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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 11, 2016 2:24:45 GMT
Eternal gratitude to Htmb who was willing to shepherd me to the Louvre at the height of summer tourist season this year. I certainly had a good time and I hope she did, too. We seemed to be in accord about what to see and what to skip, as it's pointless to even attempt to give proper attention to everything.
I was wondering whether a thread on the Louvre was even necessary because well, you know -- the Louvre. Kerouac has covered the Ceilings of the Louvre and also The Louvre in Lens, but as far as I can tell there is no other The Louvre thread.
It must be said at the outset that I'm not going to do a great job of identifying everything and that I also photographed many paintings just because they're famous. Sorry, but I will always give in to the childish thrill of finally seeing the real thing of something I'd only known from pictures. So, let's go wander and enjoy some art ~
We started in the Denon wing
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 11, 2016 2:37:50 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 11, 2016 3:02:49 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 11, 2016 3:20:59 GMT
Now it's time for a really fun painting ~
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Post by htmb on Oct 11, 2016 3:43:58 GMT
These turned out beautifully! It's funny how I can remember some of the paintings very well, but there are other that seem brand new to me.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 11, 2016 4:03:23 GMT
Thanks! The pictures you don't recognize must be the ones I've painted since our visit. Just thought I'd toss them into this thread. More art coming right up.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 11, 2016 4:35:40 GMT
By this time we were starting to flag, but there was one section that called to me more than anything -- the second floor of the Richelieu wing, which houses Northern European Painting of 14th and 15th Centuries ~A link to an explanation in English follows this exposition in French. Because of the height at which they're hung, I only managed to capture four ~
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Post by bjd on Oct 11, 2016 6:08:42 GMT
I like all the really early paintings, both Italian and north European, but the huge Napoleonish things make me thing they would make good subjects for jigsaw puzzles.
I really like your (black and white) picture of the sculpture in front of the window.
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Post by htmb on Oct 11, 2016 15:13:17 GMT
It's like reliving our visit all over again, and more. Of course, the Louvre is so big, we barely scratched the surface.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 11, 2016 16:13:29 GMT
Thanks so much, Bjd! I totally agree with you about the early paintings, in fact have some more to show. And I love your comment about the jigsaw-worthy pictures, although it made me imagine emptying out the vacuum cleaner bag to frantically try to find that missing piece of Empire bosom or suchlike. Ha ha, Htmb ~ was it good for you? I think we did quite well and our decision to skip the sculpture and the object exhibitions stood us in good stead in terms of energy use. Having lunch there also helped. The Richelieu wing was where our paths diverged -- Htmb off to admire the French paintings and Bixa to swoon over the northern European paintings of the 14th - 16th centuries. I of course enjoyed the part of the northern European exhibition shown in Reply #6, but then turned a corner and oh my goodness. We probably all have experienced that one thing in a museum that bursts upon our consciousness and grabs us like nothing else, instantly and forever becoming the shining sun of the whole visit. That's what happened to me when I turned the corner and faced this jewel ~This painting gets its own post all to itself, in the hope that a little of how it affected me gets through. That said, it has always been my experience that with art, the real thing must be seen for its true spirit to completely shine through.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 11, 2016 17:02:14 GMT
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Post by htmb on Oct 11, 2016 17:37:41 GMT
Yes, Bixa, I enjoyed our visit. Though I've been to the Louvre several times, I hadn't been back in at least two years. Maybe three. However, the last time I went I spent most of the day there, rather than my typical two-to-three hours.
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Post by mossie on Oct 11, 2016 18:44:25 GMT
My only visit to the Louvre was many years ago and I couldn't stand wandering round room after room of ancient artifacts. Nowadays my attention span is very much less so I daren't enter. So thanks very much for showing this artwork, some of which is very striking. You will understand that I am NOT a culture vulture, or perhaps you have long ago realised that from previous posts.
But thank you again for showing me what I had missed
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 11, 2016 20:54:55 GMT
Thanks again, Htmb, not least for not making me feel hurried while there and for making sure I saw so many of the high points. You may characterize yourself as "not a culture vulture", Mossie, but I realized long ago that you are a great appreciator of beauty wherever it might be found. Your technically and artistically brilliant photos of aircraft from the fifties up to the present, your documenting of your back garden, the many visits you've shared to relatively unknown historic churches, your witty candids of people -- well, I could go on and on, but suffice to say that culture consists of far more than haunting museums and galleries. Let's wrap up this visit ~It was at this point that I went over to the French section to reunite with Htmb. Although I'd put my camera up, I was struck by this double portrait by François Quesnel, a fitting finale to the cavalcade of couples above ~
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Post by fumobici on Oct 12, 2016 0:34:14 GMT
Well the Loover place thar has some rawt purdy pitchers in it don't it? Yes siree, ain't personally seen nothin lahk that since me an' the wife went to Branson a few years back. Seriously though, the collection and the buildings are completely awe inspiring and I love the works you chose to highlight share here. I'm always a little saddened by the thought of Italy missing so much of its artistic patrimony through it winding up scattered across the world, but no doubt it allows a lot of people to appreciate the art from the peninsula who would never otherwise have the opportunity. I love that you framed the detail from "Les Mystères de la Passion du Christ" by Campi and some of the other rather magical or supernatural subjects from the religious works, realism or formulaic literal depictions of biblical scenes can be less than imaginative and at times formulaic.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 1:40:48 GMT
post by casimiraWhat a special treat!! Fabulous photographs. I'm in agreement with BJD about the early paintings. I also love the outdoor pics. Thanks for these Bixa.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 12, 2016 4:37:33 GMT
Well durn, Fumy-Bob -- you din't hafta say that, but it was right nice of ya! Thanks for the lovely feedback and for commenting on the detail from the Campi painting. That painting is so full of simultaneous narrative and striking candy colors (lotsa butts, too), that it's almost a Renaissance Richard Scarry scene. But then there is that impressionistic explosion of brilliance showing the very heavens rent open to reveal "les mysteres" -- just wow. That's a generous point about Italy's artwork being more accessible because of its dispersal. As far as seeing it in the Louvre goes, I did love that there is no reverent hushed feeling anywhere, that visitors are free to gawk, to comment, or to genuflect before the collection as they see fit. You probably know all of this, but strictly speaking, the Mona Lisa at least seems to belong to France free & clear: bigthink.com/Picture-This/why-the-mona-lisa-cant-wont-go-home-againThank you so much, Casimira! The early stuff just seems to have a special purity of vision and often even a delightful weirdness, don't you agree? I appreciate your comment about the outdoor pictures, too. It was lovely and restful to come out of the whiteness of all those soaring stone rooms into a pearly gray afternoon and all that greenery.
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Post by htmb on Oct 12, 2016 16:13:50 GMT
I remember you concentrating and furiously snapping photos while I dithered around behind you, but WOW! You certainly did get some terrific shots.
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Post by tod2 on Oct 21, 2016 17:06:33 GMT
Definitely got LOADS of terrific shots! Well done Bixa, you did a brilliant job. I have only visited the Louvre twice in my 17 trips and you have convinced me another visit is long overdue-THANKS!
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Post by whatagain on Oct 21, 2016 18:02:40 GMT
Definitely good shots !
I'm in total disagreeement about early paintings which leave me cold, but that is what I like on (civilized) forums : the diversity of opinions. The pics of the buildings appeal to me a lot more.
For the anecdote, the glass of the pyramid has been supplied by 'les Glaceries de Saint-Roch' in Auvelais, Belgium. A site bought by Saint-Gobain and now closed.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 22, 2016 23:18:43 GMT
Htmb, that may have been my picture-taking squint that gave the impression of concentration, but thanks!
Oh, I really appreciate that, Tod! Can't wait to see which pictures you capture there.
So kind, Whatagain -- thank you! I am amused that you don't care for those early paintings that I love so much, since they mostly come from your part of the world. But we can agree on how nice it is to get a diversity of opinions. Only you would know where that glass came from!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 28, 2021 16:53:56 GMT
The Louvre is taking advantage of the covid lockdown to get some work done ~ Good NYTimes article here, but if you can't get past the paywall, there is also this stunted version.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 28, 2021 17:51:36 GMT
Yes, they have been very busy.
It should also be noted that the Pompidou Centre is going to close for 3 years for total renovation as well (from the end of 2024 until early 2027). In the good news department, a very large number of the artworks from the national museum of modern art are going out on loan during that period to museums all over the world.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 7, 2021 4:42:16 GMT
"Louvre you've done with the place!" But no ~ that's not what they're saying: Some freshly repainted walls in the museum are now at the center of a trans-Atlantic legal clash between the Louvre and the Cy Twombly Foundation in New York over extensive renovations in its Salle des Bronzes. That gallery ...boasts a monumental blue ceiling mural designed in 2010 by Twombly, the abstract American painter.www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/arts/design/louvre-cy-twombly-ceiling.html
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