Two Grand Museums: Palais du Louvre & Musee d'Orsay

Right after the morning in the Catacombs, we made our way to the Louvre for a half-day of sculpture appreciation and pretend-reflection on the various paintings, mumbling things like, "This painting.. it moves me.."

Being a lifelong fan of sculptures (which is the reason why I’m a huge stickler for playing with clay, plaster and action figures; but that’s a different story), I was excited to see all the beautiful works-of-art hand-made by various masters throughout the centuries. May it be Greek, Egyptian or Renaissance, I wanted to see them all. What surprised me though, was how I came out much more appreciative of paintings, especially the huge-ass ones depicting key moments in French history.


Louvre Metro Stop

* One of the funniest posters that I saw on the Paris Metro on the way to the Louvre. Wonder what it’s about..



Louvre

* The beautiful exterior of the Louvre. I kinda never understood how the artist could think that a pyramid would match the surrounding royal French architecture, but then again I’m no artist.


Louvre Pyramid

* The blade and the chalice of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code; aka Mary Magdalene's final resting place; aka where thousand of tourists like to take pictures with their hands between the two points pretending to lift the one on top. Those clever tourists!


Louvre

* Courtyard full of gorgeous sculptures, aka my personal Disney Land. I made a mental note to fill my future home’s garden/courtyard with similar sculptures made by the country’s best artisans/copycats.


Louvre

Upper left: How to kill a giant serpent using only a rock, like a boss!

Upper right: Dude channeling his inner Bruno Mars by wearing an ancient Fedora.

Lower left: Man trying to stab reindeer and dog trying to hump it.

Lower right: Sunbathing in the nude circa 85 BC. This pose ensures an even tan!


Louvre

* Confident old chap! That’s why the chick at the back is checking him out.


Louvre

* My dream pose for the future:

a. Epic Beard

b. Child on one hand

c. Weapon on other hand

d. Loyal mutt at my side

e. Naked..


Louvre

* Sculptures depicting an ancient nightclub with a pimp full of bling (upper left), star diva of the show (lower left), up-and-coming burlesque queen (upper right) and “working” girls (lower right).


Louvre

* Beautiful silver and bronze Greek statue carrying a branch of leaves and a vase full of fruits. Hmmm…


Venus De Milo

* Aphrodite, known as Venus de Milo, is one of the Louvre’s most HANDY tourist draws . I would have given an ARM and a leg to take a picture with no tourists around. Did you GRASP what I did there?


Code of Hammurabi

* Code of Hammurabi made by the King of Babylon back in 1772 BC (God damn! That’s about 3000 years old!). This is where the quote, “an eye for an eye.." originated from.


Louvre

* Ancient Babylonian sculpture who gets a kick out of scaring the fools who dare pass by the doorway.


Salle des Caryatides

* Salle des Caryatides with its impressive view of pillar chicks and Korean tourists.


Louvre

* Hallways full of beautiful Italian-Renaissance paintings. If you’re a fan of people-watching, this is the place to be!


Mona Lisa

* The famous Mona Lisa, is extremely under-whelming. First of all, it’s smaller than anyone would imagine it to be, smaller than a 32” LED TV! Plus, it’s right across….
Wedding at Cana

* … the Wedding Feast at Cana which is a MASSIVE and truly impressive painting what with the explosion of colors and attention to detail. I found it funny that EVERYONE was trying to get a picture with the Mona Lisa while no one was even minding this one. But then again, the Mona Lisa is a Da Vinci work-of-art, so that counts for something!


Cupid and Psche

* Mother and Aunt Dolly posing with Cupid and Psyche, the story of which I remember from high school, as told by my English teacher with great emotion (can relate?).


Statue of Hermes

* Father doing the no-smile pose (aka my favorite pose) with the Statue of Hermes. Check out Hermes’ shoes, perfect for basketball!


Salle Rogue

* The Salle Rogue, containing the French Renaissance paintings, covers mostly depictions of Napoleonic and revolutionary scenes.


Coronation of Napoleon

* Coronation of Emperor Napoleon I was my favorite painting in the whole place along with the Wedding at Cana. Due to its scale, the figures on the painting look eerily life-like.


Leonidas at Thermopylae

* Painting of Leonidas at Thermopylae. Check out a scowling-Gerard Butler at the center and an old man grabbing a chick’s boob towards the right.


Louvre

* This place is filled to the brim with art! One could lay a mat on the floor and just stare at the ceiling for hours.


Louvre

* A statue pretending to be a mime pretending to be a statue. I had to double check to see if it was alive!


Victory of Samothrace

* The Winged Victory of Samothrace, depicting the Greek goddess Nike (Victory) is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world.


Statue of Ramesses II

* Colossal Statue of Ramesses II, here shown smiling perhaps after having eaten a very good meal.


Great Sphinx of Tanis

* Great Sphinx of Tanis, also with its nose missing. What is it with Sphinxes and missing noses?!


Louvre Moat

* Remnants of the moats dug by Philip Augustus and Charles V located on the lower ground floor of the Louvre to show us that indeed, the Louvre was once a medieval castle


Louvre

* A final view of the Louvre. We realized that we had about three hours till the museums were to close, and since my mom is a big fan of impressionist paintings, I decided to accompany her across the river to the Musee D’Orsay.


River Seine

* Walking along the river Seine. Such a nice day for a stroll.


Streets of Paris

* Such beautiful French architecture. It’s amazing how each city in Europe has a distinct visual color with Paris being rather blue-ish, Barcelona being yellow-brown and London being grey.


Musee D'Orsay

* Numerous sculptures dressed up to party outside the Musee D’Orsay.


Musee D'Orsay

* So while the Louvre contains classical and renaissance-era sculptures and paintings, the Musee D’Orsay is home to the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces of the world. This is where the Monet’s, Manet’s, Degas’, Renoir’s, Cezanne’s, Seurat’s, Sisley’s, Gauguin’s and Van Gogh’s of the world are located, aka my mother’s personal Disney Land.


Musee D'Orsay

* Sculpture of a gladiatorial battle while an Albert Einstein lookalike watches on. Very weird..


Gates of Hell by Rodin

* Due to the sensitive nature of paintings, photographs are strictly prohibited throughout the premises. One photo I was able to take was the intricate and monumental Gates of Hell by Rodin.


Musee D'Orsay

* As my mom was admiring the countless paintings of her heroes, I was busy admiring the sculptures on the courtyard, including this winged statue-of-liberty lookalike, a copy of which would look nice at the garden of my future home.


Musee D'Orsay

* A final view of the Musee D’Orsay, which kinda reminded me of a train station for some reason. Take note of the lion Simba on the lower left.


Champs Elysees

* A stroll along the Champs Elysees after a morning of skulls and afternoon of arts and culture is the perfect way to end the day.

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