Porte St.Martin and Porte, St.Denis 

Here we see Antoine Blanchard’s oil on canvas depicting Paris, dominated by the imposing arches of the Porte Saint-Martin and Porte Saint-Denis. These triumphal arches, symbols of power and imperial glory, echo the ancient Roman arches, structures erected to commemorate military victories and honor emperors. The arch motif, though, did not originate with the Romans. Think of the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, millennia before. We see this form recurring across civilizations as an emblem of triumph, passage, and transformation. Blanchard's arches evoke not only the historical weight of Parisian grandeur, but also a deeper, subconscious yearning for order and achievement. The arch stands as a testament to our collective memory, a powerful form that transcends time, reappearing in various guises, bearing the weight of history and the echoes of human ambition.