Paris: Gobelins Summer School - d'Orsay

Musee d'Orsay, rank as one of my favorite museum/art gallery that I have visited.

As we visited the converted train station on Bastille Day, we were greeted by some neat sights en route. Military vehicles (or rather vehicles transporting military personals) filled the riverside road on the Seine's southern bank from the St Michel square.

While we are queuing to get in, some helicopters and parachuters passed overhead.

The building below the air formations is none other than the Lourve

Some animal sculptures adorn the exterior entrance, including a horse, a rhinoceros and a small monkey.

This is the ground floor of the beautiful structure. The sculptures occupied mainly the central space while the layers of rooms and partitions on each side held the paintings. While considerably smaller than the Louvre, I felt d'Orsay is a lot more homier. It is also fairly easy to navigate.

This decorated grand clock sits right above the main entrance. This was the time when we arrived.

We had quite some fun at the expense of the static posers. There are so many sculptures, that there are endless potential in trying to line them up with other elements to create interesting illusions and compositions.

A 'clock-sitter'.

The archer and the arc.

d'Orsay is famed for its impressive collection of impressionists paintings. Personally, I think my approach to art and interests in subject matters are closer to these than the strictly modern and abstract or the overtly classical and religious. I like them because these tend to feel more down to earth and closer to the ordinary day to day life. I do appreciate the efforts in finding something special in simpler things. Afterall, no moment is truly mundane, it comes but once and it is remarkably special to try and capture them.

Here are some of the paintings that I like the most (in the order that I have come across them.)

Alexandre Cabanel - The Birth of Venus
I particularly enjoy the dynamic poses as well as the gentle colors.

I doubt this needs any introductions.

Auguste Renoir - Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre [Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, Montmartre]
The dance of light and lighthearted atmosphere are just gorgeous.

Gustave Caillebotte - Les raboteurs de parquet [The Floor Planers]
Maybe I just like the earthy and humble depiction of urban masculinity in this one.

Claude Monet - The Rue Montorgueil in Paris. Celebration of June 30, 1878
Although this is about a separate event, looking at this on Bastille Day, having just seen the military parade added a special touch.

Claude Monet - Londres, le Parlement. Trouée de soleil dans le brouillard [London, Houses of Parliament. The Sun Shining through the Fog]
Another Monet. I like the contrasting cool and warm color as well as how simple it seems yet full of depth.

Maurice Denis - Les Muses [The Muses]
What immediately caught my eyes were the colors and graphical style. it reminded me of some contemporary illustrators like James Jean and Joy Ang. (Note an interesting reversal here, the comparison is made with the one we were first exposed to. Even though the contemporary painters could have referenced the seniors, I tend to think in terms of how the senior's work looks like what I have 'already seen'.)

I can't find whose' work are these nor what they are called. However their graphical quality feels so contemporary to me. (Or rather some contemporary artists that I like also referenced this style.)

And this one just for laughs. I call it Legolas and Gandalf running.

Being the minimalist animal fan that I am. François Pompon's Ours blanc [Polar Bear] is unquestionably my favorite!

Some reading up on the piece and the sculptor turned up some thoughts that I really admire. The essence of a 'being' is after all the 'trappings' were removed and nothing of what is left can be taken away. Maybe it is when no more additions or refinement can make it better is a work perfect (or as close as it can be).

A stylization rooted in reality. Art backed by genuine understanding of the subject. One can only aspire. It did took François a lifetime to archive.

Mark the Stitch.

I also very much enjoy the art nouveau section of the museum. The fluid curves and design reminiscent of natural floral on the period furniture will not be out of place at all in the elven citedels and the Shire from Peter Jackson's version of Tolkien's work. While I astonishingly didn't manage to take any pictures of the famous metro signs throughout the city as I went 'metro-hopping', going through possibly more than a hundred stations in 2 weeks, I am happy to have managed this.

Besides the various artworks, I particularly enjoy the architenture of the musuem itself. This is really a fine converstion from a Gare to a Musee. I like how some modern, industrial and almost steampunkish elements like cold hard steel and square geometrical glass contrasts yet complemented the elaborate floral carving on the ceiling pannels.

I very much prefer to see a Van Gogh under this kind of setting rather than in a velvet palatial building.

As with many popular attractions in Paris, the top floor of the museum offered some great views as well. This balcony area looks towards the Louvre as well as the Sacré-Coeur.

Another great clock adorn the cafe and refreshment area near the balcony. (Sacré-Coeur is in the circle)

When we left the museum, it was close to the time when they will be closing.

And after a very productive day's visit of a place I would love to return and do further research and maybe a few sketches once more, we amble towards the funfair in Jardin des Tuileries.

There, we saw children sailing boats under the foreboding clouds of an impending storm that never came, while the dust mingled winds does nothing to discourage the tourists and merry-makers.

We ended the day watching Mary and Max and later the firework presentation at the Eiffel Tower. That was one very fine day indeed!