CHAPTER 17

Like many European palaces, Tsarkoye-Selo (Pushkin), near St. Petersburg, represents the work of many gifted designers working in different styles at different times. The distinctive ornate blue, white, and gilt Catherine Palace—one of the great monuments of the Russian Baroque—is principally the work of Italian architect and landscape designer Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli (1700–71), who also created a number of garden buildings, including a Hermitage and Grotto. The palace was almost completely destroyed by Nazi invaders during World War II, but restoration is nearing completion (appendix 1, no. 28).

As the naturalistic English landscape garden became more popular, much of the park was refashioned to reflect changing tastes, and new buildings in "exotic" styles were erected. The latter include a Palladian bridge (Vasily Neyelov); a Chinese Village (now Alexandrovsky Park); a neo-Gothic Admiralty (appendix 1, no. 29), which served both as a boathouse and aviary; and even mock ruins.

Charles Cameron (c. 1742–1812) introduced a number of new buildings into the grounds, most importantly the majestic neoclassical Gallery (1780–95) that bears his name, from which both the older formal palace gardens and newer landscape features can be viewed (appendix 1, no. 30).

Charles Garnier's Paris Opera grew out of the aesthetic traditions of the École des Beaux-Arts. Since its founding in 1819 this state institution played a seminal role in the education of architects and the kind of work they produced during much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its curricula were firmly rooted in the five orders—Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite—as employed in the great buildings of ancient Rome and reinterpreted by the leading architects of the Renaissance and later periods. Although admission was open to all, in actual fact only an elite few were able to meet the rigorous requirements necessary to secure the coveted Prix de Rome, which enabled the successful candidate to complete his education abroad and paved the way for a distinguished career in the design of important public buildings.¹

Garnier obtained the Prix de Rome in 1848, traveling thereafter to Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Twelve years later in 1862, the young, relatively unknown architect won the Opera competition, and it is this great edifice (1861–75)—now known as the Palais-Garnier—on which his reputation still rests (appendix 1, no. 31).

Napoléon III (1808–73) had ordered sweeping renovations of Paris under the capable administrative supervision of Baron Haussmann, and the Opera would be the jewel in the city's new architectural crown, in effect replacing Notre-Dame Cathedral as the main urban focal point. Ecleticism was very much in vogue, and in its extravagant commingling of the styles of the Italian and French Renaissance and Baroque periods, the new Opera represented a veritable culmination of Beaux-Arts aesthetic idealism. In keeping with Labroustian theory that style should be consistent with function, Garnier envisioned a building in lavish historical costume that would encourage opera-goers themselves to take part in the theatrical spectacle. Whether they arrived by carriage or through the main façade, all would ultimately reach the expansive space at the foot of the Grand Escalier, which provided the perfect opportunity to see and be seen in high society. From the outside, the Palais-Garnier bristles with all manner of historical references, including busts of distinguished composers and allegorical sculptures representing music's sister arts (appendix 1, no. 32).²

One of the most successful of President Mitterand's grands projets, I. M. Pei's Pyramides, completed in 1989, occupy a central position in the Cour Napoléon at the Louvre. In the short time since their appearance, they have become almost as emblematic of Paris as the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, and the Opera.

Designed to accommodate the functions of an official entry to the museum, the largest Pyramide provides ready access to the main galleries, including those now located below the level of the courtyard. Its traditional form, which acknowledges both the antiquities exhibited within and the strong Egyptian influence evident in the French Empire style, merges with and enhances the historical architectural context. This is achieved principally by means of a construction of glass, steel rods, and cable that, by virtue of its transparency literally incorporates the existing courtyard and its built environment. The glass itself is further contextualized by the addition of a light ochre tint complementing the masonry of the existing Richlieu, Denon, and Sully buildings. The Louvre Pyramides demonstrate to a remarkable degree the powerful creative potential unleashed when the present meets—and greets—the past (appendix 1, no. 33).