Gertrude Stein (R) and Alice B. Toklas in the Atelier at 27 Rue de Fleurus.

Given the back-and-forth we’ve had with many of our tweeps, it has become apparent that the word “salon” as we are using it here on adroyt might merit more explanation. As our lead-in post to the Thursday salon series mentioned, inspirations for the effort include Gertrude and Leo Stein, whose Paris salon brought some of literature’s and art’s greatest minds to their atelier for weekly explorations of aesthetics. They were, for the most part, discussing art; we are not drawing such strict boundaries as to what our subjects will encompass, choosing instead to offer a platform that will allow people to discuss a broad array of topics.

The stories of the writers and artists living in Paris during the 1920’s (there’s a wonderful documentary on the PBS website about those luminous years) cemented our desire to foster creativity through our Posterous blog. Because the world has shrunk—thanks to technology and, to an even greater extent, social media—we can interact without having to be in the same place at the same time, unlike those visionaries filing into the Stein’s atelier at 27 rue de Fleurus. Voilà: the idea for adroyt’s virtual salon—a gathering place, not unlike a café or an atelier, where we can figuratively sit around and dish on topics that interest us—was born!

Henri Fantin-Latour’s painting Un coin de table

Although one of history’s most notable, the Stein’s conclave wasn't the earliest example of creative types gathering to engage in intellectual inquiries: poets Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud are pictured here in Henri Fantin-Latour’s painting Un coin de table, depicting participants in the Paris salon of 1872. I saw the painting in person while strolling through the galleries at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris last February and as a poet, it was like standing in front of a shrine! One of my all-time favorite quotes is attributed to Rimbaud, though I’ve never been able to locate it in his writings—and I’ve read everything I could find to try to pinpoint it without luck. It is said that he wisely quipped, “I’d rather be the poem than the poet.” Touché!

Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet (painting by anonymous, 17th century)

A peek farther back into the mists of time brings us to the founder of the first salon, Catherine de Vivonne, or the Marquise de Rambouillet. She had gathered a circle of confidants around her as early as 1607 in the Hôtel de Halde, which she bought, transformed into a private residence and renamed the Hôtel de Rambouillet. This salon drew some of the era’s hippest courtiers and it remained one of the most important literary gathering spots until 1650.

The early 17th century was one of Paris’ most prolific periods for salons, as a number of offshoots were inspired by the Hôtel de Rambouillet, such as Madeleine de Scudéry’s “Saturday Society.” Here’s a terrific article by Jessee Browner on Bookforum’s site regarding Rombouillet’s impact on French culture, including the fact that women and commoners were included in her salon during a time when most European women were required to withdraw from the conversation of men and commoners did not mingle with the elite. Snippets of a secret language and nicknames were the norm during these heady exploratory sessions, one of my all-time favorites being Scudéry’s Sapho. We won't go so far as to continue this tradition (unless you are itching for a nom de plume of your own, in which case have at it and let us know what you choose below) but we do love digging into meaty questions like the one we’ve identified for this week: “Is expressing truth and/or beauty inherent in making meaning?” We can’t wait to hear what you think. We’d also like to know if you have a question you’d like to pose; if you do, leave it in a comment and we’ll put it in our queue.