Instructors provide insight into a full day of Major classes with students at Oxford Academia at The American University of Paris, including forays into food, fine art, and fair-filled delights!
Bonjour tout le monde,
Hard to believe we are more than halfway through our first week of classes. Final projects are already underway, and the students are enjoying more freedom around Paris with their friends. This was the students’ second Major Class day as well as our first day of evening activities. As you’ll see, there’s always something new to discover in this beautiful city of lights (and deceptively late sunsets)!
Streets of Paris
In Tuileries’ grace, a class did roam,
The Olympic balloon, a sight to comb.
Doisneau’s lens, a street’s embrace,
Latin Quarter’s charm, a cafe’s space.
Notes they took, with pens so keen,
Of Paris’ heart, a vibrant scene.
A city’s tale, in every glance,
A student’s dream, a joyful dance.
Art History
Students started off the day in the classroom to learn about carrying out a formal analysis of art with attention to color, line, texture and composition. We went through useful adjectives to describe these elements and then put our new skills into practice with an analysis of two paintings. Both were from artistic schools that we would explore in the afternoon at the Musée d’Orsay as an introduction to the contextualization of Impressionist painting. After lunch, we spent the afternoon at the Orsay, putting our new skills and vocabulary into play with a look at Academic, Realist, and Impressionist art. Everyone had a chance to look at pieces individually and to present one artwork to the group.
Paris in the Creative Imagination
Our adventure began at the Centre Georges Pompidou (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) where we visually studied and discussed the museum’s architectural structure. Situated in the Beaubourg area, this striking example of Brutalist architecture was the vision of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. Our dialogue continued with an investigation of art photography concerning various methodologies of creating and exhibiting work. In particular, we noted the innovative architectural images of French photographer Hélène Binet and German artist Wolfgang Tillman currently on display inside this artistic hub. Following lunch, our afternoon included a virtual reality experience into the magical, imaginative world of artist Henry Darger, in addition to numerous international examples of Art Brut at the Grand Palais!
Fashion Design & Culture
Fashion majors began the day with a quick sketching exercise. We then headed to Palais Galliera where we explored three exhibits, most notably Rick Owens’ Temple of Love. Next we enjoyed an Italian lunch at a trattoria. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the classroom, doing conceptualization and sketching exercises. We ended the day with a group critique of each other’s mood boards for the final project.
French Cuisine
The French cuisine major jumped into cuisine à la maison with a hands-on day of menu planning, market shopping, preparing and feasting. Everyone helped out, and the results were delicious!
Business & Entrepreneurship
Paris: center of culture, center of commerce—but why, and how? The conquests of Napoleon not only put France on the map in a big way, but also accelerated the extraction of resources and wealth from around the world. This transferral is reflected in, among other places, his burial site at Les Invalides.
Evening Activities
Students could choose between a rooftop painting and oil pastel workshop with a local French artist, a chill night at the ciné to see F1, a relaxing repose in the Jardin du Luxembourg (followed by dinner at a Korean Barbeque), or a thrilling evening at the Tuileries Garden carnival. Evening activities are led by a mixture of staff and faculty, giving students and leaders both the opportunity to connect in non-academic formats.
Such bravery! All of the students on the F1 activity tried escargot. Some of them even liked it!
À demain!
To learn more about our Oxford Academia program at The American University of Paris, click here!