August 3, 2012

     I am taking you back now to the beginning of the month with two postings from that time period:

MUSEE D'ORSAY

The Musee d'Orsay recently underwent two years of major renovation; I had visited twice before, but there is so much to see. I had a morning appointment so did not get there until after lunch so will plan to see it again when friends come to visit and try to do the audio tour. The two metro stops which are most accessible to the RER train that I use have been closed for awhile, making it a longer journey. I knew that I wanted to walk back and so took the bus right to the museum; it was a couple of miles.

In spite of dire warnings for one to get tickets in advance because of long lines, the line was not very long, and after a few minutes wait we were inside. I purchased a joint ticket for the l'Orangerie and saved a few dollars this way; you have to use the ticket within four days of the original purchase.

This pic is directly in front of the museum and is not constrircted by anything else; I like it. Behind the cars in the pic is the Seine.


  I enjoyed seeing the works of the Realists, who worked in the time period just prior to Impressionism. Corot, Corbet and Millet were artists I had never previously studied, but amazingly, I remembered that our class studied Millet's "The Gleaners" in about fifth grade. I was disappointed with the guided tour that I signed up for, as we stayed mostly on the first floor. The the guide's  centered on the transition periods during the 19th century, what was considered nudity vs. what was considered pornography (scandalous). If a piece of sculpture or a painting contained a figure with a drape over part of the body, that was OK. This talk took up most of our time, and ended with us in front of Manet's "Olympia", still on the first floor.  Our guide pointed out that this particular piece was considered acceptable as the subject was looking straight out into the eyes of the beholder. She lost me at this point, and I was glad when we made our way to the fifth floor, where most of the Impressionist works can be seen. By this time I was really tired and decided to come back another day and do the audio tour, which would have been a better choice.

There is a very nice dining room here in the area before you can go out on the roof; I had eaten lunch at the small cafe, something fast and simple. It was neat to be on the roof, looking across the river to the right bank and the Louvre. I want to ride the ferris wheel; I think it is enclosed as was the Giant Wheel in Perth.  But this wheel is twice as giant as that wheel. You can buy a snack up here and stroll around enjoying the sights; it was a very nice day. You enter the rooftop right under the clock, which to me is the centerpiece of it all.

 

The building itself is amazing, as it rose from its ashes. It had burned and the ruins were left standing for almost 30 years. In 1900 the government agreed to allow the construction of a train station on the site to provide a more central location.  An architectural feat of Victor Laloux, the most up-to-date technology was implemented, including a 370-room hotel surrounding the station. Train stations around the world were modeled after it, including Grand Central Terminal in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C.

For almost 40 years, the Orsay was the hub for traffic bound for southwest France, but by 1939 the platforms became too short for modern trains. It then went through a number of different uses, including being a holding center for returning prisoners of war.  In the 1960s plans were in place to destroy the building and replace it with a modern hotel complex.  But critics lobbied and in 1977 President d'Estaing proposed to transfer it into a museum devoted to all forms of 19th century art. It was officially inaugurated in 1986 by Pres. Francois Mitterand and became the new home for Impressionist works.

After absorbing as much on the fifth floor as I was able for that day, and spending a little time in the upper gallery, which is devoted to works by Paul Cezanne. The audio tour will be great and I hope I can do it soon.