Many of us are aware that WWI was the end of an era. Life changed everywhere, and it was, among so many other things, the beginning of the end of the great aristocratic houses with their armies of servants. While the houses remained, at least for a time, the way of life was gone, as were millions of young men.
This beautiful video uses paintings to show something of what was lost and why the era has been called the Belle Époque. But let’s remember that Mark Twain called it the Gilded Age, referring to surface beauty. Like other eras, it had a dark side.
For now, though, let’s focus on the beauty of these paintings, so seamlessly brought together in a panorama.
You can see the individual paintings here.
And here you’ll find, along with the video, more pictures as well as a summary.
Readers who receive our blog via email might see a rectangle, square, or nothing where the video ought to be. To watch the video, please click on the title to this post.
What a lovely dream. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteTwain's coinage "Gilded age" was a sarcastic riff on the term "Golden age" more than anthing else - in my opinion.
ReplyDelete