'Rue La Fayette, Paris (ed. II of II) - Limited Edition of 20 Photograph

In 2007, France was paralyzed by a strike called by the nation's trnasportation workers. The strike affected all France, including Paris, pictured here. Rue La Fayette, the street shown here, at this point runs high across myriad tracks just entering Gare de l'Est. (Eastern Train Station). That train station (gare) is one of several non-conjoined train stations that end in Paris and are widely separated. Each brings to Paris traffic from a specific geographic area. Gare d'Lest brings to Paris trains, long distance and local, from East of Paris and from as far away as Germany and east of France The French are famous for their paralyzing strikes (greves). Efforts by the nation's government to whittle or even wrest power away from giant unions has been met with great, passionate resistance as strikers and anarchists protested with force efforts (after this strike) to that has produced cinematic struggles between protesters and police. Thjis strike was more peaceful than later strikes. Prior to the pandemic and more recently, the world's news was filled daily with images of bagttles between violent strikers and anarchists vs. police as the citizens protested efforts to delay retirement and its purportedly generous pensions. .This nationwide strike, largely peaceful, foreshadowed later, violent protests in which mobs of yellow shirted rioters protested with great violence and fought epic street batles with authorities seeking to quell the violence that spread through the capital and elsewhere. The struggle begtween the goverfnment which seeks to rfeduce pension costs and lengthen a worker's work life by delaying retirement age, has paralyzed much of France at times, especially just prior to the pandemic. This strike, in 2007, was carried out with relative calm, but severly effected nearly all parts of French life; so much of modern life now depends on transport, which moves nearly everything in Fance and all first world nations. From trains to buses to Metro and interurban lines, the strike literally cut off al most all transport except personal cars. There was no place in Paris to park the carsgthat workers might have brought to Paris from the suburbs if . there had been adequate parking space. France is proud of its modern, nagtiowide high speed gtain network. Most trains in France are passenger trains; freight traiuns run mostly atlate night so as not to interfere with passenger trains, but freight trains do not run on tracks for high speed trains. Those high speed tains which at times run parallel to major superhighways often travel two and three times faster than fastest autos on the thoroughfare. Often those trains run at two and three times or more the speed of fastest autos. The tain companies are mostly run by a goernment run company, but some trains running north to Brussels and Amsterdam and now linking to Frfankfurt are owned by a private company but use the same basic equpment as the nation's high speed trains, but are painted a different color livery and more luxurious passenger coach interiors. Train traevel is relatively expensive, but gasoline and diesel for autos and trucks are very, very expensive as well, and in generl land transport is quite dear. However, airline travel by low cost no-frills airlines has greatly chopped once expensive internal and external air fares. A hundred or two hundred meters to the left of this scene, is a view of the entire Gare d' l'Est and tracks leading to the statoin's tracks, empty platforms. That vantage from a ferw hundred meters to the left of this scene and to the south, revealed the entire eastern train station's tracks, platforms and public ways were engtirely deserted. There was not one train, not one passenger coach, a bagage cart, or a single person evident throughout the exterior of the train station. That elevated view was a rare glimpse of that station which almost consistently is filled with hustrle and bustle of trains, baggage, passengers and workers. The two 'commuters' depicted here, likely never could be photographed again in this place as each seems to be 'making do' to overcome the impediment posed by the lack of transit. The man, right, who swings his arm high to counterweight his long stride, litkely only has walked the route during a similar strike; same for the cyclist, left; both are left to their own devices to avoid strike's paralysis of all France. (c) 2021, John (Crosley) all rights reserved. No reproductoin or other use of any image and/or composion single or in any combination, without express prior written permission from copyright owner.

Photography:Black & White on Paper

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:20

Size:33 W x 23.9 H x 0.1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.