J'ai visite Le Louvre!

Having visitors presents opportunities to take advantage of places in your neighborhood --in our case, the Louvre. And I recently took advantage of this opportunity! I fortunately had the luxury of limiting my visit to the Egyptian and Middle Eastern collections. (I will catch the Mona Lisa another time --it's been a long time since I saw her!)
A bit of background for those who may not remember their European history survey courses! The Louvre was originally built as a fortress in the 12th century and became a royal residence for Charles V in the 14th century. Our friend Catherine de Medici was responsible for the start of the section called Les Tuileries (named after the clay tiles --tuiles-- that were fabricated close by using the available clay). The Tuleries completed the enclosure of the palace. After the eviction and execution of Louis XVI and Marie-Anoinette, the Louvre was opened as a Center for Arts under the Republic in 1793.



Various collections were added over the centuries.
During the Paris Commune in 1871 (which was another interesting, but gruesome, revolutionary event) the Tuleries Palace was burned and ultimately the ruins were removed in 1883. Thus the courtyard of the Louvre was opened to the Jardin des Tuileries.
Le Grande Louvre restoration project was started by Francois Mitterand in 1981. The glass pyramid by I.M.Pei was opened in 1989 which created a new underground access to the museum, an underground gallery of the foundations and old walls of the Louvre fortress, and a shopping gallery. (If you visited the Louvre before 1989, you may remember the dark, cramped admissions area and the poorly lit and crowded exhibition spaces) The entrance through the walk of the old foundation walls is fantastic!

The collection of Oriental Antiquities --mostly from Iraq and Iran-- date back to 2500 BC and are a testimony to the wealth, power, and culture of the region (and this was before the discovery of oil and our addiction). Wandering through the halls of these massive and awe-inspiring walls and monuments, I could not help but wonder what it would be like to walk through a Notre Dame Cathedral (or Tower of London) exhibit in Baghdad or Tehran (or Cairo) with all the most beautiful and impressive architectural elements and sculptures on display. The harsh reality is that the works in these collections would have been destroyed by radicals and wars and all of the toys of war that the world has so readily exchanged for their oil (I think the translation of the story of Adam and Eve may have an error --I think Eve gave Adam oil and he had visions of money, power, and SUV's. What would he get from a mere apple? Even the American colonists knew that the value of apples was applejack!). Had these regions not been crusaded against, colonized, partitioned, or not had oil, the outcome might be different. (I am still reeling from Hillary's statement about obliterating Iran this week.)


This massive capital is from ONE of the columns of the Temple of Darius (500 BC Iran) --can you even imagine the size of the complete building? The floor plan describes the temple....the floor plan is locate on the stand in front of the capital --at about 4 feet high.


The winged bull is one of a number of these Assyrian guardians of the gates into the palace of Sargon II (713-706 BC Iraq) discovered in 1843 and sent to the Louvre by the French consul. These archers are taken from a long wall (royal palace Iran 500 BC) called the Frieze of Archers. The wall in the Louvre must be about 30 feet high with two rows of these figures, the rows containing at least 12 of these figures. What intrigued me is that the bas relief is made of glazed bricks which had been molded so they were all identical --and in great condition (no freezing to cause spalling!)

This frieze depicts the transport of cedar logs from what is Lebanon to the Persian Empire. It is fantastic with creatures like crabs, tortoises, fishes in the sea, and the boats shown without the logs on the way there and with logs being towed and transported coming back. Again, a huge wall --each boat (with oars and cargo) is about 2 feet high.
I have always loved the style of Egyptian art. I love the hieroglyphics for their use of natural objects like birds and animals (reminds me of some of the Oriental rug patterns) and the sculpture for its "clean" and elegant lines.



It is hard to imagine all of the people who were working on these monuments and decorative arts and the volume of work that was produced. The world-wide collections of Egyptian --and Meso-American artifacts-- always intrigue me in their volume and scale --I suppose you can be more creative living in a warm climate --look at all the time we waste with seasonal changes-- putting out the patio furniture, putting it away, opening and closing the pool, raking the leaves, shoveling the snow....and my favorite --changing the clothes! See what all that oil has done to us? Would we live in these areas without heat??

And having young adult visitors is an incentive to stay out late! And we were blessed with a clear Saturday night (not so easy in Paris) and a nearly full moon! These pictures were taken after 9pm --my own impressionist pictures-- shots after dark needing a long exposure and a steady hand!

There is life outside of Paris!

We had a friend visiting this week and since it was her first trip to Paris we did a few touristy things like a boat ride down the Seine, see Notre Dame, and a visit to the Eiffel Tower on the coldest, windiest, rainiest, hail and sleety day we have experienced here! (but the lines were SHORT! Think Mt. Washington) As she had never been to France, she wanted to see the countryside. We decided to rent a car and take a day trip to a few smaller towns and the area just west and north of Paris. It still amazes me that you can drive about 10 miles from Paris and be in the middle of farm land!
I must admit that I had never seen much north of Paris, and my only trips west were to Versailles and to Chartres --many years ago!
I wanted us to see places that give a flavor of France--and that complimented Paris in a way that makes Paris not any big city, but the heart of France.
Our first stop was the small town of Auvers-sur-Oise. I chose this town as it had once been the home of Vincent Van Gogh (he ended his life here and is buried here along with his brother, Theo) as well as other Impressionists like Pissaro and Cezanne. It was the home of Dr. Paul Gachet, a collector and friend to some of the Impressionists, and it has remained small and rural. (Dr. Gachet did treat Van Gogh and there is speculation about how effective he may have been --but, Van Gogh was a sick man and had been described as a difficult patient.) The church, the streets, and the houses in the old part of the town look much like they did when they were painted in the late 1800's. Auvers has installed copies of some of the paintings at the sites where they were painted so that you can get to see the subject and the work of art side by side. At a visit to the Musee d'Orsay earlier in the week, we saw some of these original paintings.




A visit to the Abbaye du Royaumont was the next stop. Ruins of abbeys are part of the landscape in Europe and there are several in France (most were made ruins during the French Revolution). The Abbeye du Royaumont has the ruins of the large church, but the cloister and its spaces like the kitchen, refectory, and library are still intact and have been restored. The abbey was founded by King Louis IX (the future St. Louis and for whom the city of St. Louis, Missouri, was named) and deeded to the Cistercians in 1228. Founded in France in the 12th century, the Cistercian order was on based on the principles of primitive monasticism --simple lives and a return to manual labor. Ironically, this return to manual labor, e.g. farming, made the order wealthy as they were quite successful and innovative in their farming and development of technology.
The Abbeye du Royaumont is built on the banks of the two small rivers, and the monks used the water not only for agricultural purposes but for "plumbing" and waste disposal. And as is the story with many religious sites in France, the Revolution confiscated the property in 1790. It was sold in 1791 to the enterprising Marquis Travanet who saw commercial value in the extensive waterworks and hydro-power possibilities. He used the abbey for a cotton mill. The large church was dismantled and its stone sold off as building material. The workers were housed in the monks' living quarters. All that remains of the church is one tower, the footings of the columns of the apse, and the "party" wall shared with the cloister.
The property went through several transfers after 1860 when it was no longer profitable with a manufacturing use, and was purchased by Jules Gouin who wanted to restore it as a country home for his family. It was used as a hospital during WWI. Gouin's grandson Henri purchased the entire abbey and began what has become its current use, a cultural foundation for music, poetry and heritage, particularly of the Middle Ages. The magnificent refectory is used for concerts.




The day ended with a walk through Senlis, a small town north of Paris with winding stone streets and old buildings and churches--and in commuting distance to Paris.



Although I think it was in commuting distance, some weary men need a rest stop on the way home. While driving inbound to Paris during commuting hours along a road which shall remain unidentified (I would not like to find this blog listed as one of the most frequently visited, after all, I did spend 24 years working for the YWCA), I noticed small "camping cars" pulled off on the side of the road. At first, I just noticed --and thought maybe people were walking in the woods. Then I realized that they were parked at every little pullover --and there were women in the driver's seat, and they were not dressed for camping or driving! Just outside of Rome is another famous spot for this activity. However, the Italians may have the French beat on this one. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a favorite Italian spaghetti and can be found in fancy Italian restaurants (I would guess that even Mario Batali has made it!) --is there a French equivalent? It's always about the food, c'est la France!

But the center of life is Paris.....

The day the Olympic torch came to Paris, Parisiens made their sentiments known.....note the Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite carved into the facade.

And in today's Le Monde:
La Chine a condamné la décision de la municipalité parisienne de faire du dalaï-lama un citoyen d'honneur, assurant que les liens entre les deux pays en avaient souffert.

And making the Dalai-Lama an honorary citizen of Paris while Le President Sarkozy is sending letters of apology to Chinese athletes and envoys to Beijing...he might want to remind himself every morning when he looks out across Place de la Concorde that the guillotine was set up there!

Nous n'avons pas encore visite le Louvre!

April 15th is the opening of a show at the Musee Rodin of the works of Camille Claudel. She was a young woman --rather young-- who worked with Rodin (and of course had a relationship with him, this older man/younger woman -c'est une longue histoire ici!). Mais, ce n'est pas tout --she was an artist, sculptor herself, although her career was cut prematurely by mental illness and an unscrupulous brother. We did visit the Musee Rodin and got a glimpse of her presence which makes the show more enticing to me! There will be more on Claudel and Rodin once I have seen the exhibit.
As I opened with "we have not yet been to the Louvre" it begs some explanation. We live literally three blocks from the entrance to the Louvre via "La Pyramide" which has created on wonderful entrance to the museum with a fabulous bookstore and space (if you visited the Louvre pre-pyramid you appreciate the "space"!) We may not have been to the Louvre, but we've been in the Pyramide and bookstore! And as you know, what is close to home....it's like your first walk of the Freedom Trail --you do it when your son is in 5th grade and you volunteer to be a chaperone on the coldest day in February! But in fairness to us, we have been to the Musee d'Orsay and Les Arts Decoratifs which are other large museums connected with the Louvre. And, the Louvre is on our rainy day in the middle of the week list --although we need to go soon before the tourist population of Paris soars!
We have been visiting some of the smaller museums that focus on one artist and his life (and it is HIS). Of course, there seems to be an important woman in these artists' lives who is responsible for the museum and the donation of art work to the City of Paris or a foundation--like Dina Viernay and Aristide Maillot. Several of these smaller museums are in ateliers --workshops-- and the houses where the artist lived. And several have enclosed gardens.


Le Musee Eugene Delacroix is just across the Seine in the 6th arrondissement and an easy and pleasant walk down one of our favorite streets, Rue Jacob. Delacroix moved to this house/atelier late in his life when he was painting a chapel in the Church of Saint-Suplice. He was ill and his former home was too far away from his work, which he wanted to finish. He had the atelier built to his specifications, with a large window overlooking the garden.
Delacroix is perhaps the best known 19th century French painter; his painting, Liberty Leading the People is one that you have perhaps seen --it is a prominent woman waving the French flag in the midst of the revolution of 1830 in Paris. This is in the Louvre (another reason to go!).
He was a Romantic painter and it is said that he was a great influence on the Impressionist painters; he himself was a fan of John Constable. Some of his works depict massacres and other tragic events --both ancient and contemporary to his life-- and often they are without an expression of valor or triumph over tyranny (like the pictures we see from Iraq).
Baudelaire refers to Delacroix: "The last of the great artists of the Renaissance and the first modern."


The Musee Bourdelle is the area around Montparnasse. This area has a bohemian history and is the center of the Rive Gauche, in terms of art, philosophy, politics, music, and was frequented by the likes of Sartre, Lenin, Hemingway, Chagall, Picasso....of course, it is hardly like that now --the Tour Montparnasse is the only "tower" (209 feet tall) in the center of Paris, and the area is home to movie theaters, fast food, shopping. Yet still there can be found charming spots like the Musee Bourdelle, Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Musee Zadkine, and the lovely little street of Cite des Artes. The Cimetiere Montparnasse is interesting place to walk and search out the graves of people like Sartre and Simone de-Beauvoir (which we did!).




I must admit that I was not familiar with the work of Antoine Bourdelle. And David had seen his most monumental work --the massive installation of the Monument au General Alvear, which occupies an entire plaza in Buenos Aires-- without knowing who he was either. (We still do not know who Le General Alvear is, but he must have done something to warrant this HUGE installation --shipped from Paris!) We were originally drawn by the description of the garden in a small and wonderful guide book we have, "Quiet Corners of Paris" (thank you, Norah McMeeking!).
The atelier, the apartment, the great hall to house these large figures, the garden --just a magical spot-- literally a "quiet corner in the bustle of Montparnasse". And it's hard to visualize, but this atelier, on Impasse du Maine was at the edge of the city and there were vineyards just past the studios --less than 100 years ago.
Bourdelle, originally from the Montauban in the south of France, studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Toulouse before coming to Paris as a young man. He worked at Rodin's studio before going off on his own. He was also a teacher --a copy of his "textbook" is at the musee. His sculptures are powerful and monumental in scale and style. Le Centaure Mourant (The Dying Centaur) was particularly fascinating as the tortuous position of the centaur (the last centaur who is dying because no one believes in him any longer) is geometrical and architectural --almost Cubist.


Bourdelle also created a number of large reliefs, and his installations at Le Theatre des Champs Elysees (actually on Rue Montaigne near the Ponte d'Alma in the 8th) is worth the walk to see...but hard to photograph! It was also one of the first buildings built of reinforced concrete --it was avant guarde in both structure and performances-- Stravinsky's Rite of Spring had its debut here and Josephine Baker was introduced here in 1925 and became famous for her dancing sans son chemisier (I have a French language comment here --a woman's shirt is le chemisier; a man's shirt is la chemise-- I find no logic.)
And it was Bourdelle's wife, Cleo and daughter, Rhodia who were instrumental in creating the museum and donating the art work. Amazing but true, the City of Paris first refused the gift and it took 10 years before they accepted it! (And the city just installed a gruesome scupture by Louise Bourgeois (some homework!) in the Jardin des Tuileries! The Pompidou Center has an exhibit of her works going on through June 2, so am hoping that the piece will crawl away!)

On our walk in search of le Theatre des Champs Elysees, David noticed a broken branch of a rhododendron on the sidewalk (no relation to the golden rings!). He found the first blooming rhododendron I think in Paris --at least the first we have seen. Perhaps that is why is he works at MIT --he can see the rhododendrons blooming from his atelier!



And today is Timothy's 25th birthday--nous t'esperons un joyeux anniversaire! Nous celebrerons ensemble a Paris!
Bises, Mom and Dad