Discuss the important role the Parisian art world plays in the novel. Were you surprised at the contemporary reactions to now-beloved Impressionist painters? How does the aesthetic of the Eiffel Tower fit in (or clash) with Impressionism?

Discuss the important role the Parisian art world plays in the novel. Were you surprised at the contemporary reactions to now-beloved Impressionist painters? How does the aesthetic of the Eiffel Tower fit in (or clash) with Impressionism?

I had known about the almost total rejection of Impressionist art in the beginning, and thought that was a very good parallel to the initial rejection of the Tower, which I had not heard of before. Both of these artistic and architectural innovations were much lighter in weight (the pastel landscapes; the open airy tower) and used new techniques (showing real people at work and play; inviting visitors to visit a structure to see new vistas and new purposes.

Not at all surprised at the contemporary reactions to Impressionism--have studied art history extensively. I might add, too, that while the Impressionists are beloved by many, me most certainly, I have several friends and a daughter who still feel the same way about their work as their original critics. As to the Tower, when I stayed in France the couple I was visiting called it the Awful Tower and referred to the Museum of Modern Art with its exposed air ducts and water and sewage pipes as the Boo-Boo. Art is and always will be in the eye of the beholder just as is Beauty---and some things do not mellow with Age. The Tower absolutely fits in with Impressionism in that it broke with tradition and made something, that should probably have been as heavy and cumbersome as the paintings of preImpressionism, impossibly light and airy.

The negative opinions of the tower and the Impressionists show that it can take a long time for people to appreciate something that is new and different