There has long been a semi-fusion between the Cthulhu Mythos and the Yellow Mythos. I’ll talk a bit more about this in a future post, but for now I have been looking at weaving various elements from Robert W. Chambers’ The King in Yellow into the Chronicles of Chester Fritz.  As one of the characters travels to Paris, I saw an opportunity to explore the stomping grounds evoked in The King in Yellow, which includes the Latin Quarter, Jardin du Luxembourg, and the art school Académie Julian.

As Chambers’ Parisian stories are set in late 19th century, I did some digging into what happened to Académie Julian.  Turns out it was acquired by ESAG Penninghen, an architecture and design school.  While architecture and design are certainly practical, this contrasts with the raw decadence portrayed by Chambers.  The Académie Julian was the playground for rich aristocrats, bohemian painters, charming escorts, and naive Americans.  It was simultaneously a party school and the most elite artistic institution in the world.

Given Chambers’ rich depiction, it was very important to me to capture the modern spirit of the Académie Julian even if it had been re-branded.  I was a thus thrilled to find that ESAG Penninghen has a 3d virtual tour.  Thrilled…and then disappointed.  What Chambers had described in such striking and evocative color has the feel of an brutalist high school.  I don’t know what else to say, other than to take a look for yourself.