Louvred Out

We decided to make a foray to the Louvre to see some art. One of DH's coworkers decided to go with us. We rode the subway down to the museum and got there about 1100. It was bitter cold and rainy. We joined the queue in front of the big steel and glass pyramid.

I can see why the addition of this underground entrance made of big glass pyramids made all the architect's heads spin. It's a very jarring addition to this ancient castle. I don't hate it, but we did stick around the outside of the museum taking pictures that showed the juxtaposition of the old with the new.

The Louvre Museum is so large that going in, we knew we couldn't see it all in one day. I got the big map of the Louvre and tried to make a plan. I wanted to see all the 'must sees' and give a pass to the exhibitions that didn't matter to us.

The guy who accompanied us on this adventure is the same guy who went to Kairouan with us and helped me buy my magic carpet. He's Egyptian. The minute he saw the signs for the Egyptian antiquities, he insisted that we start there, "with the real art". All day long, it was story after story about how superior all things Egyptian were.

I'm sure the Louvre's collection of Egyptian artifacts is not as extensive as the museums in Cairo, but Taher did say that it was all displayed well. One of the things they did that made the whole thing more impressive was putting a bunch of similar items together so you could see the minute detail differences.


From the very large pieces to the tiny pieces of jewelry and personal items, they would cluster a bunch of them together and you could see the quality of the finds. Some were better preserved, or of better workmanship. An interesting method, instead of just showcasing one excellent specimen. The Egyptian artifacts were amazing. The craftsmanship was astounding and many of the items were thousands of years old. It's one thing when it is made out of stone and it predates Christ by two thousand years. It's completely different when it's that old and it's made of wood or pottery. The fragile things that last that long are miraculous.

I dragged the guys through the Italian painters. Seems like a crime to go to the Louvre and not see the Mona Lisa, no matter how small that painting is.
She's lovely, but I found myself really paying attention to the building. The Louvre was a palace. It's been extended and built up over the years, but the overall structure has a lot of history. And it is BEAUTIFUL. I found myself taking as many pictures of the rooms and ceilings as I did of the artwork ensconced there. Besides the glorious stone floors and carved ceilings in the stairways, there were room after room where the ceilings had murals painted on them. The art on the ceiling was impressive. I wish I had a photo that did it justice. But you have to consider my tiny camera (and they had 'no flash photography' signs up all over) was not up to capturing something in that space and volume. But I did my best to get examples of the best of them. The beauty just went on and on. I found myself taking snaps of a floor grate (it was lovely!) and wainscoting on the wall. The carved doors were tremendous. The structure itself was so engaging, I had to be reminded to look at the art.

I loved the sculpture. Well, most of it. There were some big ugly modern art blobs that weren't worth the floor space, but I'm not an art maven, so what do I know?

In the Louvre, you have to pick your itinerary. I can't imagine being able to do this all in one day. It's just so huge. And I generally amble through each room, reading all the placards. Luckily, all the stuff is in French in the Louvre, so I didn't have to slow down and read stuff. Because, well, I couldn't. At that point, it was just pass through a room, look around, comment on the really impressive or pretty pieces and then move on to the next room.
Luckily the guys were on board. When they weren't on their blackberries making business calls. I could spend another couple days in the Louvre. I exhausted my attention span yesterday, but after a little rest, I think I could walk through again and see even more stuff. I'm pretty sure I missed the Venus de Milo. That seems like something I should have found.

--Sandee Wagner