Le Bal des Quatz'arts - the Ball of the Four Arts

[temnix]

From 1892 to 1966 an annual dress ball was held for the students of L'Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the famous arts school of France. Admission was restricted to students in the four ateliers of the school: painters, sculptors and others, and the managers were from the school itself, as gay (which means merry) and ribald as the students themselves, but also strict in their standards. Gatherings of characters in City of Heroes sometimes remind me of that event, also carnival-esque, except for its officially prohibited but really common nudity from both sexes. After the first few years, every ball was dedicated to some historical theme. There were tableaux vivants, dancing, champagne, beauty contests and general revelry. The women who attended, artist models a lot of them, painted their bodies underneath costumes, and the costumes would eventually come off to everyone's delight. The men were often not far behind. The ball lasted through the night and poured out in a winding procession across Montmartre. Towards the morning, somewhere by Louvre, they revelers would disperse.

 

 

Here we have a Roman senator with a purple strip on the toga, a Japanese woman, a knight kissing on horseback, a Gavroche of a boy under a hoplite's shield, someone who looks to be from the secret police of Venice flirting with an Indian, maybe, - and a contemporary policeman watching from the curb, And below is a bill from one of those events - dedicated to Ancient Egypt, I guess. The French says something like: "Beauty, come with us to marry the pharaoh. Don't be afraid to ride to Abydos in a scant Thebian costume! The Committee." (Notice the hairy calf of the pharaoh.)

 

 

Wikipedia quotes an instruction from the organizers:

 

"Bal Des Quat-z' Arts, Moulin Rouge, 21 April 1899. Doors open at 10 P. M. and close at midnight. The card of admission is absolutely personal, to be taken by the committee before the opening of the ball. The committee will be masked, and comrades without their personal card will be refused at the door. The cards must carry the name and quality of the artist, and bear the stamp of his atelier. Costumes are absolutely necessary. The soldier—the dress suit, black or in color— the monk—the blouse—the domino—kitchen boy—loafer—bicyclist, and other nauseous types, are absolutely prohibited. Should the weather be bad, comrades are asked to wait in their carriages, as the committee in control cannot, under any pretext, neglect guarding the artistic effect of the ball during any confusion that might ensue. A great "feed" will take place in the grand hall; the buffet will serve as usual individual suppers and baskets for two persons. The committee wish especially to bring the attention of their comrades to the question of women, whose cards of admission must be delivered as soon as possible, so as to enlarge their attendance — always insufficient. Prizes (champagne) will be distributed to the ateliers who may distinguish themselves by the artistic merit and beauty of their female display. All the women who compete for these prizes will be assembled on the grand staircase before the orchestra. The nude, as always, is Prohibited!?! The question of music at the head of the procession is of the greatest importance, and those comrades who are musical will please give their names to the delegates of the ateliers. Your good-will in this line is asked for—any great worthless capacity in this line will do, as they always play the same tune, "Les Pompiers!" The Committee—1899."

 

Here is another illustration from the early days, as usual soul-piercingly unattainable in its artistry and mastery:

 

 

The balls evoked indignation in polite society, of course, and sometimes ended quite sadly. A very popular model, Marie-Florentine Roger or Royer, known as Sarah Brown for her red golden, "Celtic," tresses and a milky white skin, was arrested for nudity at the 1899 ball. When her whereabouts proved impossible to establish, it was concluded that she probably committed suicide, which led to wide rioting by the students in Paris. It is her levitating, chagalesque, in the first picture.

 

 

 

The tradition of the ball, as I said, ended in 1966, which to my mind sets a definite date in a period that I had approximately felt to be the last days of human fun. It was around that same year that in America the Blue Meanies chased out the Yellow Submarine, and they have ruled ever since. We have plenty of them on these boards, too, and the irrational fear Cryptic, NCSoft and now Homecoming have of any suggestion of nudity, the whole hypocrisy and disgrace of the "T" rating, are part of that. As far as I am concerned, I would have liked to see those heroes and villains who mingle in Pocket D to do something more than stand around and flash their special effects. Around them everywhere stand NPC that imitate life and relaxation. The players, to prove that they are living, could at least start a boombox or do some dance emotes or try a party game. Or chat in Local, at a minimum. But maybe they feel shy, don't feel that they may. Well, you may, people. You may start anything you can.

 

The tradtion of carnivals around the world is rich and profound. Those who want to find out a lttle more about this ball are welcome to consult the Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bal_des_Quat'z'Arts

And if someone knows that tune they played, "Les Pompiers," enlighten me.

Edited April 27 by temnix