The Arcades Project - Operi

trace in a thousand configurations of life, from enduring enduring edifices to passing passing
fashions.
These relations are discernible in the utopia conceived conceived by Fourier. Its secret secret cue
is the advent of machines. But this fact is not directly expressed in the Fourierist
literature, which takes as its point point of departure the amorality of the business
world 'Uld the false morality enlisted in its service. 111e 111e phalanstery phalanstery is desigued to
restore human beings to relationships in which morality becomes superfluous.
The The highly complicated organization of the phalanstery appears as machinery.
The meshing of the passions, the intricate collaboration collaboration of passions mecanistes with
the passion cabaliste, is a primitive contrivance contrivance formed-on analogy analogy with the
machine-from materials of psychology. Tills mechanism made of men produces
the land land of of milk and honey, the primeval primeval wish wish symbol symbol that Fourier's utopia utopia
has filled with with new life.
Fourier Fourier saw, in in the arcades, arcades, the architectural architectural canon canon of of the phalanstery. phalanstery. Their Their
reactionary metamorphosis with him him is characteristic: characteristic: whereas they they originally
serve commercial ends, they become, for him, places of habitation. The phalansterystery
becomes a city of arcades. Fourier establishes, in the Empire's austere world
of forms, the colorful idyll of Biedermeier. Its brilliance persists, however however faded,
up through 2ola, who takes up Fourier's ideas in his book Travail, just as he bids
farewell to the arcades in his Therese Raquin.-Marx came to the defense of
Fourier in his critique of Carl Grtin, emphasizing emphasizing the fonner's "colossal conception
of man."7 He also directed attention to Fourier's humor. In fact,jean Paul, in
his his Levana, is as closely closely allied to Fourier Fourier the pedagogue pedagogue as Scheerbart, Scheerbart, in in his
Glass Architecture, is to Fourier the utopian."
Glass Architecture, is to Fourier the utopian."
n. Daguerre, or the Panoramas
SUll, look out for yourself!
-A.J. Wiertz, Oeuvres littiraires (Paris, 1870), p. 374
Just as architecture, with the the first appearance of iron construction, begins to
outgrow outgrow art, so does painting, painting, in its its turn, with with the first appearance appearance of the the panopanoramas. The The high high point in the diffusion diffusion of of panoramas panoramas coincides with with the introducintroductiontion of arcades. One sought sought tirelessly, through through technical technical devices, to make make
panoramas panoramas the scenes of of a perfect imitation of of nature. An attempt attempt was made to
reproduce the changing daylight in the landscape, the rising of the moon, the
rush of waterfalls.1acques-Louis> waterfalls.1acques-Louis> David counsels his pupils to draw from nature
as it is shown in in panoramas. In their their attempt attempt to produce deceptively deceptively lifelike lifelike
changes in in represented nature, nature, the panoramas panoramas prepare prepare the way way not only only for for
photography photography but for (silent> film and sound film.
Contemporary with the panoramas is a panoramic literature. Le Livre des
cent-e/-un [The Book of a Hundred-and-One], Les Franrais pein!s par eux-memes
[The French Painted by Themselves], Le Diable Ii Paris [The Devil in Paris], and
La Grande Ville [The Big City] belong to tills. -These books prepare tile belletristic
La Grande Ville [The Big City] belong to tills. -These books prepare tile belletristic