Mythologie centralienne, mythologie polytechnicienne

« Ecole Centrale vs Ecole Polytechnique : two French scientific schools and their representations », by Christian Hottin. The école polytechnique and the école centrale des arts et manufactures are the most famous scientific French schools. There are, indeed, a lot of differences between them. The école polytechnique has been created during the French Revolution whereas the école centrale is a private foundation. This first discrepancy can explain why the representations of these two schools in sculpture, painting and in architecture are so different: at the école polytechnique, a lot of works testifies of the strong link that exists between the school and the French state ; on the contrary, according to its members, the école centrale is rather a kind of commercial compagny. The differences can be appreciated also in architecture : elements taken from the industrial architecture are to be found in the architecture of the école centrale, while the one of the école polytechnique has been influenced by the ancient colleges of the University of Paris. Paintings, sculptures and buildings are not only an important part of the representation of a community, but also a part of its definition.