Paris - 3

The Musee D'Orsay

This museum is the one that speaks more to my soul than any other. On my final full day in Paris, I had a chance to visit this soul affirming place. This post will be heavy on images and light on words. The photos are all by me, and I am still amazed that anyone is welcome to take pictures of almost everything that is in the museum.

Imagine being a school child in Paris and having art class in such a museum.

The part of the museum that most addresses my soul is the impressionists. Monet, Manet, Degas and even post impressionists like Van Gogh. Upon entry, I turned left and went up 5 flights of stairs directly to the top floor and the hall of impressionists. There is so much joy to be found here. I had all the time in the world to stand or sit in front of anything I wished for as long as I wished. This singular piece has filled my soul in the past. It is possibly my favorite painting.

Monet - Bordighera 
This reminds me both of where I grew up and a wonderful vacation location.

The next few are all by Degas. His series of dancer works have always left me speechless.  Tragically on this visit many of the pastels that Degas did of dancers were not on display. They only show from time to time because of the art works are so fragile. However, those pieces of his that were on display are spectacular.

Degas - Blue Dancers

Degas - Dancer ascending a stair

Degas - The Little Dancer
She looks like she could move at any moment.

Surprising to me is the image of London's parliament building. As many times as I have seen that spectacular building, it has never looked this good. I can imagine the foggy morning that this painting was based on. The light and shadow are ethereal.

Monet - London Parliament

Every time I go to this museum I find something new to dazzle me. This trip was no exception.  For the first time I noticed this work by Caillebotte. These floor scrapers struck me because I know exactly what they are doing and why, but even more how the camaraderie of hard work makes the work go better. And the partially drunk bottle of wine on the hearth speaks to good end to a long day.

Caillebotte - Floor Scrapers

From the top floor of the museum, there is a place where one has a lovely view of Monmarte. The hill with the big white church of Sacré Cœur. I did not make it up the hill to visit this church, but got a swell view of it for a few minutes. It remains impressive even from quite a ways off.

Sacré Cœur

No trip would be complete without seeing Van Gogh. There were only a few of his works on display, but they are among his most famous. This museum has an active program of lending out art for other museums to display. So if you got to Denver to see the impressionists there a couple years ago, you can thank the Musee d'Orsay for their generosity.  If you did not get to see it, then, I highly recommend you take a chance next time. For the end of the post I will leave off with two by Van Gogh.

Van Gogh - The church at Auvers

Van Gogh - Starry Night