Art in Paris

For decades, it's been a dream of mine to make it to Paris. The Louvre feels like a a pilgrimage for many artists, and I am no exception. So when my artist husband and I found a good deal we booked a trip and grabbed a couple of our grown children and flew across the ocean to check out the art in person.

First stop was D'Orsay. The Museum Orsay has a wonderful Collection of Impressionism in the amazing refurbashed train station. Three hours is probably the right amount of time to spend there. The cafe at the top boasts the giant clock from Hugo, which you can look through to see the city. I can't tell you how happy I am that my children love art appreciate art museums even more that they've had history of civilization and art history classes in college. It also helps that they've been visiting museums and galleries since they were born.

family Portrait with Winged Victory

Next, the Louvre. We were coming in tired, and I didn't want to be too worn out for this exhausting museum, with miles of walking. We went right after lunch and practically ran through in a few hours to see our "must see" list, which I had actually written down. If I had it to do over, I'd have waited until the 2nd or 3rd day of the trip, and gone Thursday evening when things start to clear out. They're only open one evening a week, but I hear that it isn't so busy at night. I'd intentionally decided to avoid the Mona Lisa with it's crowds, but since so many of my favorites were right by the room where she hangs on the wall, I stuck my head in. No regrets.

Modonna on the Rocks, looking dark

I was sure that my favorite DaVinci was "Modonna on the Rocks, but it seemed very dark in person. Maybe it would brighten up with a cleaning, but his Madonna with St. Anne, was very vivid, so until the restoration, St. Anne is getting my vote. Reproductions are important, but seeing real work in real life provides surprises. The texture, the size, the depth, the frame: There's nothing like the real deal.

The Palace of Versailles is packed with Art. Ceilings were covered with views of heaven and historical scenes painted by artists who probably needed massages or a good chiropractor at least once a day.

The Pantheon isn't an Art Museum, but it might as well be with so many enormous painted panels covering the walls. One of my favorite walls portrayed the story of Joan of Arc. Tres French!

And as a TVI (Teacher of the Visually Impaired) I was happy to discover the final resting place of Louis Braille in the basement, along with other notable French men and women (Marie Curry, Victor Hugo, Voltare).

Our trip included other treasures, but I could have spent an entire week in Art Museums alone. Next time maybe.