Paris Trip – Day 10
Winding down, winding down… Hello friends, and welcome to day 10 of my Paris trip blog. Only one more day to go before I have to say au revoir to the lovely city of Paris and head on home. Today was another leisurely day. I went to a fancy lunch at the Place de Vosges and then spent the afternoon at the Louvre. Yup, I HAD to go back.
As you might remember from Day 4, Place des Vosges is the spendy part of town with art for sale and a little park dedicated to Louis XIII in the middle. Anyway, we went there to meet up with some friends of my parents and have lunch. I had a nice salmon steak and a huge glass of Heineken. Afterwards, as we were heading out of the area, we came upon a group of violinists and cellists playing live music. I recorded some of their performance for your viewing pleasure. The performance was a nice little treat and the acoustics were good.
Afterwards, I parted ways with my parents and hopped on the subway back to the Louvre. Now I’ll admit that I had a grand plan in mind for my second trip to the Louvre. I turned on my camcorder and tried to walk the entire museum in under two hours. I didn’t succeed, but I got A LOT of footage to sort through. I might put it together in a “how HUGE is the Louvre” montage someday. For now, I have a small collection of photos I took of art that was striking enough to make me turn off the camcorder and pay attention. Enjoy.
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Fresco in the Louvre I saw this ceiling fresco the first time I visited the Louvre, but I didn’t snap a picture of it. I’m not sure why, because it’s really interesting to me. I just wish I knew what the story behind it was. Like I mentioned before, the museum is a work of art in itself. This is another example why. |
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The seated scribe I know what you’re thinking… “ooh, it’s some old sculpture”. You’d be right, it’s VERY old. Try over 4,500 years old. To me, the most amazing feature of the Seated Scribe is the magnesite eyes. They look real and just a bit spooky. |
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Famille italienne ou Repos des paysans dans la campagne de Rome (1830) – François-Joseph Navez I couldn’t find much information online about this piece or the artist, which is too bad. There were a group of them by the artist all in one section and it was the eyes that grabbed my attention on each of them. I thought this was the best example. It looks like the young woman is staring right through you. |
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Angelique (1867) – Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres This piece is apparently a study for a more grandiose work called Ruggiero rescuing angelica. Naturally, I liked it because it was an excellent depiction of a woman’s body. The pose makes a lot more sense when you consider the whole piece. Click the link to see what I’m talking about. |
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Le Bain Turc (1862) – Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Ingres had good taste in women. He liked them a bit on the voluptuous side. “The Turkish Bath” has them in spades. What’s not to like? |
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Le Lion de Florence (1801) – Nicolas-Andre Monsiau I had to laugh when I first saw this painting. This is clearly a depiction of a horrible event. The lion is stealing a baby away from its mother. Yet, SOMEHOW, she still manages to flash us a little boobie. Gotta love art. |
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Psyché et l’Amour (1798) – Baron François Gérard The Greek fable of Psyche and Cupid (Eros) is apparently a very popular subject for art. I saw many interpretations of it in my visits to the Louvre and elsewhere in Paris. I liked this one, so I snapped a picture. |
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Les Trois Grâces (1798) – Baron Jean-Baptiste Regnault The three graces is another popular greek fable that is often represented in art. They are the goddesses of beauty, mirth, and cheer, and they’re naked! I just wish I’d gotten a better picture. |
When I got home from the Louvre, I was treated to a fabulous dinner of lamb shanks. They were cooked in a French red wine broth and the meat literally fell right off the bone. Yum yum! That’s all I have for day 10. For my final day in Paris I head to the Panthéon, which is a grand (and secular) building that houses the tombs of many of France’s greatest heroes. I will also take in a organ performance at St Eustache cathedral followed by a Vegas-style nudie show at the Lido. Quite the contrast of activities, eh? Do tune in!
3 comments Thursday 11 Oct 2007 | Mike | Paris 07, Travels
Don’t you think it’s about time you finally posted day 11? 😉
I was actually doing a search for the Le Lion de Florence painting and came across your blog. I was in Paris a year ago and when I saw that painting I nearly fell over. I felt like the typical immature american tourist–but it was extremely necessary to laugh. I mean, the lion has a baby in it’s mouth.
Anyway, I read your about me section and I think you’re pretty rad. I’m sorry that you live in Idaho. I’m from the midwest. I feel your pain. It’s impressive that you have the time, money, etc to travel as much as you do. I guess Idaho is treating you pretty well.
Take care,
M!
Ah the louvre! I- aloughth being an artist- did not have quite your love for the louvre. I found mine in the Musee Marmottan, which is quite a little bit outside of downtown paris. Oh, the monets. They make me feel like I’ve melted down and God is just plastered on a canvas in front of me. I could have spent years in the basement of the museum. The same with the D’Orsay. Have you been to either of those?