is Paris. People dress well all around the world, but in Paris, they dress well to get a loaf of bread! 

Here is an image I took last year in Paris. It is the elegance mixed with the everyday joy of life that is Paris. The sophistication without trying, the enjoyment without indulgence and the art in the everyday.

I never tire of Paris. Every time I go, I take something with me which I enjoy for years. It really is a "moveable feast".