In the 19th century, Paris underwent a redevelopment of its districts under the direction of Prefect Georges Haussmann, known as Haussmannization. During the renewal of the city's appearance, wide avenues and boulevards appeared, four- and five-story residential buildings were built in the same style, and each of them was perceived as part of a single urban landscape. At the very beginning of the 20th century, planning rules changed. According to the decree of August 13, 1902, architects received more freedom: they could design more varied facades, adding elements in the Art Nouveau style.
The French architect Raoul Brandon took advantage of the new opportunities. Brandon was born in 1878 in Luce, in his youth, thanks to a scholarship from the administration of his hometown, he was given the opportunity to study architecture. Brandon opened his own agency, became a member of the Supreme Council of Fine Arts and a professor at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. The architect advocated for affordable housing and designed several apartment complexes himself. He also built a hotel in Chartres, hotels in Cairo, and was the artist for the funerary monuments at the Père Lachaise cemetery.
After Brandon's death, a large number of his drawings in watercolor, gouache, and ink remained: advertisements for buildings, sketches for tombstones, and precise plans. The presentation of one of the apartment buildings shows the facade and interior. The image demonstrates variations in cornices and other protruding elements permitted by the new urban planning rules. Brandon paid special attention to sculptural decor, adding medallions with reliefs. In his drawings, he showed how the buildings fit into the environment. The archive of the architect's works is kept in the Musée d'Orsay.
Source:
musee-orsay.fr
