Musee d'Orsay

By the time we got to the Musee d'Orsay, "home" of the Impressionist work in Paris and one of my favorites,we were close to "museumed out."

Nonetheless, it remained a beautiful spot, somewhat less crowded than the Louvre.

Later, we learned that no photos were allowed in this museum. These are some I took before that lesson! (Unfortunately, that occurred before I hit the Impressionists!)

The sculpture is beautiful -- this is a favorite.

And this is the same display -- you can see how large it is, with Rick for comparison.

 

I was also partial to these scale models of the Paris Opera Garnier. (Keep scrolling down my posts for a visit to that beautiful spot!)

 

They captured the detail of the Hall of Mirrors.

 

And again, to get a sense of scale -- it was quite large indeed!

 

I was fond of this painting -- I wish I could remember the artist. It depicts an art auction.

 

This glass piece was in a room with Toulouse Lautrec paintings. It is not by him.

There is quite a famous clock when you enter this former train station that is now the home of works by the great artists of Impressionism. This is a different one, looking outside at a marvelous view. 

It attracted quite the crowd, and no wonder.

 

It overlooked the marvelous view of Montmartre, far in the distance.

 

Rick was ecstatic to see a photo of his hero, Victor Hugo, taken by the writer's son, Charles. 

Any museum can be exhausting. The ones near the end of a trip, all the more so.

This is the photo that got me busted -- we just happened to be sitting under a security camera! (And I really didn't note that there were NO photos -- I thought there was "no flash" like the Louvre.) Rick wasn't alone being tired! (No one was worrying about photos here!)

 

As we left, we enjoyed some "street theatre" outside the museum.

It was rather fun to watch the musician and his "comic relief" who followed passers by! They attracted quite the audience!

We were off to the Tuileries en route to dinner! More on that later!

Tips for Museum Going

1) Photo signs are done with pictures. Look at them carefully. This was the only museum we visited where photos weren't allowed. Several years ago they were and you can find pix of my favorites here. (check Musee d'Orsay on my sidebar labels to see paintings.)

2) If you want to live dangerously, at least look up before shooting! If you see a video camera, beware!

3) Don't forget to explore the Museum Pass for the best prices. It may or may not work with your schedule, but it is definitely worth a look.

4) If you are planning on a museum for something in particular, it helps to start there. While it was intriguing for me to follow the progression from the more realistic art to the Impressionists, we really didn't have much time when we finally reached them to fully enjoy.

This post is part of the Paris in July posts, hosted by Bookbath and Thyme for Tea.. Please visit the link on my sidebar to see more posts set in or related to Paris.

Color and Light

I am a huge Stephen Sondheim fan. (And for those who wondered about the undisclosed location where I kidnapped Rick for his birthday surprise, it was to go see "Side by Side by Sondheim" at the Michigan Shakespeare Festival!)

One of my favorite Sondheim musicals -- and one I'm looking forward to seeing this summer at Canada's Shaw Festival -- is "Sunday in the Park with George," a two-act musical in which Mandy Patinkin created the role of Georges Seurat, the great Impressionist painter. Since you already know I love Monet, it was pretty clear that the major museum on my itinerary would be Musee d'Orsay.

Housed in what used to be a train station which was designed for the Universal Exhibition in 1900 on Paris' right bank, the museum houses many of the most beautiful pieces of Impressionist art in the world (as well as from other periods). This massive clock overlooks the sculpture lobby.

Among the featured artists are Berthe Morrisot...

Vincent VanGogh...

Edgar Degas...

and of course, Monet (You can tell a Monet by the way he paints hay).

Color and light. Sondheim worked these words into one of his songs from "Sunday in the Park." The Musee d'Orsay is all about light. Take a look at the large windows that overlook the sculpture gallery.

And there's plenty of color, too, from the art on the wall to the school children in their red hats, learning about art.

They were well behaved and I loved they were learning about art.

The Art Nouveau section dazled me, with work by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Rene Lalique and others. The furniture was splendid.

Wouldn't this be a good art table? Large, gently curved, good storage...

There was also furniture from other periods, and I rather liked this table.

And some of the sculpture nearly took my breath away.


The lighting was just perfect.

There were pieces I loved (and for the life of me, can't remember the artists, though I'm sure when I hear them, I'll go, "Duh").

Especially this one...(Is it a Monet? It looks Monetish, but also Pissaroish...)

But one of the real thrills was to stand just inches away from paintings I'd seen in books all my life, like this Van Gogh.

I liked this one, too.

Can any of you guess why this may have been my favorite painting? I thought so!

I enjoyed a lovely lunch in the museum's restaurant, then stepped on the roof terrace for a look at another museum (one I'm saving for my next visit), the Louvre. (It was so large I couldn't handle it -- but you'll see another glimpse of it in a future post.)

When it came time to leave, I walked in the St. Germain des Pres district. After stopping for one of those decadent raspberry tarts, I headed home for our last evening. Along the way, I saw this florist shop, which captivated me.

(Aren't the petals on the ground an interesting touch?) Then there was this puppeteer. I cannot resist a puppeteer!

It was almost time for my last evening in Paris. But before we go there, I'll take you to some of the other sights I enjoyed -- the people and street scenes of Paris -- and to the flea markets that make me smile! So, come back in a day or two!