This was not my first time at a Zócalo event, though the venue itself, the Petersen Automotive Museum, was a first time experience for me. Although I am a museum goer, I really didn’t have much interest in this automotive museum as I don’t drive and know nothing about cars. But after checking in with the people from Zócalo and having time before they would let us into the actual space for the Alan Riding talk, I wandered around the first floor of exhibits. In addition to the beginning history of automobiles, there were also auxiliary aspects related to passenger cars – gas station, streetcar, design studio – and a clearly marked definite order in which to view the exhibits. Very helpful. As I was just walking around the floor to pass the time, I didn’t engage in the exhibits as I normally do in an art museum. But there were visually interesting vehicles, so I took pleasure in looking at them. At least I could admire the cars aesthetically if not from an engineering perspective.
Finally, fifteen minutes before the talk was to begin, people were allowed to take the escalator to the second floor - but only if you had received a wristband at the check in table (these days it’s all on the wrist). The seating was black, cushioned folding chairs and I settled in as comfortably as I could and prepared for the lecture. Alan Riding is actually on a book tour for his new non-fiction title And the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris. I was drawn to this talk by the question of morality presented, especially in combination with culture and Paris during a conflictive time in France’s history. I know that I would simply answer the lecture’s title as YES and ask a different question – “What Are The Moral Responsibilities Of Artists During War?”
Riding began by commenting on the United States/United Kingdom level of moral response by artists and writers to the two current wars. It is hardly a blip, except perhaps for Hollywood stars and Riding doesn’t believe real attention is paid to them – after all what do they know? Because of the social and political stature they enjoyed by being close to the institutes/people in power, there is more of a tradition of artists taking a stand in Latin America when things become ugly. The usual choices were – stay and endorse military regimes, stay and remain silent, stay and take up arms against the regime, or leave and campaign against a regime abroad – few did the former, many did the later (among them Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Ariel Dorfman, Isabel Allende).
The occupation in France produced similar categories into which artists, writers, intellectuals made their choice – stay and support the Nazis and (for a time, Communists), which Riding calls “true believers” (one of them was Louis-Ferdinand Destouches, known as Céline); stay and remain silent (although he could have left Paris, Pablo Picasso chose to continue working while avoiding contact with Germans); stay and fight (Albert Camus joined the Résistance); and leave (many moved to unoccupied France, as well as other countries). During the occupation performers performed (Édith Piaf, Danielle Darrieux, Maurice Chevalier) because of the need to work and writers wrote, sometimes clandestinely, because of the need to keep publishing in existence. After the war, accusations of collaboration were leveled against some of the artists and writers and the degree of interaction someone had with the Germans determined their fate. Showing moral guidance was important even if everyone was just trying to survive the occupation.
After the lecture and Q&A there was a reception for Alan Riding at another port of the second floor, but I decided to skip it. I liked the lecture and I thought of what I would do in the same situation. Would I be brave enough to risk expressing my position, even with taking precautions or would I try to stay out of the limelight? Such were the questions I pondered on the bus ride home. Will have to read Riding’s book to learn more about this time of Parisian life.
Images:
Left: Alan Riding from the website zocalopublicsquare.org
Center: Zócalo email header
Right: Front cover of And The Show Went On: Cultural Life In Nazi-Occupied Paris from the website and the showwenton.com
Finally, fifteen minutes before the talk was to begin, people were allowed to take the escalator to the second floor - but only if you had received a wristband at the check in table (these days it’s all on the wrist). The seating was black, cushioned folding chairs and I settled in as comfortably as I could and prepared for the lecture. Alan Riding is actually on a book tour for his new non-fiction title And the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris. I was drawn to this talk by the question of morality presented, especially in combination with culture and Paris during a conflictive time in France’s history. I know that I would simply answer the lecture’s title as YES and ask a different question – “What Are The Moral Responsibilities Of Artists During War?”
Riding began by commenting on the United States/United Kingdom level of moral response by artists and writers to the two current wars. It is hardly a blip, except perhaps for Hollywood stars and Riding doesn’t believe real attention is paid to them – after all what do they know? Because of the social and political stature they enjoyed by being close to the institutes/people in power, there is more of a tradition of artists taking a stand in Latin America when things become ugly. The usual choices were – stay and endorse military regimes, stay and remain silent, stay and take up arms against the regime, or leave and campaign against a regime abroad – few did the former, many did the later (among them Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Ariel Dorfman, Isabel Allende).
The occupation in France produced similar categories into which artists, writers, intellectuals made their choice – stay and support the Nazis and (for a time, Communists), which Riding calls “true believers” (one of them was Louis-Ferdinand Destouches, known as Céline); stay and remain silent (although he could have left Paris, Pablo Picasso chose to continue working while avoiding contact with Germans); stay and fight (Albert Camus joined the Résistance); and leave (many moved to unoccupied France, as well as other countries). During the occupation performers performed (Édith Piaf, Danielle Darrieux, Maurice Chevalier) because of the need to work and writers wrote, sometimes clandestinely, because of the need to keep publishing in existence. After the war, accusations of collaboration were leveled against some of the artists and writers and the degree of interaction someone had with the Germans determined their fate. Showing moral guidance was important even if everyone was just trying to survive the occupation.
After the lecture and Q&A there was a reception for Alan Riding at another port of the second floor, but I decided to skip it. I liked the lecture and I thought of what I would do in the same situation. Would I be brave enough to risk expressing my position, even with taking precautions or would I try to stay out of the limelight? Such were the questions I pondered on the bus ride home. Will have to read Riding’s book to learn more about this time of Parisian life.
Images:
Left: Alan Riding from the website zocalopublicsquare.org
Center: Zócalo email header
Right: Front cover of And The Show Went On: Cultural Life In Nazi-Occupied Paris from the website and the showwenton.com
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