Today we went to the biggest museum in the world- the Louvre! It was way too big to see everything in one visit even three or four visits! I can't believe the size of it! In the picture below, it shows just a little of each side of the museum and the entrance (the glass pyramid by I.M. Pei) There is much more museum behind the camera plus there are 4 floors! It is literally a gigantic place. Don't let the map fool you...it looks much smaller than the Louvre actually is!
We saw so many beautiful pieces made by very popular artists here. Michelangelo, Canova, de Vinci, David, Ingres, and van Eyck are just about .01% of the artists that are displayed at the Louvre. We also saw Gericault’s painting of the Raft of Medusa. This was an unbelievable paining- the size alone was astonishing! In my Art History class, we learned about it and our professor told us it was big, but I didn't think it would be this big! The picture below is the Raft of Medusa- look at the size of it in comparison to the man in front of it.
But I have to say this painting was one of my favorites. The story behind this is it is an over-life-size painting that depicts a moment from the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate Meduse, which ran aground off the coast of today's Mauritania on July 5, 1816. At least 147 people were set adrift on a hurriedly constructed raft; all but 15 died in the 13 days before their rescue, and those who survived endured starvation, dehydration, cannibalism and madness. The event became an international scandal, in part because its cause was widely attributed to the incompetence of the French captain acting under the authority of the recently restored French monarchy. The artist does a great job of showing the pain and agony that the survivors have endured while waiting to be rescued. If you look very closely at the painting, their waiting pays off- they see a boat in the distance- Is this the boat that saves them? Gericault never says for sure, but this was a real event that took place in history and the artist did talk to some survivors about the incident so it could quite possibly be.
My other favorite painting was called Liberty leading the People. This is by Delacroix. This is a painting commemorating the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled Charles X of France. A woman personifying Liberty leads the people forward over the fallen bodies holding the French flag in one hand and a musket with the other. In 1874, the painting entered the Louvre and it has been there ever since.
I probably should talk about Mona Lisa since we saw her here. It was quite what I expected. I knew she would be in glass and that you wouldn't be able to see her very close up. I was right on both circumstances. She was indeed in bullet proof glass and there was a marker you couldn't pass which was about 5 feet back from the actual painting.
This picture shows the bullet proof glass...and it’s zoomed in quite a ways from where I was standing. There was a mob around it too. We went up to that room twice and both times, loads of people were crowding around it. I understand that this is an important painting, but many other paintings by many other artists (besides daVinci) are just as important-if not more! I don't understand why it has to be guarded so much, with the glass, and the bar that holds people back, and even museum workers, and the other paintings are just hanging on the walls close to the hands of curious children or over the shoulder bags that could be bumped a little too hard and could scratch or even ruin the painting. That's just my opinion though, what do I know?!
So after we saw the mob-filled room with the Mona Lisa in it, we walked around more and came across the apartments of Napoleon III. I thought this exhibit was so much more beautiful than the Palace of Versailles! (Again, I think it has to do with the popularity of Versailles but still) I could not believe these rooms! They were exquisite! The chandeliers were beautiful, the furniture was ridiculously amazing, and the ceilings were off the charts! This picture is of the Grand Salon. It had a very...rich style to say the least.
After Napoleon’s apartments, we stayed a little longer at the Louvre. (We got there at 11:00am and stayed until about 9:00pm) Lisa, Danielle and I stopped for dessert on the way back to our hotel. I got chocolate pudding but it was cooked so it was cake-like. It was really thin and in a big bowl so to make it look filled, they put whipped cream all the way to the top. It was like I was paying just for whipped cream! But the little pudding I had was good anyways. Then we came back to our hotel and here we are. It has been a very long day today! But today was our last museum of the trip! Tomorrow we get to see Notre Dame-where Quasimodo lived! Can’t wait to see that!
But until then, I’m outta here! Salut!
Question of the Day: How was the Mona Lisa?
The Mona Lisa was about the size I expected it to be because of the stories I have heard of it. I think it was protected way too much though! I heard that it's not even the real one! The real one is in the Louvre but its not the one hanging behind the bullet proof glass on its own wall. Its hidden away. Is this true? If it is...would all the pictures of this importance have a copy in place of the real one? David's painting Death of Murat is a copy...but where is the real one? The idea that The Mona Lisa is such an iconic painting that is in the world today brings about a lot of questions as to why? What special things are incorporated in it that no other paintings have?
Describe your favorite painting in the 19th century French paintings room in the Louvre.
The Raft of Medusa was one of my favorite paintings in this room. The other was Liberty Leading the People. We talked about both works in my Art History class, but seeing them up close just was truly amazing. I could not believe the size of Raft of Medusa! It is ginormous! Liberty Leading the People was more the size I thought it would be and also the size I thought the Raft of Medusa would be. Both paintings were beautifully done. You could feel the emotion in the peoples faces. You could see the determination (at least in Liberty Leading the People) of how the people wanted to fight for their country. Both works were amazing!
What was the smallest thing you saw today?
The Mona Lisa. It seemed so minuscule compared to all the giant paintings around it!
The Mona Lisa was about the size I expected it to be because of the stories I have heard of it. I think it was protected way too much though! I heard that it's not even the real one! The real one is in the Louvre but its not the one hanging behind the bullet proof glass on its own wall. Its hidden away. Is this true? If it is...would all the pictures of this importance have a copy in place of the real one? David's painting Death of Murat is a copy...but where is the real one? The idea that The Mona Lisa is such an iconic painting that is in the world today brings about a lot of questions as to why? What special things are incorporated in it that no other paintings have?
Describe your favorite painting in the 19th century French paintings room in the Louvre.
The Raft of Medusa was one of my favorite paintings in this room. The other was Liberty Leading the People. We talked about both works in my Art History class, but seeing them up close just was truly amazing. I could not believe the size of Raft of Medusa! It is ginormous! Liberty Leading the People was more the size I thought it would be and also the size I thought the Raft of Medusa would be. Both paintings were beautifully done. You could feel the emotion in the peoples faces. You could see the determination (at least in Liberty Leading the People) of how the people wanted to fight for their country. Both works were amazing!
What was the smallest thing you saw today?
The Mona Lisa. It seemed so minuscule compared to all the giant paintings around it!
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