European Vacation Day 6: More Louvre Photos

07. August 2022 · Comments Off on European Vacation Day 6: More Louvre Photos · Categories: Uncategorized

22 July 22: Here are some of the many photos I took at the Louvre today. I think I was more in awe of the sheer size of the buildings and galleries and the stunning architecture than the art. Also, as is probably the case with many American visitors, I am having to process how OLD much of this is. I don’t mean the antiquities on exhibit…I mean the fact that the museum opened (as an art museum) in 1793.

We let the boys go back to the apartment early. I was actually surprised they wanted to see as much as they did. They preferred the Greek and Egyptian relics to the paintings.

We are staying 1 mile from the Louvre, so we walked there this morning. We crossed “Rue Jacob” on the way.
Be sure to look up! Seeing the designs on the gallery ceilings and walls is artwork in and of itself.
The Grand Gallery.
This is a more realistic view of how close we got to the Mona Lisa. Pardon the guy in the red shirt who’s probably capturing your attention more, ha ha.
“The Wedding Feast of Cana”. The largest painting in the museum. The size of the side of one’s house!
“Liberty Leading the People” by Eugene Delacroix. There must be over 100 of his pieces throughout the museum but this one is the most famous.
Venus de Milo.
This was fascinating: the original foundation of the Louvre, which was originally a castle for Philip Augustus around the year 1200.

***1200!!!***
The boys enjoyed seeing the hieroglyphics and runic writing. Tim loves the origins of language (he had Latin in elementary school in Navarre FL…I’m sure it stems from that).
Napoleon III’s apartment is preserved to see. Talk about “extra!”
The large dining room.
Napoleon’s throne.
This room houses France’s Crown Jewels. I was too busy gawking over the room itself. I barely paid any attention to the crowns and jewelry.

The rest of the photos are three of Monet’s cold weather pieces. I found it very interesting that no French artists painted cold weather until Monet did.