Wild Souls at the Musée d'Orsay

[bixaorellana]

One of my objectives while visiting Paris this June was to see the Musée d'Orsay's exhibition on Baltic Symbolism from the 1890s to the end of the 1920s. According to the museum's website entry on the event, the majority of these artists were being shown outside their countries for the first time.

Of course I was also conscious that the Orsay houses the largest collection of impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world, along with with French art dating from 1848 to 1914 and that it is one of the largest art museums in Europe. Wikipedia

I came upon the museum from the river side, turning the corner to encounter wild animals ~



The models of the building make clear its former incarnation as a station and why it was perfectly suited to become a museum ~









Knowing my personal time limit for absorbing a museum, I hurried toward my objective, stopping to admire a few other things on the way ~






Small but powerful: www.musee-orsay.fr/fr/collections/catalogue-des-oeuvres/notice.html

[bixaorellana]

Time to plunge into the products of the wild souls, consisting of around 130 works showing the themes used by Baltic artists of the early 20th century: myths, soul and nature. source
The exhibit was jointly developed by the four national museums of the Baltic States: the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga, the Art Museum of Estonia in Tallinn, the Lithuanian Art Museum in Vilnius, and the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art in Kaunas. More information here.

Kristjan Raud, Sacrifice 1935
















Johann Walter, Young Peasant Girl @1904




Pēteris Krastiņš, Italienne @1905                       .........                       Konrad Mägi, Portrait de jeune Norvégienne 1909

[bixaorellana]

There were a number of quotes from the artists displayed on the walls, including this one ~






by Nikolai Triik





~ That's the end of the Wild Souls portion of the report, but I'll be back later with more of the Musée d'Orsay ~

[kerouac2]

All of that looks wonderful. I really need to get to the Orsay more often, particularly since it is about a 14 minute direct metro ride from my flat.

[mickthecactus]

I love Paysage au Cavalier. Just my sort of picture.

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, Kerouac. Yes, it is a wonderful museum and even more wonderful for you, since you have the luxury of being able to go often and take it in as and when you please.

Glad to hear that, Mick, as I was very taken with that whole exhibit and think that particular painting beautifully typifies one of the styles of that Baltic school.

Going for a potty break after the viewing the Wild Souls, I came upon this monumental piece (361cm × 598cm / 142" × 235") by Gustave Courbet.
Painted in 1854-55, it is called The Artist's Studio, a real allegory summing up seven years of my artistic and moral life
and is variously interpreted and explained ~





Moving right along ...



... I came across the marvelous model of the Palais Garnier, the pictures of which I've put into this thread (page 2).

All of Paris, under your feet ~





The gift shop ~



A famous aspect of the Orsay. I'm a tourist, so I took touristic pictures ~

[mich64]

Well this thread makes me regret having to drop the original plan I had for our September 2018 holiday plan! I too love this museum, I think it might actually be my favorite. The last three photographs are impactful.

Also, I found their gift shop quite enjoyable.

[bixaorellana]

Well, yes ~ of course we're going to see the Impressionists!

Alfred Sisley, Footbridge at Argenteuil 1872


Next to the Mona Lisa, this may be one of the most parodied paintings in the world ~

Édouard Manet, Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe 1862-63


More people eating in the woods. An enormous painting with an interesting history ~

Claude Monet, Le déjeuner sur l'herbe 1865-66


Claude Monet, Le déjeuner 1873


Gustave Caillebotte, Raboteurs de parquet 1875


Paul Cézanne, Le joueur de cartes, 1890-92


Some more wandering through the museum. The restaurant ~



Outside on the roof ~





Back inside looking out ~

[bixaorellana]

Thank you, Mich! Did you visit the Orsay when you were in Paris in September of 2012? I just looked at your wonderful "Now she's been there!" thread to find out, but didn't see mention of it. No matter, I very much enjoyed seeing that thread again, although I feel foolish because I'd forgotten you'd covered Bruges in it. Had I looked at it before my trip this year, I probably would have spent some real time there!

Meanwhile, back at the museum .....

On the left, Paul Signac, Le démolisseur 1897-99                                  On the right, Maximilien Luce, Les Batteurs de pieux 1902-3


Paul Signac, Femme à l'ombrelle 1893


Maximilien Luce, Les Batteurs de pieux 1902-3


Maximilien Luce, Une rue de Paris en mai 1871 1903-06


Théo Van Rysselberghe, L'homme a la barre 1892


Georges Lemmen, Aline Maréchal 1890


Henri-Edmond Cross, La chevelure 1892


If you're lacking the proper amount of glitz in your life, these rooms can be temporarily yours for a fee ~







After that excess, let's end this thread with something quiet and perfect ~

Vilhelm Hammershøi, Interieur Strandgade 30 1901

[bjd]

I too really like the Musée d'Orsay but in the past few years I have always found the line-ups too long.

You haven't any photos of the Art Nouveau furniture on the ground floor. Is it not there any more? Probably replaced by the restaurant.

[mickthecactus]

Some great pictures there. What is the meaning if the street in Paris May 1871?

[patricklondon]

Aug 7, 2018 11:29:58 GMT mickthecactus said:

Some great pictures there. What is the meaning if the street in Paris May 1871?

The defeat of the Paris Commune.

My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings
"too literate to be spam"

[kerouac2]

When I first arrived in Paris, the front part of the station was still a hotel (which can be seen in the Bertolucci film The Conformist). The old station hall behind it was an auction hall and then a famous theatre (which was in a tent-like structure to give it the proper space). The Renaud-Barrault company put on many plays, but their most famous productions were by Beckett and Ionesco. Madeleine Renaud performed Oh les beaux jours (Happy Days) for the first time in 1963 (elsewhere) but she still performed it until 1986 when she herself was 86 years old.

Here is the theatre seen from the outside.

imageshack.com/a/img924/5361/ShUzQC.png

But the Orsay train station is quite a big building, so here is the theatre seen from a certain distance.

imageshack.com/a/img922/5828/pEJxjG.jpg

The space helps to imagine how excited the architects were when they were told that they could convert all of this space into a museum.

[bjd]

Wasn't it the Italian architect Gae Aulenti who was in charge?

[mickthecactus]

Aug 7, 2018 13:01:31 GMT patricklondon said:

Aug 7, 2018 11:29:58 GMT mickthecactus said:

Some great pictures there. What is the meaning if the street in Paris May 1871?

The defeat of the Paris Commune.

My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings
"too literate to be spam"

Thanks Patrick.

[mickthecactus]

I love those pictures of the working men.

Not much health and safety for the demolisher. Even has bare feet!

[bixaorellana]

Aug 7, 2018 8:34:55 GMT bjd said:

I too really like the Musée d'Orsay but in the past few years I have always found the line-ups too long.
You haven't any photos of the Art Nouveau furniture on the ground floor. Is it not there any more?

Bjd, I went in the morning on Friday, June 15 and I stood in line for ten minutes or so.
Yes, the furniture is still there, but I was flagging by the time I saw it. I did capture one piece, though, although I can't identify it:

Aug 7, 2018 13:33:52 GMT kerouac2 said:

When I first arrived in Paris, the front part of the station was still a hotel ...
[photos]
The space helps to imagine how excited the architects were when they were told that they could convert all of this space into a museum.

I'm not quoting all of Kerouac's very illuminating post at #12 (http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com/post/301732/thread) above, but wow! Thank you so much for that, Kerouac. Not only is it a fascinating look back, but the photos finally gave me a true idea of how astoundingly big the place is.

Aug 7, 2018 15:09:13 GMT mickthecactus said:

I love those pictures of the working men. Not much health and safety for the demolisher.

Mick, I'm very far from being an expert in art history, but it's my sense that the Impressionists and more so the Post-Impressionists often used their art to show the nobility of work and of the "common man".

Aug 7, 2018 15:00:59 GMT bjd said:

Wasn't it the Italian architect Gae Aulenti who was in charge?

Yes it was, Bjd, but she very often is not even mentioned in online searches of the history of the conversion. It's only because you gave me the name that I was able to find this.

In line with that and with Kerouac's historic photos above, I urge everyone to enjoy this illustrated progressive history. Don't go too fast, as some are "moving pictures" (you'll see what I mean).

Edited to add this interesting article about paying for the renovation of 2011: www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/arts/15iht-Orsay15.html

I do have a few more pictures that I rescued from the recycle bin when I went to find the art nouveau breakfront & will show them.

[kerouac2]

That link is fantastic, Bixa, but obviously even more fantastic for those of us who can read the French text.

I almost vomited when I saw the project for the "international hotel" that they wanted to build on the site.

[bixaorellana]

View through a glass door to the roof from the room with the giant clock ~



Another from the Wild Souls exhibition:


Back to the Impressionists with Henri Fantin-Latour, Charlotte Dubourg 1882


Claude Monet, Essai de figure en plein-air: femme à l'ombrelle tournée vers la droite 1886
and Essai de figure en plein-air: Femme à l'ombrelle tournée vers la gauche 1886


Claude Monet, la Barque à Giverny 1887

[mickthecactus]

On nobility of work and common man it is a subject I like a lot. About a year ago we went to the National Gallery in London and I wasn’t over impressed as they were specialising in portraits at the time which got rather dull after a while.

There wasn’t much 20th century but there was a great picture of the New York docks 1912.

[mickthecactus]

Charlotte Dubourg looks an excellent picture btw.

[fumobici]

Aug 7, 2018 8:34:55 GMT bjd said:

I too really like the Musée d'Orsay but in the past few years I have always found the line-ups too long.

You haven't any photos of the Art Nouveau furniture on the ground floor. Is it not there any more? Probably replaced by the restaurant.

I went to the Orsay with every intention of going inside but there were throngs, including obvious school trips marshalling out front. Plus it was too nice that day. The animal sculptures up front are delightful.

[bixaorellana]

Aug 7, 2018 17:07:02 GMT mickthecactus said:

they were specialising in portraits at the time which got rather dull after a while.
Charlotte Dubourg looks an excellent picture btw.

Mick, I don't know about you, but I have a cut-off point with museum viewing, no matter how good the subject matter might be. I can always feel it coming on -- it's when I know what I'm looking at is exceptional and wonderful, but I'm secretly hoping there won't be much more.
Yes, that is a super portrait. You can see why I initially didn't put it in the thread, though, because of the reflection.

Aug 7, 2018 21:09:06 GMT fumobici said:

I went to the Orsay with every intention of going inside but there were throngs

Well, "they" say that Friday is a good day to go, which is the day I went -- but in high tourist season. A bunch of kids were coming out of one section when I got there, but I just went to a different section. Really, I prefer the kids to the damned groups, where the leader stands in front of a painting and yaps and yaps and yaps. That leader is being paid to get in the way of the rest of us who paid to politely view the paintings in ones and twos.

[mickthecactus]

Small world.
Youngest grandson turns 17 on Friday and my daughter is taking him to Paris for a couple of days to see the art galleries.

And this is one they will be going to!

[mich64]

Aug 7, 2018 5:39:20 GMT bixaorellana said:

Thank you, Mich! Did you visit the Orsay when you were in Paris in September of 2012? I just looked at your wonderful "Now she's been there!" thread to find out, but didn't see mention of it. No matter, I very much enjoyed seeing that thread again, although I feel foolish because I'd forgotten you'd covered Bruges in it. Had I looked at it before my trip this year, I probably would have spent some real time there!

Not on that holiday Bixa, it was a few years earlier when just the two of us spent a week in Paris. Our plan this year was to split our time between Paris, Ireland and Northern Ireland but we had a change of plans. We hope to be back in 2020.