French Conversation (INTERMEDIATE - B1)
Details
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE - B1 — 12pm PT / 3pm ET
🧑🎨 Which painting should decorate the ceiling of the Palais Garnier’s grand auditorium? 🎨🏛️ - If you haven’t been following this ongoing dispute, here is a summary. In 1875, during the reign of Napoleon III, the Opéra Garnier opened its doors in Paris. In its grand auditorium, there is a majestic work by the painter Jules-Eugène Lenepveu. Nearly a century later, in 1960, the then-Minister of Culture, André Malraux, asked his friend, the artist Marc Chagall, to create a new painting to temporarily replace Lenepveu’s work. Ever since, the descendants of both artists have been at odds over the space. You can learn more about this situation in this article. So, in your opinion, which painting should decorate the ceiling of the Palais Garnier’s grand auditorium? Lenepveu’s original, Chagall’s modern version, or perhaps a third option: commissioning a new work from a contemporary artist?
#### Proverb of the week:
"Qui va à la chasse perd sa place."
La personne qui quitte momentanément sa place risque de la retrouver occupée par une autre.
= (approx., proverbe) You snooze, you lose.
#### Preparation:
- read this short article on the topic: https://www.diapasonmag.fr/a-la-une/a-garnier-la-querelle-des-plafonds-bientot-portee-en-justice-67529.html
- watch this week's related episode for context: l'Opéra Garnier, Marc Chagall
- prepare one or two questions
[ If sold out on Meetup, you may find more spots available for the same session on https://www.frenchconversationgroup.com ]
I have plenty of questions for you and I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts. You're also encouraged to ask your own questions to the other participants.
☝️ The session is divided as such:
- Let’s introduce ourselves (10 minutes)
- Misc. & les news (10 minutes)
- Get to the meat of the discussion (30 minutes)
- French film/music/book suggestions and voilà (10 minutes)
The unique Zoom link will be available to the participants on this page, on the day of the event.
Don't forget to download and install the free Zoom app (www.zoom.us > basic free plan)
A bientôt!
Rafaël