THE MAGNETIC FORCE OF PARIS

1920s PARISIAN CULTURE & ITS OPEN ENVIRONMENT

The great movement of writers and artists to Paris came in two defining waves, the period after WWI up until the start of the second World War, and the period following WWII, albeit the second wave brought fewer numbers and could never recreate that special capsule in time during the 20s.  Not only American writers, but socialites as well such as Peggy Guggenheim from New York came to Paris for its irresistible attraction, and the number of Americans in 1924 swelled from only 6,000 in 1921.  The city of Paris held appeal for various reasons, one of which was its alluring culture.  The societal and economic pressure following the First World War brought forth  a new mood for a pronounced and clean-cut look.  “Art Deco was an innovative design style popular in the 1920s and 1930s.  Its sleek, streamlined forms conveyed elegance and sophistication” (Whitehouse).  One of Art Deco’s most popular outlets was through jewelry which focused on the geometric shapes of circles, arcs, squares, etc, and used platinum as a medium laced with the opaque stones of jade, onyx and lapis.  This new type of modern sophistication showed up in fashion as well with one of the luminaries in fashion history, Coco Chanel, sitting at the top of trend-setting couturiers.  Men returning home from the war took on a newfound perspective of creating France as a more democratic and egalitarian society, with the potential of greater equality between the sexes; an ideal best exemplified through the style and dress blossoming during this decade.  In Paris Fashions: The Art Deco Style of the 1920s, author Madeleine Ginsburg explains, “[by] mid decade, in fashion terms the ideal new woman was a tomboy, a garconne, young, slim, athletic, short-haired and short-skirted, almost androgynous in appearance; a friend and an equal rather than a passive dependent” (12).  No longer was a woman perceived merely as a housewife, but could now experience independence, in which they saw fashion as an outlet to achieve this.  Hair was cut shorter, more vibrant make up and perfume was worn, and women experienced the liberty of smoking in public.  Corsets were abandoned, large over-sized hats tossed aside, and these constraints that symbolized the pre-war female reserve were replaced by fashions’ role in the new freedoms that swept over this time period.  In a way, fashion as an outlet of independence was an odd mix of showcasing tomboy qualities while still keeping their feminism intact.  The Parisian culture was also changed by the accumulation of wealth now seen in the middle class, compliments of the fall-outs of the post-war inflation.  All thanks to this new wealth, the automobile industry and department stores saw a boom in profits, as well as the theaters, operas, and Jazz clubs that were frequented.  The wealthy were now not the only class to experience this leisure, and the boosting income of the middle class got to experience the new developments in fashion and cars, which were perceived as symbols of elegance and modernity.  It goes without saying, the Parisians knew how to have fun.   

THE “JAZZ AGE” & THE PROGRESSIVE PARISIAN SOCIETY

[July 2012]

The jazz culture was alive and well in America during the 20s, and when it was brought over to Paris with the help of musician Sidney Bechet, the music was highly receptive with the French audience, yet looking back, it was really the expatriate artists who defined the “Jazz Age” in Paris.  The center where the jazz culture really came alive was in the areas of Montparnasse and Montmartre, fitting, as these places were also artistic and creative centers for the Lost Generation artists.  Another American who helped put jazz music on the map in Paris was African American singer Josephine Baker, who drew in large crowds to see her grace the stage with her high-pitched voice.  In short time, Baker was appearing at the Moulin Rouge.  Baker was quickly named a star by the French audience, a role Baker would have never been given back home in America, as racism was still a dominant presence in American society.  Parisian society's acceptance of minorities was also a draw in for many expatriates.  Besides their acceptance of people of different color, they were also accepting of lesbians and gays.  Women, both French and expatriate, were able to explore aspects of their sexuality in Paris, such as bisexuality and lesbianism, which would never be solicited by the propriety of American society in the 20s and 30s.  Back home, Hollywood was simultaneously trying to enforce a moral authority over films, dubbed the “Production Code,” as many circles of American society were outraged by the sexual and drug content on screen that mimicked the role drugs and sex played in society off screen.  These controversial topics were hailed as un-American, yet luckily for the self-imposed expatriates, they could escape the stifling American society--which they saw as intellectually and politically sub par as well--by taking part in the sexual freedom offered by Paris--such as American composer Cole Porter, who was a closet homosexual.  

ARTISTIC FREEDOM & EXPRESSION

It was more than just the less socially restrictive lifestyle and tolerance for innovation and experimentation Paris offered, many Americans in Paris viewed their homeland as a cultural sink, as they perceived America as “...inhospitable to art” ( Monk 28).  “They were drawn to Paris by the reputed vitality of its artistic and intellectual scene [and] by the high respect accorded the artist by Parisians of all classes, and by the accompanying level of freedom allowed the individual in his or her search for identity and artistic voice” ("Literary Expatriates in Paris").  Writers felt more free to publish in Paris versus in America, as a result of the 1920 crackdown on radicals under Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer.  And to no surprise, writers of the Lost Generation who included more detailed descriptions of violence, sexuality and profanity into their literature--which literature of this period is noted for--saw the banning of much of their work in the United States for many years.  Paris soon became a cultural Mecca as artists such as Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, writers such as D. H. Lawrence, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, among other artists from the U.S., U.K., and Canada flooded the artistic centers of Paris.        

Another point of enticement of Paris during this time was the favorable exchange rate.  Writers, sculptors, poets, and painters who were virtually penniless could excel in the creative atmosphere in areas such as Montparnasse for very low rent, particularly in the community of La Ruche.  The American dollar went a long way, and for many international expatriates who had yet to garner significant profits off of their art--save for Pablo Picasso--could now wine and dine along the cafes of Rue Mouffetard among others; their dream of living in the Bohemian environment of Paris that once seemed financially improbable was now a viable economic proposition.

ALLURING NIGHTLIFE

   

Of course, a major factor in drawing these artists to Paris was the wanderlust of the city, for many Americans, coming to Paris was a fantastic way of escaping Prohibition back at home.  And they no doubt took advantage of this opportunity by drinking copious amounts of alcohol, including absinthe, and more than soaked up the city’s night life.  For a generation in which the war destroyed a lifestyle they were prepared to live, they had instead been equipped with a life of excitement, travel, and partying.  Though these artists managed to produce some of the best literary and artistic work to come out of the 20th century, their frequent drinking and nights out are the symptoms of self-destructive behaviors of a generation disillusioned and unable to cope.