 | Sacre Coeur stands as monument to the turbulent relationship that arose between the church and the republic of France. Raised to commemorate those who perished in the Franco Prussian war and at the hands of the Commune Sacre Coeur was unable to properly fulfill its assignment due to the inability of revive a religious zeal within France.The church contains a mosaic of Christ that diffuses to the viewer a very commercialized as well as strict image of Christ. The mosaic unlike other art pieces from various churches does not seem to possess the benevolence of other religious images but rather conveys to the viewer a Christ that seems to impose itself on those who view it.The mosaic also possesses a features which may deem the mosaic rather hastily designed.Joan of arc stands at the top corner of the basilica as if to serve as a reminder of the strength of the church and her sacrifice for the country.The basilica of sacre coeur is full of tourists and while other churches are full of tourists as well sacre coeur seems to be more commercialized than other churches. The church has several sales posts surrounding it in addition to propaganda that affirms that the church is used for prayer such items as well as the donations requests inside make the church seem commercialized. The church stands at the top of a mount known as Montmartre that is known for its bohemian content. Once the center attraction for the bourgeoisie who sought to escape their own oppression within society Montmartre developed into the location where artists seeking to achieve artistic freedom converged. The pursuit of freedom from the oppression from society yielded alliances between the bourgeoisie and the artists who through the patron ship of those bourgeoisie were able to achieve liberation in their art. Remnants of that style of life are seen very subtly in the streets of Montmartre along the path artists can be seen advertising portraits of famous media characters as well as painting portraits of tourists. The shops are filled with with paintings of the Eiffel tower as well as other landscapes that are popular among tourists. Most artists that inhabit Montmartre do not aspire to sell a unique piece of artwork but rather a souvenir for tourists such as their portraits which are done in rough sketches or the shadow of the face. |
