Where: Europe
When: September 6th-16th 2008
Who: Dewana Allen - Indianapolis, IN 

But some recent news of Paris you may find interesting:

1. On Fridays, the Louvre is open until 10 pm and if you fall in the 18-26 age bracket, entrance after 6 pm is free :)
2. On the first Sunday of the month, many museums are free - include le Musée nationale Rodin and le Musée d'Orsay.
3. Saturday the 4th marked the 5th (or 7th...can't remember) annual Nuit Blanche (Russian reference? Not sure...should see if I can figure it out from my program), in which art (of varying and interesting kinds) is displayed throughout the city from 7pm - 7am (this fell the day after the the point that follows and was rather cold, so I didn't stay out that late, or see a whole lot, although there were near 50 sites you could visit).
4. The Noctilien (bus service betwen 00.30 and 05.30) is in fact legit (if maybe a little sketch...), and when the bus driver hears Pont de Neuilly instead of Porte d'Auteuil and lets you off on the other side of the 16me arrondisement at 4:15am, it is possible to get a non-sketch taxi and make it home in 10 minutes. :)
5. And, on a more somber note, learned this weekend that the "Danger de mort" signs in the métro are very apt.  The métro ran late for Nuit Blanche, and, as you can imagine, the last train was crowded.  Apparently at St Michel there was an accident and someone fell on to the tracks and the train wasn't able to stop in time. :(

Recent news at Mont Saint Michel that may interest you:

1. I (getting up at 5:20 - and later wondering why didn't I just stay up that extra hour on Saturday morning) made the train and visited on Monday. :)  In doing so I did not visit the D-Day beaches in Normandy, which is a bit of a frustration, but depending how the week goes I may try to make a trip on Saturday.

This is my last week in Paris!!  On Sunday I move to Lyon...craziness.  Also, just f.y.i. first week of November will be travelling Italy with friend Heather! :D  I'm leaving Lyon on Fri night or Saturday, meeting Heather in Pisa Tuesday night, we'll go to Rome Weds night or Thurs  She leaves from Pisa on Saturday and I have to be in Nice on Sunday.  So!  Advice on where to go/not go...places to stay (...anyone you know in Italy??)...all most welcome! :)

Bem cedinho, fui conhecer a igreja de Santo Estáquio, uma das maiores de Paris e pertinho de onde o dia anterior havia terminado.  E também uma das mais bonitas e mais aleatórias, sob o ponto de vista arquitetônico.  Ainda fui brindado com o ensaio de uma artista no órgão de tubos da igreja para a apresentação daquela noite.  Impressionante como é que aquela japinha conseguia tocar tantas notas ao mesmo tempo, com tanta rapidez e técnica, com cada um dos dedos das mãos e cada um dos pés, simultaneamente.

Dali por diante, a manhã do dia 10 foi só incerteza e frustração: a greve dos funcionários públicos federais (que eu tinha tomado conhecimento no dia anterior) afetara também os monumentos nacionais de Paris (todos os relacionados no site monum.fr, à exceção do Arco do Triunfo, até porque, se o Arco fechasse ao público, haveria rebelião de turistas em Paris, e não haveria polícia no mundo capaz de conter a fúria da multidão).  Dei de cara com a porta na Concirgerie e na Saint Chapelle.  E a greve era de 48 horas, tempo demais para quem só tinha umas 160 horas para gastar na capital francesa.

Na hora, lembrei do Ricardo Boechat, que sempre criticou a greve dos funcionários públicos brasileiros, que impediam os cidadãos de exercer seus direitos junto a repartições públicas, ou que afetavam os estudantes, privando-os das aulas.  Ele sempre elogiou os lixeiros parisienses que, ao fazerem greve, avisavam os distintos co-cidadãos com antecedência, para que eles não se tornassem vítimas do movimento paredista.

Comigo acontecia exatamente o que sempre aconteceu no Brasil.  Os funcionários públicos parisienses me haviam eleito como inimigo e vítima de seu movimento paredista.  Caro Boechat, eu que lhe escuto todas as manhãs, confesso que fiquei decepcionado.

Isso causaria uma mudança de rumo dramática, ao menos para mim, no meu ser metódico e programado de ser.  Embora meu roteiro contivesse todos os horários de abertura e fechamento de todas as atrações turísticas que eu pretendia visitar, eu não me lembrava exatamente quais monumentos estavam abrangidos pela greve.

Mudança de planos feita, sofrimento interno assimilado, rumei para um ponto turístico de Paris meio mórbido: as catacumbas de Paris.  Eu já tinha, honestamente, desistido de visitá-las, mas a Fiona insistiu.  Fazer o quê?  Ela manda.  Muitos degraus para descer e exatos 84 degraus para subir, após cerca de 35 minutos de caminhadas por labirintos subterrâneos, úmidos e mal iluminados, às vezes escorregadios, cercados por ossos e teias de aranha.  Eu adorei (já conhecia, mas foi bom ver de novo, depois de tantos anos), mas não voltaria lá não.  Para mim, já foi suficiente.

Sem mais lógica nenhuma, o roteiro reprogramado de última hora indicava me dava a opção de ir ao Museu Rodin - que eu ainda não conhecia.  Um lugar bonito, uma mansão com jardim, perdida (melhor seria dizer "preservada") no meio de Paris, com inúmeras obras de arte de Rodin.  A fila na porta foi um pouco desanimadora, mas passou rápido (eu também não tinha outra alternativa a não ser enfrentá-la).  O museu é bom (senão ótimo), principalmente para quem tem saco (como eu) de ler as explicações contidas no folder, nos cartazes e nas peças.

O sujeito da bilheteria do Museu Rodin não me vendeu meia-entrada, porque eu tinha (e ainda tenho) mais que 25 anos de idade.  Perguntei se havia outra promoção na qual eu me enquadrasse.  Ele disse que a única promoção que havia para pagar menos era de comprar os bilhetes do Museu Rodin e do Museu D'Orsay (que fica ali pertinho) juntos.  Topei, afinal de contas, na minha reprogramação, o D'Orsay era o próximo da lista.  Mas ele se recusou a me vender o bilhete combinado, alegando que os funcionários do D'Orsay também estavam de greve.  Só que lá, o visitante não era refém da greve (Ricardo Boechat dará pulos de alegria ao ouvir esta): os funcionários abriram o museu para visita gratuita.  Com isso, ganhavam a simpatia do público (parisiense ou estrangeiro) à sua causa e ainda faziam doer no bolso dos políticos a sua manifestação.

Assim que terminei a visita do Museu Rodin, acelerei o passo para o D'Orsay.  Parei para comer no caminho, numa birosca metida a chique e que vendia sanduíches (sempre eles!) na Rue de Bellechasse.  Cheguei, entrei e relaxei, sem fila, sem aporrinhação, sem gastar dinheiro.  Um espetáculo (os fatos e o museu em si)!  Mas o museu não estava com todas as suas alas abertas, o que nem de longe tirou o brilho da visita.  Ficou, na verdade, o pretexto para voltar a Paris e revisitá-lo.

Uma caminhada pelo rio Sena até o Louvre só serviu para constatar, efetivamente, a hora que ele abriria no dia seguinte.  O meu roteiro estava correto.  Dali, de ônibus, ir até a igreja de La Madeleine foi um pulo.

Como alegria de pobre dura pouco, o próximo item da lista modificada, o Panthéon, estava fechado, também por causa da greve.  Mas um cartaz colado na porta indicava que ali a greve duraria apenas 24 horas.  "Greve é igual em tudo que é lugar, até na desorganização", pensei.

O jeito foi me contentar com um prêmio de consolação: a igreja de Saint-Etiénne du Mont, ali do lado: uma pequena caixa de jóia, eu diria.  Pequena e graciosa, naquele estilinho gótico parisiense (com algumas inovações, tal como a igreja de Santo Eustáquio).  Um charme, imperdível.

Como ali naquele canto de Paris não tem mais nada para fazer, peguei um ônibus e passeei tranqüilo até o centro de Paris, na Rive Droit: a Place de la Concorde, onde saltei e de onde caminhei pela Rue de Rivoli até a Place Vendôme.  É ali que fica o Hotel Ritz e, não por acaso, onde podem ser vistos vários carrões em Paris, daqueles que você nunca viu na vida nem sabe o nome (exceto os tradicionais Rolls Royce, com sua marca característica na parte dianteira).

Dali a caminhada continuou até o Palais Garnier, vulgarmente conhecido como Ópera de Paris.  Entrei mas não o visitei, porque a sala de concertos estava fechada para a realização de ensaios.  Dava para voltar outro dia.

No fim do dia, uma baita surpresa, durante um passeio descontraído pelas Champs Elisée.  Após a vitória de Portugal sobre a República Tcheca pela Eurocopa, eu me senti na Avenida da Liberdade, em Lisboa, tamanha a quantidade de portugueses que ali festejavam, a pé, de moto (principalmente) ou de carro, buzinando e agitando bandeiras.  Bastante divertido.

One of the cutest things I saw today was in one of the metro stations: Je t'♥. Things like that make me believe that the old France isn't so much dead, just changed. It is a shame that the French have developed their own pervasive McDo rip-off (Quick), that I can speak English at information booths and get perfect directions, and that Levi's and Converse are all the rage. But I have faith that the French will continue to speak French, that homeless musicians will continue to fill the metro cars with the triste notes of their violins and accordions, and that the French will always tote their baguettes home in simple and comically small paper sheaths.

In Mississippi, it's a big deal to live near a Civil War battleground. Well, in Paris I stayed pretty far from the city center with a friend of a friend in Nation, 11ème arrondisement. But the nearest landmark wasn't just a big hill with a cemetery. At the Place de la Nation two enormous pillars and a park with a grand statue at the center commemorate the Revolution and the site of the guillotine with Lady Liberté teetering over other Revolutionary depictions of the sciences. You know how much I love the Revolution. To make it all perfect, one of the boys we met, Cedric, is a history major focusing on the Revolution!

After Katie and I explored our side of town, we did the Arc du Triomphe and Champs Elysées. I had no idea the Arc was so enormous. We meandered down by the Seine and ran into the Musee des Beaux-Arts, the Hotel Des Invalides (home of Napoleon's tomb), and the Jardin des Tuilleries. And all the sudden we were at the Louvre - and then not too far from Notre Dame. Notre Dame was my favorite that day. It's free entry and really felt like a sanctuary after all the walking in the cold. It just enveloped me in this calm, tranquil mood, amplified by the scent and warmth of all the beeswax prayer candles.

I'll have to tell you about how I technically stole some pantyhose on the Champs Elysées! Couldn't afford anything else. J/k, but I had all these warm weather clothes with me since I had originally planned to be in Barcelona for the week. (My flight was canceled due to fog and my friend didn't want to wait another day for the next flight ... I called Katie in Paris.) So I was wearing this cute dress and freezing to death in my sweater coat. Katie suggested getting some pantyhose at Monoprix. I bought a pair of black size T1. They went about halfway up my legs and ripped! I stuffed them back in the box, made an illegal exchange, receipt in hand, and begrudgingly pulled on the stolen tan pantyhose since only super skinny and midget people can buy black apparently.

Another day of our sejour in Paris, I met Katie (she had gone to Versailles for a day) at a market near the Edgar Quinet metro station. We ate lunch in the Montparnasse Cemetery and then explored a bit. I left Sartre and de Beauvoir a little note on my metro ticket: "Vous m'inspirez." We got to see Serge Gainsbourg's grave as well. I even crawled inside an open sepulcher/mausoleom (not sure of the right word but it was an above-ground burial house with a door).

That night we got the best view ever from the Sacre Coeur. You really see all of Paris from up there. Montmartre is definitely the sketchy most-likely-to-be-pickpocketed area of Paris. As soon as we exited the metro, men were standing by waiting to "help" American tourists. One named Karim showed us the way to the church. In Montmatre we had a pretty convincingly authentic French meal at le Poulbot, named after a vintage children's cartoon. Escargot, Beaujolais, expensive cheeses. After that, I had a glass with Sammy and Anise, some older guys preying on American gals on the Sacre Coeur steps. I really scared Katie doing that, but I saw they were drinking the wine too. Katie danced with one of them while the other asked to get a better view of the Eiffel Tower with me. No thanks!

The Moulin Rouge is one of the less impressive things we visited. Surrounded by Sexorama shops, it's much smaller than in the movie, and there's no music or dancing streetside. Of course, we didn't enter since Katie and I are cheapskates. I think we both managed to spend less than 20 euro most days. It helps when you're willing to eat homemade baguette sandwiches every day using the cheapest brie and lunchmeat (salami) available.

I explored alone on our last day in Paris while Katie napped. In Bercy, I found a rose garden where you could actually smell the flowers from the benches. I ate a croissant that just melted away in my mouth instead of shattering apart like American puff pastry. I explored a football (soccer) stadium built by the Romans in the first century. I saw the square dedicated to Foucault (I hate Foucault!), as well as one for Marie Curie. I climbed a tall hill in the Jardin des Plantes to a small gazebo and pretended not to be listening in on an American conversation.

Paris really tops everything. So many other American tourist destinations seem so empty when you reach them. Sure, the big bridge in Charleston was fun and the Sears tower is really tall, but the buildings in Paris are absolutely breathtaking and most of them are from a completely different epoque. I enjoyed Paris even more than all the chateaux I visited with school in Angers. I'd compare her to Folly Beach outside Charleston and the depths of the Smokies, but only in her ability to make me want to stay forever.

Some other small souvenirs:

• My last name graffitied on the ceiling of a public toilette
• Eating leftovers in the market that the vendors had left for trash/vagrants
• "Ghetto," "gangster" and the n-word said with a French accent by Frenchies
• A man in Montmatre who exclaimed happily when I used some French words to buy a beer
• Self-cleaning public porta-potty-style toilettes
• French people kissing everywhere - the metro, the parks, the streets
• An Italian woman who took our picture but kept speaking her native tongue when we spoke French to her

We stayed at the 3 Crowns Hotel, which is right near the Arc de Triomphe along the Champs Elysees. It was a pretty good location - a little outside the city center, but close enough to easily get to all the good stuff. Our room was pretty nice and with no bunk beds this time. You could definitely tell some serious smoking had been done in it, but we kind of got used to the aroma. We also had our daily 8 am wake-up provided by the construction crew working on the building next door.

Our first full day, as you can see from the pictures, we were met by dreary weather. Paybacks, we thought, for being spoiled by such nice weather in London. We pulled the Gore-Tex jackets from the bottom of our bags and set out in search of a suitable French bakery for breakfast. Not surprisingly, it didn't take us long to find one. Haley's attempt at ordering a croissant was met with a confused look from the baker. Jim stepped in though, and using his best French accent, successfully procured a "cwaa-saan." Next, we walked to the Eiffel Tower, but the dark sky persuaded us to skip the elevator ride to the top. We continued on through Paris' winding cobble-stoned streets to the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens. After our self-catered lunch of a baguette, salami (Jim's doing), cheese, and a chocolate mousse (Haley's doing), we then checked out the Latin Quarter and the famed Notre Dame Cathedral.

The next day we started off (after another breakfast of pastries) by booking our train tickets to our next destination of Brussels, Belgium. That afternoon, we walked through the gardens leading up to Paris' world renowned museum, the Louvre. We also peeked down Paris' most famous boulevard, the Champs Elysees, wishing it were the final day of the Tour de France to see the cyclists racing down the cobblestone street. After killing most of the daylight, we decided to try to conquer the massive Louvre. Our strategy was to enter the museum with only three hours till close. That way we could avoid another marathon session like at the Hermitage, and also pay half price for entering after 6pm. Our plan worked out great. The floor plan was less of a maze than the Hermitage, and we were able to hustle through the four floors with ease. We finished the experience by viewing Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and the famous Aphrodite sculpture. After visiting the Louvre, Hermitage, and about a half dozen other museums on our trip so far, we may not be seeing too many more going forward unless it's really rainy and/or the museum is free.

Ravaged by art hunger, we set out to find dinner. We totally agreed with a little girl we saw walking out of the Louvre yelling "I'm huuuungry!" to her parents. After wondering the streets for a while, we settled on a pizza place. Yes, we know we shouldn't be eating pizza in France, but it was late and they were open. It was very tasty thin crust pizza and was served with a spicy red pepper olive oil that gave it a nice kick. 

With tired feet, we opted to take the metro home. But first we made a quick detour to see the Eiffel Tour at night. The tower was lit up in a magnificent bright blue and we both agreed it looked much better at night. After snapping a few pics, eating a chocolate crepe and having a beer, we finally retired for the evening.

The next morning, we savored our last French pastry breakfast, and then set off to the train station for our first EuroPass destination of Belgium - home of Belgium Beers and Belgium waffles.

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• Alguém aqui já foi na Europa?

• Quem já visitou o Museu do Louvre?

• Já reparam ao vivo no paisagismo do Palácio de Buckingam?

• Quem já foi França,percebeu que...

• Vale a pena visitar o museu na Europa onde ficam as obras originais...

• Quando eu fui a Alemanha no memorial do Paul Klee (existe isso mesmo ?)

• A Grécia tem arquiteturas maravilhosas..(até aqui tudo bem,na revita dá pra sacar) além de ter um clima agradável durante o dia na praia! x(

enfim..poderia passar a tarde falando de paises europeus e afins que minha professora esfrega na cara que já visitou...

No dia que ela falar Espirito Santo eu participo da aula..

Bjus.nunca.sai.do.brasil.xau

La supuesta sobrina nieta del pintor rococó Jean-Honoré Fragonard, nació en Bourges en el seno de una familia acomodada, en la que era tradicional la afición a las artes, aunque no por ello dejó de sorprender a su familia cuando eligió convertirse en una pintora profesional. Su abuelo paterno fue un arquitecto de renombre, y su padre, Tiburcio Morisot, había sido discípulo de la Escuela de Bellas Artes, visitando Italia y Grecia. Más tarde cambió de rumbo sus aficiones ingresando en la administración pública, llegando a ser gobernador de varios departamentos importantes.

 La artista con su pincel

Durante su residencia en Bourges, capital del departamento del Cher, nació Berthe Marie Pauline, la última de sus tres hijas. Ascendiendo en su carrera fue nombrado consejero del Tribunal de Cuentas, trasladándose por esta razón a París, en donde pudo desarrollarse el talento que desde muy niña había demostrado Berta para la pintura.

     La artista en sesión fotográfica

El primer maestro de Berthe fue Guichard, pintor de pocas dotes, pero excelente profesor para principiantes, y estudió tres años en la Escuela de Bellas Artes de París. Ya en posesión de la técnica de la pintura, Berthe y su hermana Edma (que también cultivó por algún tiempo la pintura) sintieron gran admiración por la obra del admirable paisajista de la Escuela de Barbizon Corot. En 1860, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot tomó a Berthe como su discípula y la introdujo en los círculos artísticos. Fue el pintor que más influyó en ella hasta que conociera a Édouard Manet en 1868.

   Berthe con camafeo y detalle

La artista en su estudio

El primer envio al Salón de París, momento decisivo para los artistas franceses de la época, data de 1864 en la que mandó dos paisajes. Las obras de Berthe y de su hermana Edma, figuran en los catálogos de 1864, 1865, 1866, 1867 y 1868. Desde esta última época, solo Berthe continuó cultivando la pintura y exhibió continuamente en el Salón hasta 1874, año de la primera exposición impresionista, en la que expuso La cuna, en el que muestra a una madre agotada que mece la cuna de su bebé.

La cuna

Durante su aprendizaje, las hermanas Morisot habían trabajado en el Louvre, al lado de Édouard Manet, que era entonces un joven pintor desconocido y uno de los copistas de obras maestras antiguas, trabajo que a la sazón estaba muy en boga. Ella fue la que convenció al maestro de pintar al aire libre y lo atrajo al grupo de pintores que serían posteriormente los impresionistas. Manet, sin embargo, nunca se consideró impresionista, ni estuvo de acuerdo con exhibir junto al grupo.

Berthe Morisot pintada por Monet

Desde el triunfo del maestro en el Salón de los rehusados (1863), las relaciones entre las señoras Morisot (madre e hijas) y la esposa y madre política de Manet, fueron cordiales, estableciéndose gran amistad entre las dos familias. Más tarde, en 1874, Berthe se casó con Eugène Manet, hermano menor del gran pintor y continuó firmando sus obras como antes de cambiar de estado contra la costumbre francesa, según la cual, al casarse, la esposa emplea únicamente el apellido del marido.  

 Una anciana Berthe

La excelente posición social de que gozaban ambos cónyugues les permitió cultivar afectuosas relaciones de amistad con un corto múmero de amigos elegidos entre los mejores artistas de la época. Edgar Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, Claudio Monet y Édouard Manet frecuentaban la casa construida por Eugéne Manet, tanto para reunir en ella obras escogidas de los pintores amigos, como para facilitar el trabajo de la dueña de la casa.

También frecuentaba el cenáculo el poeta Stéphane Mallarmé, respetuoso admirador de Berthe, a quien debió la pintora que una de sus obras fuese adquirida por el Museo del Luxemburgo. El director de Bellas Artes, Roujon, asesorado por Bénédite, director del Museo mencionado, y Benoit, conservador del Louvre, supo evitar que la adquisición de la obra (en 4.500 francos) desencadenase nuevamente la cólera que despertó la admisión de la colección Caillebotte en un Museo del Estado. Berthe Morisot pudo en aquella ocasión salir del nivel de mera aficionada, en el que estaba relegada sin duda a causa de su holgada situación, experimentando por primera vez la satisfacción de ser tratada como un pintor profesional.

El gusto de los impresionistas por perfeccionar el reflejo de la luz se manifiesta explícitamente en Mujer arreglándose, obra de una gran maestría en la que se muestra a una sensual mujer arreglándose el cabello.

  Mujer arreglándose

Degas escribió en una ocasión: "Lo fascinante no es mostrar la fuente de luz, sino el efecto que ésta crea". Y tal parece haber sido la técnica que Morisot empleó en el cuadro. También son muy conocidas Frente al espejo, en la que se muestra a una joven coqueta observándose frente a un espejo envuelta en una luz dorada y En el baile, en la que se muestra a una bella joven morena, con un exquisito vestido blanco y su abanico de colores.

 Frente al espejo

 En el baile

Podemos ver una fotografía de la artista donde lleva un vestido y un peinado muy parecido al de su obra El vestido negro

El vestido negro

La pintora, al igual que Manet, fue un tanto reservada en su método y prefirió trabajar con un estilo más preciso y no tan abstracto como el resto de los impresionistas. Morisot pintaba la inmediatez, lo que veía en su vida normal. Como una mujer de la alta burguesía, estaba habituada a escenas domésticas, deportes campestres y un amplio círculo de mujeres y niños, ya que el mundo masculino les estaba vetado. Sus obras se centran en las mujeres, bien como protagonistas de un retrato, bien como estudios femeninos generales que muestran al individuo en su cotidianeidad. Asimismo atesoraban una sensibilidad femenina que se traslucía por la claridad de los tonos, los matices de los colores y la delicadeza de los valores.

La vida de Berthe Morisot se vio ensombrecida por la muerte de Édouard Manet en 1883, la de su esposo, Eugène Manet, en 1892, y la de su hermana. Educó sola a su hija, Julie Manet, con quien mantuvo siempre lazos muy fuertes. Al morir a los cincuenta y cuatro años, confió su hija a sus amigos, Edgar Degas y Stéphane Mallarmé.

Berthe Morisot murió en 2 de marzo de 1895 en París y está enterrada en el cementerio de Passy en París.

En la actualidad, sus pinturas pueden alcanzar cifras de más de 4 millones de dólares.

Rai Trade, together with the managers of several Italian theatres (Francesco Ernani -Sovrintendente Teatro dell’Opera di Roma-, Antonio Cognata -Sovrintendente Teatro Massimo Palermo-, Walter Vergnano -Sovrintendente Teatro Regio di Torino-, Sandro Tranchino -Direttore del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino-, Antonio De Rosa -Sovrintendente Ravenna Festival-, Marco Tutino -Sovrintendente Teatro Comunale di Bologna-, Giuseppe Ferrazza -Commissario Straordinario Teatro Carlo Felice Genova-, Gianfranco Mariotti -Sovrintendente Rossini Opera Festival Pesaro-, William Graziosi -Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini Jesi-, Lucio D’Alessandro -Preside Scuole Suor Orsola di Napoli) is now considering several options for meeting the large demand of opera “made in Italy” around the world and is launching several ideas, such as broadcasting the next opening of Teatro alla Scala, 7 December 2008 with Don Carlo, and screening the evening in several movie theatres all around the world, in Europe, USA, and Australia.

The international box office raised almost a million of $, for similar initiatives regarding Aida and Traviata. Also new programs will be realized for public and private channels, some of them will be conceived appositely for a young audience.

Teatro alla Scala has also announced an agreement signed with Musée du Louvre, for screening a series of twelve operas in the auditorium of the Museum.

Francesca Zardini

francescazardini@hotmail.com

To get further details

Panorama 27.09.08

Melò Around the World

1. Sayap Richelieu,

Bagi yang mau kesana, dateng aja di minggu pertama tiap bulan, soalnya di minggu itu Louvre dibuka tanpa harus membeli tiket masuk a.k.a gratis. Tapi ya tentu saja, itu merupakan kunjungan terbatas. Misalnya saja, di tempat jeng MonaLisa berada, pengunjung yang masuk ke Denon *tempat MonaLisa* selalu dibatasi di minggu gratisan itu.

Okay, That’s all. Thanks J

Vienen todas las setas, los higos, las calabazas, las cebollas, los pimientos y las vides hasta esta tela del Louvre pintada por Giuseppe  Archimboldo en 1573 y en la que el otoño deja sus ramas caídas. Viene el  otoño con sus vientos aún leves, poco a poco turbulentos, los días que van decreciendo, las luces inciertas, las primeras chimeneas encendidas. Nos llega una humedad transparente, una llovizna tibia, ciertos pasos sobre las hojas. Vienen con esta estación los otoños en Boticelli, en Poussin, en Joardens. Notamos un olor a madera quemada que asciende del borde del jardín. Viene el libro de la mesilla a la mano, al lado de la lámpara, abierto ante nuestros ojos. Viene luego Archimboldo, en 1569, presentando al emperador Maximiliano ll esta serie de estaciones del año. Entonces miramos un momento el cuadro, contemplamos cómo se adensa el otoño tras la ventana, y en el silencio de la habitación nos disponemos a leer.

(Imagen: "El otoño", 1573, Giuseppe Archimboldo, 77 x 63 cm  (París, Museo del Louvre). -bideford.devon.sch.uk)

As I was writing my memoirs of my trip to Europe, I started to think about how so many visitors to the Louvre take pictures of themselves in front of the Mona Lisa.  I have never seen this happen with any other piece of artwork in any other museum.  I rarely see people take pictures in museums at all, but to see people insert themselves into the pictures was a new experience entirely.  Why do they do this?  I guess it's because pictures of the Mona Lisa are a dime a dozen.  She's on t-shirts, posters, socks, postcards, calendars, everywhere.  Everyone's seen her a million times and in circumstances where it's much easier to get an eyeful than when you're at the Louvre viewing her from 20 feet away, through bulletproof glass, while being jostled by a throng of people.  No, having another picture of her just isn't going to do.  It's not really seeing her that's so special.  It's being with her.  She's the ultimate popular kid that everyone wants to see and be seen with.  What does having your picture with her say to people?  First, it says you've made it to Paris, and into the rarefied, climate-controlled air of one of the world's great masterpieces.  Not bad.  Second, it says you're smart enough to know that with all there is to do in the most fashionable city in the world, next to her is the place to be.  And, third, dude! She's totally smiling next to you and that look in her eye is going to make everyone think you're sharing a secret.  Jealous!

Another theory I have is that people take pictures of themselves with the Mona Lisa for the same reason they take pictures of themselves in front of the Eiffel Tower or the Pyramids--  to show they made it there.  This might seem obvious, but when you think about it, it's rather unique because the Mona Lisa is an object, not a place.  The Eiffel Tower and the Pyramids are places, landmarks, feats of architectural genius.  You can go inside them and walk around.  You can view the whole city from the top of the Eiffel Tower.  You can study the religion and burial techniques of an ancient civilization at the Pyramids.  The Mona Lisa is a painting.  I stopped myself from saying "just a painting", but at its most basic level, yes, it's a smallish canvas covered in paint.  Leonardo, in all his genius, managed to create a painting that has spoken to so many people over so many centuries that it has transcended being an object, and has become a place.  A place where people aspire to be ... a place where people want to prove they've been.  Click!/Flash!

Véritable star en son temps, Mantegna est aujourd'hui peu connu du public. Pourtant, la France en détient la collection la plus importante après l'Italie. L'exposition du Louvre, jusqu'au 5 janvier 2009 dont la conservatrice générale des peintures du musée, Dominique Thiébaut, rêve depuis vingt ans, en propose une rétrospective inédite. Retour sur le parcours d'un artiste dont Goethe qualifiait la peinture aussi "rude et austère", que "pure, délicate et claire".

>>> Andrea Mantegna au Louvre

En effet, muni de votre Pass vous aviez accès à prix réduit au Musée et, en plus, cette année, le Musée est habillé par Lacroix, l'invité de marque des Rencontres.

Les magnifiques robes, accessoires et croquis de Lacroix fonctionnent bien mieux dans ce Musée qu'au cloitre Saint Trophime (dont j'ai parlé ici). Sans doute parce que ce qui nous est donné à voir ici n'est pas réservé à l'œil du créateur mais bel et bien destiné au public.

Les œuvres du musée mêlent des peintures classique et des photographie : on y trouve quelques grands noms devenus des classiques comme comme Horvat et bien sûr Clergue, l'enfant du pays, comme Lacroix. Lacroix a invité aussi des artistes (peintres, photographes et plasticiens) moins institutionnels. Les critiques virulentes (un commentaire issu d'un site catholique, parmi d'autres, ici) sur une démarche comparable menée au Louvre (avec Jan Fabre) n'ont pas eu cours ici, au Musée Réattu, et c'est tant mieux : les oeuvres cohabitent sans provocation aussi vaines qu'inutiles.

On retrouve Katarina Jebb avec des œuvres de taille plus modeste qu'au cloitre Saint Trophime mais tout aussi intéressantes. On trouve aussi Véronique Ellena dont j'ai vu le travail de portraitiste (son site : là) il y a quelques mois à l'espace ING de Bruxelles.

Cette exposition dure jusqu'à la fin de l'année 2008 contrairement aux Rencontres qui ont fermé leurs portes le 15 septembre alors, si vous voyagez en Provence, n'hésitez pas à passer par le Musée Réattu à Arles !

As promised, our group headed out for a cocktail and lunch after visiting the museum. Our first stop was a place called Dave's which is just a few blocks from SFMOMA on Third St. Louis had been here before and thought we would appreciate it's dive bar feel. He was right as the place was mellow, a bit dark with some interesting folks cozied up to the bar. It turned out to be an interesting visit at Dave's. Just after ordering our first round we were told by the bartender that it was being taken care of by some guy at the end of the bar named Blain. To make a long story short we ended up hanging out with these two guys with the Canadian Navy whose vessel was docked in San Francisco for the weekend before heading off to the Persian Gulf for 6 months. Blain is a native Canadian from Victoria, I believe, and his friend, James, was born in New Zealand but now residing in Canada. We ended up having an interesting conversation about the war in Iraq, rugby, Canadian health care, England and Quebec. All in all it was a great visit to Dave's. From there we headed to North Beach for lunch. Another great visit to the city.

Programme du jour : Le Louvre et retour vers Luxembourg.

A part un petit cauchemar à 4h30 du mat, ma nuit a été parfaite. Je me réveille un peu avant 8h. Un bon biberon, quelques macarons Ladurée, et hop je vais réveiller Maman en lui souhaitant "Happy birthday". Elle fête ses... 20 ans aujourd'hui... comme tous les ans ! Quand on aime, on a toujours 20 ans !

Elle prend son temps pour se préparer ce matin. Je dis bonjour à Mamie Nadine qui téléphone,  et nous prenons le bus pour le Louvre.

Arrivée dans la Cour Carrée, je cours comme une folle. Je regarde les statues et demande s'il s'agit de Charlotte (Nous avons une statue de la Grande Duchesse Charlotte sur une place à Luxembourg, et du coup j'appelle toutes les statues "Charlotte").

Nous passons devant la grande pyramide en verre et les jets d'eau, et nous entrons dans le Musée du Louvre. Nous commençons par déjeuner dans un des restaurants du site. Je mange comme 4 et suis bien plus sympa qu'hier.

Nous commençons la visite par les sculptures. Je donne mon avis "Moi j'aime bien ça !", puis quelques peintres de la Renaissance, la Joconde, des plafonds peints, puis la section "Egypte".

!!!

Nous avons rendez-vous en fin d'après-midi avec des amis de Maman, Sophie, Michaël, et Bruno. Nous nous arrêtons par hasard au Café Ruc (des frères Costes) Rue Saint-Honoré. N'y allez pas, en plus d'être cher, le service est lamentable... ah mais c'est vrai, nous sommes à Paris. Moi je joue sur les banquettes rouges.

A 18h, je salue nos amis, et embrasse très fort Maman. Elle part voir Madonna en concert au Stade de France, moi je rentre à Luxembourg cette nuit.

Je reprends donc le bus avec Papa jusqu'à l'hôtel. Je suis adorable. Nous prenons nos affaires, récupérons notre voiture, et prenons la route vers 19h30. Je m'endors presque immédiatement.

Nous arrivons à la maison à 23h. Papa me porte jusqu'à mon lit où je terminerai ma nuit. Rédacteur : Patrick-Robin, mon Papa.

The building that houses the Louvre was once a palace of one of the Kings in Paris and look at how big it is! The picture that I took is not enough to encompass the whole Louvre.

One of the famed pyramids of the Louvre, you may recognise it from movies as there will often be a seen filmed close to this. There are two smaller pyramids next to it. The whole structure is quite amazing, suspended by a whole lattice of steel bars and glass.

However, when you go underground, it feels you can practically touch it. ;p And I wonder how they can invert it like that. Hmmmm...

Disclaimer: The photos of paintings and sculptures that you see will be quite blur. I do not use flash when I take these shots because the flash on the cameras will destroy these paintings and sculptures and yeah... no one else will be able to see them! and that's sad!

First visit was the sculptures, there are so many that I won't list them all, just would list the ones that interests me. First Cupid and Psyche by Canova... the expressions on their faces are articulated well. You can see the adoration on Cupid's face and Psyche reaching out for him.  Just imagine that this sculpture was once a rock and yet they manage to carve such an artwork out from it.

Then we have the three graces. Mmm.. look at their bodies, its not too skinny like most pencil-thin models, but very voluptous and well-proportioned!

Then we have the famous Venus de Milo. Its hard to imagine, but that sculpture is actually two parts fitted together!

Of course, there are plenty sculptures of the male psyche around the museum, although.. *ahem*... well let's just say they are interesting to look at :3

The first of many Michelangelo sculptures to come. This is the Dying Slave. Somehow, I wonder if all men die this way in ancient times, it looks kinda agonising. But the anatomy proportion is done so well. Look at the abs and six-pack. :3

And more often than not, some of the male sculptures are in very active poses. :3 This is a Borghese Gladiator.

Allright, enough of me making a fool of myself. At the staircases leading up to the painting exhibits, there is this really really really huge sculpture of "Victory", I think that's what they call it. As for why the sculpture has no head, I'm not really sure. Its so huge that I'm a tiny head there. ;)

Now, we come to the painting that most people come to the Louvre for. The famous "La Jaconda" as the French call it (I might have the spelling wrong) or the Mona Lisa by Leonardo De Vinci. Previously, the Mona Lisa was held in a very small dark room. Now they move it to a bigger space where there are MANY and I mean MANY people admiring her...and me included of course. :3

There are other paintings that is worthwhile to admire. We start with the simple one of the traitorous Helen of Troy and Paris. I love the colours of this artist...although I wonder why the men of most renaissance paintings have a distinctive lack of clothes.

Then we have this really really beautiful painting by Gericault called The Raft of Medusa where there were sailors on this raft and it was faced by tremendous storms (i think) and only two survived. Gericault painted this just merely from the description of the two survivors.This painting looks small here, but it can take up the entire wall of one apartment back in Singapore.

Next we have another painting of that same size, its called "The Wedding Feast at Cana", a Veronese painting. Can't remember who the painter was or did they state the painter. This is a wedding that Christ attended. The details are absolutely beautiful. Just take a look at the people in the upper left hand-corner.

That's it for now. onwards to Italy! :D

...back to the point.  I have some Louve pictures for you. It was really hard to get good shots in Le Louvre with all the tourists and oil based paints but here you go anyway:

Me outside the Louvre with a dirty lens...ughhh....see the spots?

Dalin cheesin it up for ya

Louvre sign at the entrance

Another below-pyramid shot

Does this really need a caption?

A bit overrated in my opinion but...I do appreciate it

That's my girl...Venus de Milo :)

Okay...this is just a portion of the famous Coronation of Napolean where he is crowning his wife but I wanted to highlight the fact that all of her friends have on the same dress.  Is this where bridesmaids originated from?  I just might be a genius.  Beta Iota (my favorite bride-friends)...what do you think?  I took this for you, you know who you are!!

Michelangelo's "Slaves" - I loved these two sculptures.  

I could go on and on but those are my favorites.  I hope you like 'em.  

Today was such a great day, I love YOU, I LOVE traveling. And I LOVE my husband.